Cultivating Safety in Agriculture for People with Disability

A National Disability Research Partnership Project

Agriculture is one of Australia’s most important industries — and also one of its most dangerous. Yet people with disability already live, work, and contribute across farms, agribusinesses, and rural communities every day. Despite this, disability is rarely considered in farm safety systems, training, or workplace design. The result is an ecosystem where people with disability often carry the burden of managing risk alone, while employers lack the confidence or guidance to support safe participation.

The Cultivating Safety in Agriculture for Persons with Disability project set out to change that.

Funded by the Australian Government through the National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) and delivered by the Ability Agriculture Foundation in partnership with CQUniversity, this six‑month project used a disability-led, co-design approach to understand how the agricultural safety ecosystem currently functions — and how it can be strengthened.

Project Overview

The project explored how safety decisions are made on farms, how disability is (or isn’t) considered, and what supports or pressures shape the experiences of people with disability in agricultural workplaces. Rather than focusing on individuals alone, the research examined the whole ecosystem:

• People with disability working in agriculture

• Agricultural employers and supervisors

• Farm safety consultants and industry organisations

• Occupational therapists and allied health professionals

• Agribusiness representatives and rural support services

Through interviews, thematic analysis, and a national co-design roundtable, the project mapped the enablers and challenges affecting safe participation for people with disability. This included developing a prototype ecosystem diagram illustrating how knowledge, confidence, informal workarounds, formal supports, and system gaps interact in real agricultural settings.

Who Was Involved

This project was led by:

• Ability Agriculture Foundation

  • Josie Clarke – Project Lead, Chief Investigator

  • Nigel Corish – Co-researcher

• CQUniversity

  • Nicole McDonald – Co-researcher

  • Pat Colusso – Co-researcher

Participants included:

• People with disability working in agriculture across NSW, VIC, SA and QLD

• Employers from grains, beef, sheep, dairy, horticulture and agricultural research sectors

• Farm safety specialists

• Occupational therapists and allied health practitioners

The project was funded under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, through the National Disability Research Partnership.

Key Insights and Findings

1. People with disability actively manage risk — often at personal cost

Many workers described pushing through pain, hiding impairments, or relying on unsafe workarounds to stay employed. This increases risk and reduces long-term sustainability.

2. Fear of disclosure reduces safety

Workers often avoid asking for help due to fear of judgement, exclusion, or being seen as a burden. This leads to informal adjustments that may not be safe.

3. Employers want to be inclusive — but lack practical guidance

Most employers expressed willingness to support workers with disability but were unsure where to start, worried about liability, or lacked access to clear, agriculture-specific advice.

4. Farm safety systems rarely consider disability

Safety audits and training often rely on a narrow “fitness for work” lens, placing responsibility on the individual rather than on shared systems, task design, or workplace adjustments.

5. Allied health professionals face system barriers

OTs and allied health practitioners take a holistic view but often lack agricultural context, face funding delays, or encounter unclear responsibilities between services and employers.

6. Confidence + knowledge = safer outcomes

Across all groups, confidence was a critical factor. When workers and employers know what supports exist and feel safe to communicate, safety improves. When confidence is low, risk increases.

Co-Design: How the Ecosystem Was Mapped

The ecosystem diagram was co-designed with 36 participants representing lived experience, employers, safety specialists, agribusiness, and allied health. Participants collaboratively identified:

• Who influences safe work for people with disability

• How decisions are made in real agricultural settings

• Where knowledge gaps or system pressures increase risk

• What enabling factors support safer participation

• What practical interventions are most feasible and impactful

This process created the first shared, visual representation of the agricultural disability safety ecosystem — a milestone for the industry.

Why This Work Matters

Agriculture is a major employer in rural and regional Australia. Ensuring safe, inclusive participation is essential for workforce sustainability, community wellbeing, and economic resilience.

The project demonstrated that:

• People with disability want to work safely and sustainably.

• Exclusion is not inevitable — risk can be managed through better design and communication.

• Inclusive safety strengthens safety culture for everyone.

• Practical tools and shared responsibility are more effective than compliance checklists.

This work aligns with national priorities under Australia’s Disability Strategy, particularly in safety, economic participation, and inclusive communities.

Where to Next: Future Research and Action

Building on this foundation, the co-design research helped highlight priorities for the next phase of focusing on practical, actionable change, including:

• Co-designing task–ability mapping tools tailored to farm environments

• Developing disability confidence training for agricultural employers

• Strengthening connections between agriculture, safety, and allied health systems

• Enhancing informal supports to achieve safer outcomes

• Testing and evaluating tools on farms to understand what works in practice

• Identifying opportunities for policy and systems-level change

Participants expressed strong interest in continuing involvement, reflecting a shared commitment to improving safety and inclusion across the sector.

Acknowledgement of Funding

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government as an initiative under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, delivered through the National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP).