Trish and Mark Hammond

Trish and Mark Hammond have been dairy farming for 12 years and lease two properties, one of 881 acres with 800 cows and a second smaller farm of 406 acres with 350 cows in Labertouche Victoria.

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Introducing Trish and Mark Hammond

As part of our 'It's never you, until it is' campaign, Trish and Mark share their experience with a proactive WorkSafe inspection and how local inspector Michael Vanderzalm has assisted their operation.

Tractors

Most dairy farmers have multiple tractors on their farms and use them daily. Mark Hammond checks his tractors daily because as he says, there is no time for downtime on a farm so it's important to make sure everything is up to working order and is being serviced regularly.

Where to start

Knowing where to start with safety on-farm can be overwhelming. Trish and Mark first met Michael at a Dairy Australia workshop and began using Dairy Australia online systems and booklets.

After having Michael visit the Hammond's dairy farm for a proactive visit, Trish now calls Michael to ask him about any safety questions that she or her staff may have.

Working alone

To mitigate the risks of working alone, Trish inducts all staff with a site map, which she is replicating into smaller maps that will be attached to each gate on the property so that new starters especially will always know where they are.

All staff members always have their mobile phones on them in case they take longer than usual for their daily tasks, Mark or Trish can give them a call and check in with how they're going and whether they need assistance.

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