The 18th to the 24th of July is National Farm Safety Week, held every year to raise awareness for workplace health and safety in the agriculture industry. Although I strive to bring awareness to farm safety all year round, the coming week is an important reminder for farmers to check they are doing everything they can to keep their people safe and comply with the law.
The timing is even more significant this year with the recent announcement of the inquiry into agriculture by the WorkSafe Commissioner, following twelve tragic deaths in the agricultural industry in the past twelve months. This means that the regulator will be looking more closely at how farmers manage safety to reduce the risk of injury and harm.
I am passionate about educating farmers on their obligations to provide a safe workplace under the Work Health and Safety Act (2020) and improving the safety culture in agriculture. According to Farmsafe Australia’s 2021 Safer Farms report, only 29% of grain and legume farmers interviewed had a documented safety system. Close to a quarter of respondents said they stored policies and procedures in their heads or relied on their employee’s common sense.
This is not good enough and will not protect your workers or your farm under the Work Health and Safety Act (2020). If you don’t have a system for addressing Work Health and Safety on your farm you need to act now!
What You Can Do:
The attention on safety in agriculture needs to be a catalyst for change to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in the industry. To start improving safety on your farm I recommend:
- Understanding your legal obligations under the new laws.
- Building a risk register of the hazards that could hurt someone and how these can be managed.
- Ensuring proper training and induction for employees and keeping records.
- Having an emergency management plan documented and communicated to all workers.
What ProcessWorx Offers:
ProcessWorx offers a safety management system designed for farms that specialises in providing support and coaching sessions to teach you how to implement the system. This includes:
- Cloud-based AgriShield App for your documents, registers and online inductions.
- Six coaching sessions with a WHS Advisor to teach you how to implement your system.
- Ongoing phone and email support.
- Automatic document updates to comply with legislation.
I would be delighted to speak to any farms or agribusinesses concerned about their safety needs to see how ProcessWorx can help.
If you need assistance reviewing your options for farm safety or have other questions, please contact ProcessWorx on (08) 9316 9896. Our friendly expert team will be happy to help you.
Follow ProcessWorx on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to keep up with the latest HR and Safety news.
Originally Written for Farm Weekly Magazine
