Safety should be as ingrained as checking the weather forecast

As National Farm Safety week draws to a close, I’ve been thinking about the extra pressures this year has brought to regional Australia.

We’re only half way through and yet it’s been a year like no other - with bushfires impacting the east coast, long awaited rain in some parts, then Covid-19 shutting down borders and creating havoc.

It’s times like these when staying safe is most important, but it can be the last thing you factor in as these other issues challenge and distract us.

This week, FarmSafe Australia released their Safer Farms 2020 report which highlighted two unique factors that make farming more hazardous than many other workplaces. The first one is there is no work/life balance or clocking off at the end of the day/week and the second is the fact that farming isn’t just an occupation, it’s a way of life.  

Working in agriculture can mean days spent in the great outdoors, but there are inherent dangers to our industry. We use heavy machinery, ride quadbikes, handle large animals, work with chemicals and operate at all hours of the day depending on the season, meaning fatigue can be a big factor. Not to mention the impact on mental health and the lack of support services in the bush.

With more than 4000 employees across Australia, Nutrien Ag Solutions has the privilege of visiting and assisting all types of farming operations – and being safe on farm is so important to me.

Safety should be as much a part of doing business on farm as planning your rotations and watching the weather.  

Understanding the legislation and implementing the controls that keep you safe is one part of it. The other part is safety as an attitude you carry with you regardless of whether you’re at work or at home – because a farm is both of those.

Home safe, every day.                                                                                                                                                     Rob Clayton

#PlantASeedForSafety #whenthegoinggetstough #saferfarms #farmsafeaustralia #farmsafetyweek