IMAGINE having to phone your employee's loved one to say they were killed in an accident at work.
In a workplace that they thought was safe.
That you thought was safe.
In an accident that could have been prevented if the right practices were followed.
It would be something you'd never forget.
That's what attendees of the 2020 Virtual Summit were asked to consider.
Three women well versed on the subject of rural safety provided great insights for a discussion panel at the 2020 Virtual Summit and highlighted some stark realities.
Queensland pastoralist and nurse Robyn Neilson spoke from her lived experience of working in the rural health sector, with an incident in 2002 being front of mind.
Ms Neilson was a first responder when her neighbour Gayle Shann was in a horrific accident with a post hole digger and suffered life-threatening injuries.
Also presenting was House Paddock Training and Consulting managing director Rebecca Fing, Goondiwindi, Queensland and ProcessWorx founder Danielle McNamee, Perth.
All women have a passion for rural safety and helping farmers and agribusinesses implement practices to make their workplaces as safe as possible.
"There's a really important dialogue that needs to continue that people should not be injured or killed in their workplace," Ms Fing said.
While most businesses will have policies in place, Ms Fing said implementing those policies is a whole other step, but is crucial.
She said there was no point having policies on paper unless they were atually followed correctly.
"You've got two choices - change the paperwork or the business," Ms Fing said.
"There's a disconnect between processes in place and what happens and people are not game enough to get it wrong so they sometimes don't even make a start, but it's best to try with the intent to keep your team safe."
There can be resistance from both sides to implement safety policies - employers might think it will cost them too much money and employees may think it's not needed because they do everything correctly already or safer practices are slower and less efficient.
But everyone has the right to feel safe at work.
For those with reluctant employees, Ms Fing said they were employed to accept the rules set by employers.
"If they are resistant, you don't want them in your business," she said.
But not all people in the business can be let go, particularly in rural businesses which are often family-oriented, so in this case Ms Neilson advised to give the safety information when it's relevant, such as discussing heat stress just before summer, not in the middle of winter.
For safety information to be retained and adopted most efficiently, it's best to have an emotional appeal.
So make your employees aware and picture the fallout of an incident and what the human impact could be.
"Focus on near misses - which can allow the team to laugh about them a bit but also think about that 'what if' scenario," Ms Neilson said.
"You can go through safety procedures by using humour."
Throughout the discussion, one point became a common thread - rural safety procedures should be implemented in practice first and then written in policies.
"Paperwork won't keep you or your team safe - it's the culture that will," Ms Fing said.
"Give your staff permission to down tools when they feel they need to.
"Don't lose sight of what this is about - it's not about ticking a box, it's about saving lives."
