‘Only one in 10 workplaces are farms, yet they account for one quarter of all work-related deaths’ (Better Health, 2022).
ORM in partnership with Birchip Cropping Group (BCG), will be initiating a ground-breaking Victorian first Agriculture Safety Learning network in 2023.
The role of ORM and BCG
ORM and BCG will use their professional links to offer growers the opportunity to participate in a free network. Providing a platform for sharing knowledge, ideas and helping to make real on-farm changes.
Participants in the S3F network will collaborate with each other and receive support from industry specialists. The focus will be to tackle some of the critical health and safety issues experienced by participants in the program. BCG members are being invited to engage in this grower-to-grower network by registering an Expression of Interest.
Benefits of participating in the network
| Participation in the network will provide benefits such as reducing the stress and anxiety associated with managing safety, in addition to reassuring employees that safety is prioritised. The network will pilot safety interventions specifically for broadacre cropping and mixed farming enterprises around the yearly production activities.
ORM and BCG are not safety regulators; the purpose of the network will be to accelerate the adoption of improved work health safety practices on farms across the region through a community-led approach to create Safer Farms, Families and Futures (S3F). |
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What’s involved
A series of five face-to-face events will be conducted between March 2023 to August 2024. These events will provide the support and resources required by participants to initiate practical improvements on their farm. The network is free to participate.
Participants will be asked to commit to the program for its duration which requires representation by each farming business at the five face-to-face events. The events will take multiple formats including but not limited to farm visits, peer-to-peer activities, and training and development sessions delivered by industry experts.
Scheduled dates for the events are currently:
Event 1 – Friday 31st March 2023
Event 2 – Friday 23rd June 2023
Event 3 – Friday 22nd September 2023
Event 4 – 2024 date TBC
Event 5 – 2024 date TBC
If the S3F network is something you are interested click here for further information or feel free to register your Expression of Interest.
The motivation to develop an Agriculture Safety Learning Network
ORM Senior Agribusiness Consultant Jane Foster said the aim of the network is to see a greater uptake of improved safety practices.
“We believe that the most important legacy we can all leave to future generations of farmers and their families, is a safer workplace,” Jane said. “The safety learning network supports us to lead a community-based approach to tackling the workplace safety challenges that exist on farms.”
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ORM clients interested in further information can contact Jane Foster direct on 0438 416 176
The project is made possible through funding provided by WorkSafe Victoria.
References:
Better Health 2022, Farm Safety – Risks and Hazards, viewed 1st December 2022.
Jane Foster, Agribusiness Consultant.
For more information contact us here admin@orm.com.au