AgForce Work Health and Safety Declaration
The AgForce Board endorsed this declaration in November 2021
Zero harm on farm
AgForce Queensland Farmers Limited (AgForce) is committed to the elimination of work related injury and illness in the agricultural industry.
ZERO HARM ON FARM IS AGFORCE’S GOAL TO HELP THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY RECOGNISE:
- Work-related injuries and illnesses can be prevented
- Your safety and wellbeing is more important than any task on the farm or in the business, and
- Communicating about work, health and safety is critical for a successful and sustainable agricultural industry.
AGFORCE WILL ENCOURAGE ZERO HARM ON FARM BY:
- Promoting health, safety and wellbeing awareness within the agriculture industry and encouraging our members and their families, workers and others involved in industry to participate in discussions about safety
- Advocating for appropriate training, education and information to be made available for industry and its workers about health, safety and wellbeing, and
- Emphasising the need for better reporting of health and safety performance by industry and setting measurable targets to enable continued improvement.
INDUSTRY WILL MOVE TOWARDS ZERO HARM ON FARM BY:
- Utilising the hierarchy of controls to eliminate or minimise all workplace hazards and risks as far as is reasonably practicable
- Complying with all relevant safety legislation, regulations, and codes of practice, and
- Meaningfully consulting with, and involving, employees and contractors on matters relating to their health, safety and wellbeing.
AgForce’s goal of zero harm on farm will not be compromised and we are committed to lead by example towards this outcome.
Work Health Safety and Wellbeing Policy Statement
This is the best practice statement endorsed by the AgForce Board. if you think this is suitable for your business you download it here.
We, the owners and operators of [Business Name], are committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of anyone on our farms. As such, we aim to continuously improve health and safety through consultation, implementation and increased health and safety awareness and the adoption of a strong, on-farm, safety culture.
We strongly believe in having zero harm on our farm and regard health, safety and wellbeing as a vitally important measure of the success of our farming operation.
We are equally committed to providing resources to health, safety and wellbeing in order to mitigate and minimize, hazards and risks.
Our workers and contractors are required to take reasonable care for their own safety and the safety of other workers and contractors under their control.
Through the co-operative and engaged efforts of all, we are committed on-farm to:
- providing a safe environment for our families, workers, contractors and visitors
- providing and maintaining buildings, equipment and plant in safe working condition
- supporting the ongoing training and assessment of workers
- developing, implementing and monitoring safe work practices
- continuously improving the standards of health, safety and wellbeing
- identifying and documenting hazards and the management of risks
- providing relevant information, inductions, training and supervision
- encouraging two-way communications, to bring attention to any hazards, risks or concerns
- complying with all relevant safety legislation, regulations and codes of practice
The focus of [Business Name]’s health and safety management system is identifying and managing, and where reasonably practicable, eliminating or mitigating and preventing hazards.
We are committed to a framework for health, safety and wellbeing management and a plan for the systematic risk identification and assessment and control of hazards, to continuously improve safe behaviours and safe systems of work across the business.
AgForce Safety Management System (SMS)
Acknowledgment of key collaborators. AgForce acknowledges the following organisations knowledge and expertise in this area: Farmsafe Australia (AgForce is a member of Farmsafe Australia); Worksafe Queensland; Victorian Farmers Federation.
AgForce Safety Management System (SMS) is available to all members free of charge. This Safety Management System is designed to promote best practice for farm safety and give producers a platform in which to build a safety culture for their enterprise. The SMS library can be utilised as required. You may choose to use some of the resources, or all of the resources. AgForce have a network of farm safety specialists who can help implement the Safety Management Scheme on your property if required. If you would like to have access to the AgForce Safety Management System you can become a member or pay a one off access fee. Click the link to go to the AgForce SMS.
Employer's Toolkit.
Workplace health and safety compliance tool
Did you know that only 3% of Queenslanders work on farms, but almost 30% of workplace deaths happen there? Make sure you meet your WH&S obligations!
The Organisational Systems Benchmarking Tool helps you assess whether you have an effective, systematic approach to managing the areas of work health and safety, worker health and wellbeing, and workers' compensation and return to work.
The tool:
- gives you the choice to assess one, two or all three of the areas in the workplace
- enables you to compare your performance anonymously with other businesses across similar industry sectors and sizes; and
- provides guidance to help you improve your management of safety, health and wellbeing and workers compensation and return to work.
