INDUSTRY NEWS
GO . FARM launches new internal safety campaign
Humour is helping deliver imporant on-farm safety messages for GO . FARM as part of its internal campaign launched during National Farm Safety Week .
FARMING is one of the most dangerous industries in Australia . Last year there were 32 fatalities nationally . In the first six months of 2024 , 30 farmers have died . A company with almond properties in Victoria ’ s Goulburn Valley and the Riverina in New South Wales launched an internal campaign during National Farm Safety Week . GO . FARM ’ s Chief Operating Officer Greer McCracken explains how the eye-catching designs were created and how they ’ ve been received by staff .
Q : What prompted GO . FARM to create this internal campaign for National Farm Safety Week ?
We believe that farm safety is absolutely crucial . Despite agriculture accounting for just two per cent of Victoria ’ s workforce , the State Government reports that it makes up 14 per cent of workplace fatalities . We wanted to ensure that safety is front-of-mind across our operations , so we decided to create the Think Twice campaign to help drive these messages home . A ' safety-first mindset ’ is one of the four pillars of our Responsible Agriculture framework , which are the guiding principles that underpin our decision making . We have a responsibility to ensure our team operate in a safe environment and this mindset is lead from the very top .
Q : Safety messaging can be challenging to communicate . How important was it that this campaign was eye-catching and appealed to your staff ?
It was really important . Despite best intentions , safety campaigns can often be patronising and sterile . The aim was to makes it as engaging as possible , so we took a critically important topic and delivered critically important messages , but with a tongue in cheek twist .
Q : How did you decide on the three themes ?
Mobile phone use , personal protective equipment and fatigue management are the themes we wanted to initially address . These areas are common to most people in the business , so we wanted to highlight the importance of ‘ thinking twice ’ when making daily decisions . This is just the first iteration of the campaign , so we ’ ll continue to roll out new focus areas to keep the thinking fresh .
Q : What kind of reaction have you had from your staff since the safety campaign was released ?
The reaction has been really positive . We introduced the campaign at a recent team event , and it was great to see people have a chuckle at some of the messaging . We ’ re in the process of rolling out the assets across our farms and looking forward to seeing the impact .
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