Farm
Acknowledgement of Country
The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal peoples as being the traditional custodians of Western Australia.
We acknowledge the enduring connection Aboriginal people continue to share with the land, sea and sky through both their ancestral ties and custodianship to Country. We pay our respect to Elders both past and present, and acknowledge the value brought to our department through the collective contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Western Australia.
About the event
As part of October’s Safe Work Month, WorkSafe Western Australia (WA) welcomes you to Farm safety matters – agricultural safety forum.
This forum is one of several events held within our overarching Safe Work Month theme for 2024:
Find out more at demirs.wa.gov.au/safeworkmonth
Today we bring together a range of sector experts and WorkSafe agricultural safety inspectors to discuss priority topics and provide farmers with ideas and practical approaches for establishing good safety practices.
Welcome
Hon Simone McGurk MLA Minister for Industrial Relations
Welcome to WorkSafe’s Farm safety matters – agricultural safety forum, the second Safe Work Month event hosted by WorkSafe in 2024.
The health and safety of workers, both physical and psychological, in WA’s agriculture industry is a key priority for the Cook Government.
Agricultural workplaces in WA present a number of unique challenges, and much positive action is being taken across our State to support the prevention of harm to farm workers by creating stronger safety understanding, behaviours and practices within the sector.
Today’s forum brings together a range of industry experts to discuss the most important areas of risk in the agriculture industry. Please take what you learn today back to your workplaces and use it to improve health and safety outcomes.
Thank you for your participation in this Safe Work Month event, which I am sure will present many opportunities to learn more about health and safety in workplaces.
Welcome to WorkSafe’s agricultural safety forum, Farm safety matters, the last of this year’s Safe Work Month forums.
The agriculture industry is one of WorkSafe’s highest priorities and we continue to work towards implementing the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Safety in the Agriculture Industry. I’m confident that the industry input from a wide range of individuals and organisations with an interest in workplace safety will continue to improve safety outcomes.
Today’s forum will feature a number of experts in the agriculture and safety fields presenting the latest knowledge and issues covering machinery guarding, quad bike safety, hazardous chemicals, electrical hazards, children on farms and safe sheds.
Thank you all for your participation in the forum, and I trust you will find it a valuable learning experience that will help improve health and safety outcomes in your workplaces.
Sally North
WorkSafe Commissioner
Program
9.00 am Registration
9.30 am MC’s introduction Andrew Ballam
General Manager
Regulatory Training and Business Services, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
9.35 am Welcome address
Overview of WorkSafe’s priorities in agriculture and some of the things we have been working on following the independent Inquiry into the agricultural industry in WA.
9.40 am Machinery guarding
All farms need to manage the risks of injury that come with using agricultural plant and machinery. By thinking about what you do and what equipment is used on a daily basis, you will better manage the risks which are part of everyday farming activities.
10.05 am Quad dilemma – choosing the right vehicle for the task
Unpacking the risks of quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles on the farm and the factors you should consider in choosing the right vehicle for the task.
10.30 am Hazardous substances – do you really know what you’re working with?
Interpret (rather than just blindly read) safety data sheets to know what to look for in weighing up the potential health hazards when choosing and using chemicals.
Sally North WorkSafe Commissioner
Geoff Kennedy Senior Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Craig Sullivan Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Lee Holland AusChem Trainer
10.55 am SafeTea Morning Tea
11.30 am Electrical safety
Discussion on electrical safety on farming and rural properties, covering electrical hazards associated with electrical power cords, fittings, machinery, tools and equipment, and portable generators; equipment maintenance, inspection and storage; and overhead power lines and power poles.
11.55 am Keeping children safe on farms
Mix of home, work and recreation on a farm creates a complex risk environment for children. It is not always possible to remove the risk, but adults must limit access to hazards for young family members, as well as farm visitors.
12.20 pm Making the wool harvesting workplace safer for all
Look at the SafeSheds program as a practical best practice guide to shed improvements, equipment safeguards, and important processes and communication between wool grower and shearing team.
Joseph Byrne Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Tracy Blaszkow Manager, Kidsafe WA
Valerie Pretzel
Executive Officer, WA Shearing Industry Association
12.45 pm Closing remarks Jaime Rebelo
Director Industrial and Regional Industries, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
1.00 pm Forum concludes with a networking lunch
Our speakers
Sally North
Commissioner
Sally is the WorkSafe Commissioner in WA. She greatly values the opportunity to make a difference to the community through WorkSafe’s education, inspections, investigations, legal and regulatory support teams and through collaboration with stakeholders.
