Shady Farming Limited has been convicted and fined $60,000 following an investigation into a January 2025 incident where a worker lost an arm after his clothing caught in an unguarded power take-off shaft on a tractor connected to a feed mixer in the Wairarapa region.
Shady Farming Limited Convicted After Tractor Safety Breach
The incident occurred in January 2025 while a worker was operating a tractor connected to a feed mixer, resulting in multiple serious injuries and the loss of an arm. Shady Farming Limited pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Power Take-Off Hazards and WorkSafe Investigation Findings
Power take-off (PTO) shafts represent some of the most dangerous parts of farm machinery because they spin at high speed and can instantly catch loose clothing if left unguarded, according to WorkSafe. WorkSafe’s investigation found that the tractor and feed mixer were running with no guarding on the shaft during the incident. Although the farm’s own risk register flagged a high risk of entanglement and its safety management system strictly required PTO shafts to be guarded at all times with no exceptions, investigators determined that the farm failed to effectively check that pre-start and maintenance processes were followed.
https://x.com/MetService/status/2092703174117482770
Regulatory Response and Industry Safety Warnings
WorkSafe’s central region manager, Nigel Formosa, emphasized that the case demonstrates why guarding must be treated as a critical safety control. “Farmers know PTOs are dangerous, yet we continue to see workers seriously injured by machinery that isn’t properly guarded,” Formosa stated, adding that guards serve as the last line of defence between workers and rotating shafts. Formosa noted that having rules on paper is insufficient and that farmers need active systems to ensure guards are present, in good condition, and checked before use. With agriculture remaining one of New Zealand’s highest-risk industries, Formosa warned that machinery incidents continue to cause serious harm, stressing that no job is urgent enough to justify bypassing moving machinery safety.
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