NT WorkSafe engages small farms through new safety campaign
WorkSafe Inspectors have been visiting vegetable growers in the Top End rural area over the past few weeks with a new information and advice campaign focused on worker induction, first aid and emergency response.
A large proportion of the Top Ends farming community for vegetable production are Vietnamese growers who supply local and southern markets with a variety of produce ranging from Asian leafy greens to snake bean, okra, eggplants, spring onions and herbs.
NT WorkSafe’s Manager for Safety Assurance, Mr Rob Fereday said Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing was one of the top five industry groups for serious injuries in the Northern Territory.
“Some of these farmers are small family farms in a collective arrangement with other farms to share equipment and workers, and some farms are located some distance from the nearest medical centre,” Mr Fereday said.
“The campaign is focused on educating these farmers on the worker induction, first aid and emergency response requirements under the work health and safety laws.”
“My team has visited 34 farms so far, and what they have found is a majority of workers are extended family members working on a casual basis and the majority of the first aid equipment on the farms are suitable for a home environment, not a workplace.”
“To help with the language barrier, key resources that support the campaign have been translated into Vietnamese, which have been well received by the farmers we have visited,” Mr Fereday said.
“The vegetable industry was worth $80 million dollars to the NT economy with approximately 23,000 tonnes produced in 2021/22, so it is important that support is provided to this sector of the industry to stay safe.”
If you are a Vietnamese grower who hasn’t had a visit from our Inspectors and would like to arrange a visit, please call NT WorkSafe on 1800 019 115.
Translated campaign resources
- Example of contents for first aid kits (English | Tiếng Việt | แบบไทย)
- Farm emergency card (English | Tiếng Việt | แบบไทย)
- Induction checklist (English | Tiếng Việt | แบบไทย)