Practical safety videos, the implementation of QR codes and streamlining the induction process for new and casual workers have been among the achievements of 26 farms signed up to the Safety Learning Network.
Funded by WorkSafe, and driven by experts Velisha Education Group (VEG) and agriculture consultancy ORM Consultancy and Communications, the project involved regular catch-ups and farms visits where safe systems of work and practical safety improvements were the main topics of conversation.
Amanda Smith, from Gippsland's Riviera Farms, said the network sparked important conversations about safety, which led them to create new training videos for multicultural workers.
Ms Smith said the best first step to improving safety was to "just start talking about it".
"Just mentioning the word "safety" in everything that you do. It becomes habit and that's what you need. It just needs to be in-grown in people," Ms Smith said.
VEG Managing Director Catherine Velisha said farmers could often be reluctant to reach out for help which is where the collaborative nature of the network came in.
"Knowing people who are running the same business as you, doing the same roles as you and also having the same challenges and the same stresses - I think that gives real freedom and opens up conversation," Ms Velisha said.
Fourth-generation almond, citrus and asparagus grower Darren Minter, from the Mildura region, said the program prompted him to replace paper instructions with a QR code system that takes workers to videos showing how to correctly and safely operate machinery. .
"As an employer, I want everyone to be safe on my farm and go home every night. It's not just the person injured, it's all the people around you that are going to deal with the trauma. I do not want that on my farm, period," Mr Minter said.
ORM Senior Agribusiness Consultant Jane Foster said the network brought together grain growers from across the Mallee region.
"A lot of people felt a little bit overwhelmed about how to start," Ms Foster said. "Amongst the group, there's now a really positive mindset towards safety and proactively managing risks and hazards on farm."
With the Boxall family's cropping operation in the Mallee expanding, mother and son Leonie and Callum joined the network to ensure they had the right safety systems in place to support their new workforce, including developing a comprehensive induction process.
"It's always going to be about continual improvement," Callum said. "It helped develop more awareness of identifying what hazards are around and being able to prioritise these."
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said conversations with fellow farmers were invaluable for preventing deaths and injuries.
"It takes courage to start those conversations and to reach out and seek advice when you need it - and nothing resonates more than connecting with people in a similar situation," Mr Jenkin said.
The Safety Learning Network program is now undergoing an evaluation process to assess how it may run in the future.