Sally has over 20 years’ experience with WorkSafe, having previously been the Deputy WorkSafe Commissioner. She has also led a WorkSafe directorate that included specialist teams of inspectors covering human factors and ergonomics, asbestos, occupational hygiene, plant and engineering and industry groups for the public sector and related industries, and the retail and service industries.
Sally is involved in State and national committees and working groups on work health and safety, and has qualifications in chemistry, OSH, occupational hygiene and business administration.
WorkSafe
Geoff Kennedy Senior Plant Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Geoff has been part of WorkSafe’s plant and engineering team for 18 years. As a senior plant inspector, Geoff is involved in examining high hazard plant, such as crane boiler pressure equipment, lifts and amusement devices.
He has participated in highly complex investigations around fatalities and injuries regarding plant and produced many safety alerts.
Craig Sullivan Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Craig grew up in regional WA and after living and working on farms, joined WorkSafe as an agricultural inspector earlier this year.
Craig has experience in broadacre cropping as well as livestock production. He has worked in agricultural training and holds a Bachelor of Science.
Lee Holland
AusChem safety training consultant
Lee is from a mixed farming family from Boyup Brook.
She has delivered AusChem training since 2009. The motivation to promote chemical safety in agriculture comes from the death of a member of Lee’s family from cancer, attributed to the use of farm chemicals by oncologists.
She delivers Certificate III in Agriculture training to year 11 and 12 students at South Regional TAFE.
Joseph Byrne
Inspector, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Joseph is an inspector in the WorkSafe construction team and a licenced electrician.
He completed electrical training in the Pilbara and has spent more than 25 years on the tools as an electrician, electrical supervisor and leading hand throughout Australia and overseas. Joseph joined WorkSafe in 2020 following an electrical incident and injuries to a fellow workmate while working on the same construction site.
Joseph has five kids and is grateful to be part of ensuring health and safety in the workplace which in turn contributes to a thriving economy and future.
Tracy Blaszkow Manager, Kidsafe WA
Tracy has worked as a Project Officer for Kidsafe WA for the last 17 years. Tracy is an accredited playground inspector and has 25 years’ experience working in playground safety and design with local government, schools and community groups all over WA.
She has recently taken on farm safety as part of her portfolio and draws from her experience growing up on a farm in WA’s Wheatbelt.
Valerie Pretzel Executive Officer, WA Shearing Industry Association (WASIA)
Valerie joined WASIA seven years ago to develop its business practices. At WASIA, Valerie conceived and developed SafeSheds, the highly acclaimed shearing shed safety program. She coordinates wool harvesting workforce training and development, develops programs and packages to assist shearing contractors and promotes and advocates for the industry.
Valerie has a Bachelor of Psychology and a postgraduate degree in business, and more than 30 years in media, digital strategies, marketing, strategic consulting and industry advocacy.
As co-owner of pioneering e-business Pretzel Logic, she won the Telstra Business Women’s Award and has worked strategically with hundreds of large organisations and government agencies.
Jaime Rebelo
Director Industrial and Regional Industries, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Jaime oversees the enforcement efforts of WorkSafe across the construction, manufacturing, transportation and agricultural sectors in WA.
He aims at making a difference through his role and seeks opportunities to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders in driving cultural change in safe work practices. Jaime is involved in State and national committees and working groups on work health and safety.
Jaime joined WorkSafe in January 2023, bringing a variety of experience from within the regulatory framework in the role of chief inspector and director for the occupational safety, health and environment regulator in Brunei. He was instrumental in the enforcement of OSH legislative requirements across all workplaces, including the oil and gas industry, and general industries in Brunei.
Jaime has a background in marine logistics as well as work health and safety matters. He spent his early years as a mariner, having been a master mariner on LNG carriers with Shell before moving into strategic onshore roles.
Jaime has qualifications in nautical sciences, OSH and business administration. He has a poetry book published in his name.
Master of ceremonies
Andrew Ballam
General Manager Regulatory Training and Business Services, WorkSafe, DEMIRS
Andrew has been with WorkSafe for more than a decade, and is currently responsible for a number of internally-focussed functions including the professional development of WorkSafe inspectors and investigators, the development and improvement of internal processes, and the provision of administrative support.
He has led teams focused on external information and education, including the agency’s various websites and learning platforms, guidance publications and events.
Andrew has vocational qualifications in training, assessment and e-learning, and holds degrees in adult education and human resource management. He has experience in the public and private sectors, as well as in not-for-profit and, prior to joining WorkSafe, held roles in communications, leadership development, learning and development, and recruitment.
Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
WorkSafe Western Australia
303 Sevenoaks Street
Whadjuk Noongar Country
CANNINGTON WA 6107
Telephone: 1300 307 877
NRS: 13 36 77
Email: safetycomms@demirs.wa.gov.au
Website: www.worksafe.wa.gov.au