They have also been advised to tell someone where they are working for the day before they leave the house, if possible, do a risk assessment before they tackle a job and to speak up if they see someone doing something risky.

The warnings come from the group Farm Safe Australia, after "The Age" revealed on Saturday that 45 people have been killed in workplace fatalities on Victorian farms in the 10 years from 2005-2014. WorkSafe also said there were at least another 50 deaths on hobby farms and lifestyle properties over the same period.

Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety figures show 19 people have been killed on Australian farms or hobby farms so far this year.

Seven of the deaths involved incidents with tractors, a further seven involved incidents with quad bikes. Four of the people killed were children.

The industry category agriculture/forestry/fishing consistently records one of the highest rates per capita of workplace deaths in Australia. Worryingly for Victoria, the number of workplace deaths over the past five years on farms (29), is almost double the figure for the period 2005-2009, when the toll was 16, according to WorkSafe statistics. 

Last year eight people were killed on Victorian farms, an average of one fatality every one-and-a-half months.

The farm death toll becomes even more stark when compared to the number of deaths among serving police officers in Victoria, a profession rightly regarded as one of the most dangerous. 

Three Victoria Police officers have been killed in the line of duty in Victoria, since 1 January 2005. Associate Professor Tony Lower, from the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety, said the 2015 death toll showed the importance of focussing on safety within agriculture.

"I don't think there's any doubt it (agriculture) has the second highest rate of fatal incidents of any industry in Australia, apart from road transport," he said. 

"But having said that, there have been huge reductions in the number of fatalities that we've been seeing. In the early 1990s there was an average of nearly 150 on farm deaths per year from injury, Australia-wide.

"It's been a reduction of around 50 per cent, if not a bit higher, which is fantastic. But the trouble is, we know from looking at the incidents that occur, that still the vast majority of them and I'm talking almost universally, are preventable - by taking steps that we know already work," he said.

"There's no doubt that when you look at farmers and the risks that they face, there's a huge range of risks, particularly in relation to equipment, machinery and livestock. Also, just the distances they have to travel and the terrain they have to travel over. All of those things increase the potential risks and hazards that are in the working environment. 

"And let's not make any bones about it, it's difficult to control all of those risks. 

"But there's a lot of practical and basic steps that producers can take to actually reduce those risks and therefore limit the number of fatalities and injuries that occur as well," he said.

Charles Armstrong, president of Farm Safe Australia, said the agriculture industry was constantly trying to improve farm safety. And he said people were thinking more about farm safety today than they did 10 years ago.

To help reduce farm accidents Mr Armstrong said farmers should do a risk assessment before tackling a job and assess whether jobs should be done at a slower pace to reduce risks.

"I do believe that they (farm accidents) can be significantly reduced," he said.

- The Age