ORM

Creating peer-to-peer networks to bring farmers together

Working with Victorian grain & mixed farming enterprises, ORM assisted farmers to improve safety outcomes on farms. ORM developed the peer-to-peer network to connect farmers with each other to learn how they can improve safety on their farm.

From this program, participants were able to start on their safety journey by creating formal induction processes, putting signs up on the chemical sheds and general safety on the farm.

Safer Farms, Families and Futures

An initiative, led by ORM Pty Ltd, that worked with grain growers in the Wimmera / Mallee region to identify, test and show effective methods, models and tools that speed up the adoption of improved health and safety practices.

Heading: Safer Farms, Families, Futures Network (S3F)

The S3F network operated with two core streams:

• Business focus behavioural change - Peer-to-peer learning group (P2P):
  Worked with 14 individual businesses who participated in five peer-to-peer events to support the adoption of improved work health safety practices and the development of a more proactive, prevention focused farm safety culture. Birchip Cropping Group supported the delivery of the event
• Individual focus behavioural change - Community-based behavioural science (CBBS):
  Designed and tested the implementation and impact of a safety related community-based behavioural change intervention with individual grain farmers.

Key Activities

P2P stream

Presenters from across Victorian Farmers Federation, Warrakirri Cropping, AgHealth Australia, Denise McLellan Consulting and Paul Livingstone of PJL WHS all facilitated the delivery of information, coaching and advice to the group participants at these events.

The participants addressed the key issues they were facing on farms:

• Development of induction processes.
• Establishing policies and procedures to support safety.
• Implementing hierarchy of control to manage risks.
• Signage of risk and hazards – identification on farm.
• Emergency management protocols.

CBBS stream

A series of activities were undertaken in this stream to inform the development of a safety intervention. These included:

• Behaviour identification: identifying through research that a key behavior to change is the operation of machinery and equipment without appropriate guarding.
• Barriers and enables: literature review and engagement with the growers (focus groups and surveys) to identify the barriers and enablers that inform the likely adoption of the selected behaviour through.
• Development & delivery of behaviour change strategy: To motivate farmers to adopt improved behaviours, ORM made a campaign called the ‘last line of defence”. The campaign focused on the importance of appropriate machinery guards when operating augers and PTO’s.

Key Outcomes

P2P

• Industry leaders worked with the participants to put in place safety processes across their business and provided them with resources and materials to support broadacre grain enterprises.
• Changes made to improve farm safety by S3F participants:
  • consulted with employees/ workforce about safety on-farm
  • formalised or improved the induction process
  • undertaken a review of OHS and potential risks on farm
  • chemical handling
  • fatigue management
  • introduced incident or near-miss reporting
  • animal facilities or handling
  • farm machinery maintenance records.