First safety standards established for autonomous, electric and hydrogen agricultural machinery… revised agricultural machinery testing standards take effect

According to Farmer Safety 365, operated by the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences under the Rural Development Administration, 5,602 agricultural machinery accidents occurred over the five years from 2020 to 2024, killing 343 people and injuring 3,314. That means more than 1,100 accidents a year on average, with nearly 70 deaths and about 660 injuries.

By type of accident, entrapment and traffic accidents are the most common. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Disaster Yearbook, among 894 agricultural machinery accidents in 2024, entrapment accidents were the most frequent at 304 cases (34%), followed by traffic accidents at 213 cases (24%), rollovers and overturns at 137 cases (15%), and falls at 98 cases (11%).

The revised “Agricultural Machinery Testing Standards,” implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from the 6th, directly targets these two types. Walk-behind agricultural machines that move in reverse must be equipped with an emergency stop device that cuts power when the operator’s body touches it, and agricultural machinery driven on roads must have rear reflectors. For the first time, safety standards have also been established for driverless autonomous agricultural machinery and for electric and hydrogen agricultural machinery. This is a follow-up measure to the “Comprehensive Safety Management Measures for the Agriculture and Forestry Sector” announced in June. The comprehensive measures set a goal of reducing the fatality and injury rate in the agriculture and forestry sector by 25% by 2030.
 

Power cut off when walk-behind agricultural machinery reverses… rear reflectors also mandatory

Walk-behind agricultural machinery capable of reversing must cut power immediately in an emergency if the operator’s body touches the safety device. The aim is to reduce entrapment accidents by stopping the machine even when the operator cannot directly press the stop switch.

Agricultural machinery driven on roads must add rear reflectors or reflective material to the back of the machine in addition to existing nighttime reflectors. Installation standards have been raised to the level applied to automobiles and construction machinery. The reflectors must be recognizable when illuminated by car headlights from 150 meters behind. The purpose is to make agricultural machinery easy for following vehicles to see at night and prevent rear-end collisions.

Autonomous machinery stops if no supervisor is seen… electric and hydrogen standards newly created

For autonomous agricultural machinery, testing requirements have been set so that it can operate without a driver on board if supervised on-site or remotely. An alarm must sound when autonomous driving mode is turned on or off. If an on-site or remote supervisor is not detected, an obstacle is encountered, the machine leaves the work area, or a communication or sensor failure occurs, the machine must stop by itself and switch to a safe state. Portable control devices used to operate autonomous mode must stop both the machine and the implement if communication with the machine is lost. The previous standards, which centered on limited functions such as automatic steering, have been reorganized in line with the international standard for autonomous agricultural machinery (ISO 18497).

The scope of remote supervision was not defined by distance. Choi Min-ji, director of the Advanced Agricultural Materials and Seeds Division at the agriculture ministry, said, “It is not defined by distance, but by a common-sense level at which safe operation is possible and anyone would recognize it as supervision.” An official from an agricultural machinery company who requested anonymity said, “It is unfortunate that specific standards for remote supervision have not been prepared.”

Standards have been created for electric and hydrogen agricultural machinery to prevent electric shock and fire. Direct bodily contact with high-voltage electrical devices must be prevented, and leakage of electricity or machine operation during charging must be blocked. Lithium-ion batteries will undergo safety tests to determine whether they can withstand rapid temperature changes, overcharging and over-discharging. For hydrogen agricultural machinery, a red warning light must turn on if the hydrogen concentration in enclosed spaces such as the driver’s seat or cargo compartment exceeds 2% (±1%), and the fuel shutoff valve must operate if it exceeds 3% (±1%).

Standards have also been newly prepared for agricultural forklifts and rail-type aerial work vehicles. Agricultural forklifts with a maximum lifting capacity of less than 2 tons, which were reclassified from construction machinery to agricultural machinery in May last year, must meet standards for structure, safety devices, braking and loading devices, and performance, and must be fitted with operator protective structures. Rail-type aerial work vehicles that move along rails in greenhouses and similar facilities will be subject to anti-tip test standards.
 

Existing agricultural machinery not covered… liability for autonomous accidents also undecided

However, the new standards apply only to models that undergo testing in the future, while machines that were being tested under the previous standards through the 6th of this month will follow the old standards. Most agricultural machinery already in use in rural areas is not covered. Director Choi explained, “Because there is a regulatory aspect, retroactive application is not possible, and the standards will apply starting with new models.” The ministry plans to encourage the installation of rear reflectors on existing agricultural machinery through support projects. She said, “It is not mandatory, but there are projects supported by the budget, so reflectors can be installed if support is received,” adding, “We are encouraging installation through support rather than obligation.”

It has not yet been decided who will be responsible when autonomous agricultural machinery causes an accident. Liability and insurance processing may differ depending on whether the accident was caused by farmer operating error or a machine malfunction. Road driving is also outside the scope of the testing standards and must follow the Road Traffic Act. Director Choi said, “The testing standards do not regulate liability in the event of an accident,” but added, “Because such cases will increase, we are considering how to handle them and how insurance should work.”

Industry development costs and farm burden remain tasks… initial subsidies and on-site guidance needed

Both industry and academia welcome the direction of this revision, while stressing that support must accompany it for the standards to take root in the field. Professor Jung Sun-ok of Chungnam National University, president of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery, said, “The fact that the agriculture ministry is creating standards and paying attention to this is welcome,” and assessed, “Compared with having no standards, this will help companies because the direction is set.” The company official quoted earlier also said, “Once standards are created, companies will make products that meet them, and consumers may perceive them as safer products,” adding, “This can be linked to sales.”

The issue is cost. To meet the new standards, companies must additionally develop devices, and machine prices may rise accordingly. The official said, “To develop technologies that comply with these safety standards, time and money must be invested,” adding, “In a situation where investment in technology development is becoming increasingly difficult due to the shrinking domestic market, it inevitably acts as a burden on companies.” This means institutional support is needed to ease that burden.

Professor Jung also noted that as the market environment has recently changed, companies are in a difficult situation in which it takes a long time to recover their investments even after making large investments. He said, “When new standards are created, support measures are needed so that companies are not burdened as much as possible, at least initially, such as providing subsidies or giving priority when selecting projects,” adding, “If policy support does not accompany the creation of a new system, it becomes nothing but regulation.”

Professor Jung said that at the development stage, on-site demonstrations and pilot distribution should be expanded to verify whether there are any institutional problems. At the distribution stage, he said, farmers’ out-of-pocket burden should be reduced. He said, “Farmers would like to buy good machinery cheaply, but it will inevitably become more expensive,” adding, “Such aspects need to be supported by reducing the farmers’ own burden.”

There are also calls for field dissemination measures to ensure that farms can properly use the new machinery. Professor Jung proposed placing specialized personnel in city and county agricultural technology centers to handle advanced agricultural materials and machinery and agricultural work safety, strengthening on-site guidance and education, and expanding and enhancing agricultural machinery rental centers.

The agriculture ministry plans to continue revising the testing standards in line with technological development and changing field conditions. Director Choi said, “We will continue revising the testing standards to strengthen safety standards,” adding that many safety-related details will be included in the 10th Basic Plan for Agricultural Mechanization (2027–2031), which will apply from next year.