The cotton industry in Australia had an early interest in pursuing improved safety and has included

presentations on cotton production health and safety at most annual cotton conferences since 1990

(Clarke and Churches, 1992b). There has been significant investment in the development of practical

resources, incentives and programs to improve health and safety on cotton farms by the industry.These

have been facilitated through the Cotton Research and Development Corporation and by governments,

specifically the NSW and Queensland workplace health and safety authorities.

There has been recent interest in identifying drivers of change to improve safety in the Australian

agricultural industries by those wishing to ensure that safety promotion and extension programs have

greater impact on achieving adoption of recognised interventions (Fragar, 2008).

At the same time there has been a growing interest by sectors in the cotton industry in examining

safety changes and specifically, the impact that introduction of genetically modified cotton may have

had on occupational health and safety in cotton production. Studies in China and South Africa have

demonstrated a reduction in pesticide poisonings with the adoption of genetically modified (Bt cotton)

(Hossain 2004; Pray 2002). While studies have examined the economic and pest control impacts of

biotechnology on cotton production in Australia, no research has been reported into the impact that

biotechnology, or other changes have had on safety in the industry in this country (Pyke, In press).

The objectives for this study were:

I. To identify and describe potential factors that have influenced the health and safety of people

associated with cotton production in Australia

2. To establish the health impact that the introduction of new agricultural chemistry technology,

integrated pest management and genetically modified cotton has had on the health and safety of

people associated with cotton production

3. On the basis of findings, to recommend a more integrated approach to health and safety risk

assessment, management and reporting for the cotton industry.