Let’s look out for our farmers
Community sport continues to be vital to our health and wellbeing; an opportunity to connect with friends, family and teammates, on and off the field or court. The competition and comradery of weekend sport unites us and gives us a sense of community. And it is this sense of community that makes our partnership with footy and netball so valuable.
It is our opportunity to work alongside local clubs and leagues to promote workplace safety and appeal to rural and regional Victorians to look after their mates at work. When our workers are safe, we'll see them on the field, on the court and on the sidelines. Doing what they love, together.
Safety on farms
In country areas we know a large part of staying safe at work is staying safe on farms. Yet, tragically, too many workers are killed or seriously injured on farms every year. In fact, 14% of workplace fatalities are in agriculture, despite farms accounting for just 2% of Victoria’s workforce. As a community, we simply must do better. We owe it to those lost and to those left behind.
Farmers know their land, livestock and machinery better than anyone, but that doesn’t make them bulletproof. We know the “it’ll be right” attitude that is common in agriculture can have deadly consequences. We also know that experienced farmers are suffering serious incidents, and that if safety is not a priority, experience alone will not be enough to prevent a tragedy from occurring.
Our ‘It’s never you, until it is’ agriculture campaign highlights that deaths and injuries on farms are preventable, not inevitable, and encourages farmers to treat safety improvements like any other improvement in their business. This campaign isn’t about us telling farmers and those in the agriculture industry what to do. It is simply to remind them that life changing incidents can and do happen.
You can prevent these incidents by making safety a priority. And you most certainly can prevent deaths. Our farmers are the lifeblood of our community, and we need to support them in every way possible.
See you at the Country Club
Together with our partners at AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria, WorkSafe will host six Country Club games this year throughout the state.
If we are in your area, come and see us, have a cuppa and help us encourage all farmers to heed the safety message, especially when they need to spend long hours on the land.
Fatigue isn’t just about being tired, it’s pushing your body beyond its limits, day after day. It impairs reaction times, concentration, and the ability to think clearly. That’s why taking a safe-tea break is so important.
We’ll also be calling on all clubs to nominate their favourite farmers to go into the running to win some great prizes for their club and the farmers themselves.
Let’s not just kick goals on the field or shoot goals on the court this season - let’s work together to change the score in agriculture.
Because these are not just numbers – they are our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and teammates. Together we can all make a difference!
Joe Calafiore
Chief Executive Officer – WorkSafe Victoria
