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CHANGING the farm safety culture among workers has been a priority for north-west Victorian farm manager Simon Craig.

“It is very easy for me as a manager to try to tell the men how important safety is, but if they don’t follow it, then it is never going to change,” he said.

Simon has worked as an agronomist and consultant, but when he started managing his father-in-law’s 7000 hectare grain and sheep farm at Kooloonong in 2016, one of his first priorities was to update safety practices.

Simon’s time as an agronomist provided him with a solid background of farm safety knowledge and he wanted to create a positive environment for workers on Lemac Farm.

The operation employs casual workers during the annual harvest, but the busy period left little time for inductions.

“We also work very long hours and are often during those times, which meant you might make more mistakes.”

He has introduced a QR code process, initially for the farm’s 620 horsepower tractor, enabling staff members get instructions and a checklist about operational risks on their mobile phone.

“It makes it a lot easier than even explaining it over the phone.

“It has worked really well and all the staff are on-board.”