A Wairarapa farm worker has suffered life-changing injuries after becoming entangled in an unguarded power take-off shaft, prompting a fresh WorkSafe warning to farmers about one of the most dangerous pieces of machinery used on New Zealand farms.
The worker lost an arm and suffered multiple serious injuries after his clothing was caught in the rotating PTO shaft while operating a tractor connected to a feed mixer in January 2025.
Shady Farming Limited later pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
The company was convicted, fined a total of $60,000 and ordered to pay approximately $96,000 in reparation.
WorkSafe says the case is a stark reminder that machinery guards are not optional, particularly around PTO shafts that can rotate at very high speed and pull in clothing, limbs or other material almost instantly.
“Farmers know PTOs are dangerous, yet we continue to see workers seriously injured by machinery that isn’t properly guarded,” WorkSafe Central Region Manager Nigel Formosa said.
“Guards are the last line of defence between a worker and a rotating shaft. If a guard is missing or damaged, the consequences can be devastating.”
Farm’s own safety system required guards
The seriousness of the case is made clearer by the fact the farm had already identified machinery entanglement as a high risk.
Its risk register recognised the danger and its safety management system required PTO shafts to be guarded at all times.
WorkSafe’s investigation found the tractor and feed mixer were nevertheless being operated without any guarding in place on the PTO shaft.
The investigation also found that compliance with pre-start and maintenance checks was not being effectively monitored.
Those checks should have confirmed guards were present and in safe condition before the machinery was used.
They should also have identified wear or damage and led to replacement of any defective guard.
“This incident shows that having rules on paper is not enough,” Formosa said.
“Farmers need systems that ensure guards are actually present, in good condition, and checked before machinery is used.”
Why PTO shafts are so dangerous
Power take-off shafts are used to transfer power from a tractor to attached farm machinery.
They are common on dairy farms, cropping operations and other agricultural businesses.
Because the shafts rotate at high speed, they can catch loose clothing, hair or body parts before a person has time to react.
The result can be catastrophic.
A missing guard may seem like a small maintenance issue, but around moving machinery it can be the difference between a normal day at work and a permanent disability or fatality.
WorkSafe says guards can become damaged during ordinary farm operations, meaning regular inspection is essential.
Replacing a worn or broken guard is far easier than dealing with the consequences of a serious entanglement.
What WorkSafe wants farmers to check
| Safety step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Make sure PTO shafts are fully guarded | Prevents direct contact with rotating parts |
| Inspect guards regularly | Damage can develop during normal farm work |
| Replace damaged guards immediately | A broken guard may provide little or no protection |
| Include guards in pre-start checks | Confirms machinery is safe before operation |
| Train workers to report damage | Problems can be fixed before equipment is used again |
| Keep clear of moving PTO shafts | Reduces the chance of clothing or limbs being caught |
| Disengage machinery before approaching | Removes the immediate rotating hazard |
Agriculture remains a high-risk industry
The case also highlights a wider problem.
Agriculture remains one of New Zealand’s highest-risk industries, with machinery incidents continuing to cause severe injuries.
Farm work often involves time pressure, unpredictable conditions and heavy equipment.
That can make shortcuts tempting.
But the consequences of a shortcut around machinery can be permanent.
WorkSafe says no task should be treated as so urgent that a worker is expected to operate equipment with a missing or damaged guard.
The key lesson from the Wairarapa case is not complicated.
If a safety control is required, it has to exist in practice, not just in a manual, checklist or policy document.
That means somebody must actually check it.
Someone must be responsible for fixing it.
And machinery must not be used until the problem is addressed.
A few minutes can prevent a lifelong injury
Formosa said the impact of serious machinery injuries extends well beyond the workplace.
“No job on the farm is so urgent that it justifies taking risks around moving machinery,” he said.
“A few minutes spent checking guards can prevent injuries that affect workers and their families for the rest of their lives.”
That message is especially relevant as farms head through busy periods where machinery is used repeatedly and often by different workers.
A guard that was in place last week may be damaged today.
A pre-start check that is skipped once can become a habit.
And a hazard everyone knows about can still cause serious harm if nobody stops the job.
The Wairarapa incident is a reminder that the most effective safety systems are often the simplest ones.
Check the machine.
Check the guard.
Fix the problem before starting.
Source: WorkSafe New Zealand.