CHANGE is coming to a saleyard near you. That's the blunt message from new Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association (ALPA) national chairman Brendan Wade as he prepares to hit the road for Dalby, Emerald and Roma as part of an industry push to clean up unsafe worksites.
The seminar tour will then be taken further throughout NSW and Victoria, with more dates and locations to be finalised in the future.
The additional workload might be considered a strain on time and energy for Landmark's busy NSW/Qld livestock manager, but Mr Wade prefers to call it a labour of love.
Since taking the reins of the peak organisation for the livestock and property agents industry late last year, he has made it no secret that workplace safety for members will be the top priority of his two-year term.
His cause couldn't have been timed better. All of a sudden, getting the nation's saleyards up to scratch has become a deadly serious business.
In July last year, one of Western Australia's major regional cattle saleyards was closed due to safety concerns.
According to the State's WorkSafe commissioner, the saleyard had failed to comply with an improvement notice issued in 2007 requiring it to attend to its lack of fall prevention measures.
Then at the end of last year, it was reported that one saleyard in Victoria and another in southern NSW had refused children entry during a sale due to increased fears about operators' liability for injuries.
The action came after 17 saleyards across Victoria and South Australia adopted a common Occupational Health and Safety program designed to keep saleyards safe.
While standards are not uniform across the country, the president of the Livestock Saleyards Association of Victoria, Gerald Shanley, said saleyard operators in Queensland and Western Australia were watching the development of the new safety program with interest.
In his opinion, Mr Wade concedes there are saleyards in Queensland that need attention, although he was not prepared to publicly out those facilities he believes are under par.
"Some saleyards I'd give a two and others a nine. Across the board I'd give Queensland saleyards a pass mark but that doesn't mean we can't strive to do better," he said.
To his knowledge, there have been no serious injuries or worse in recent years at Australian saleyards. Broken limbs, cuts and bruises and falls are the most common reportable incidents, he said.
However, Mr Wade said there was never room for complacency.
"Whether you employ one person or 100 people, providing a safe workplace and having a safe place to work in are common to us all," he said.
"Our statistics show that there are a number of accidents that happen at saleyards. Landmark is on a very strong path of minimising accidents and the private agency business has also shown a strong commitment to safety compliance.
"We're all aware of it, but we have to make sure that everyone, from the saleyard owner and operator down, are all reading from the same industry page."
Among a draft of recommendations, Mr Wade said ALPA was pushing strongly for safety induction programs to be implemented at saleyards, not only for staff but also contractors.
"Every day we deal with unpredictable animals. Therefore we have to make sure that our members, whether they are operating in privately owned or publicly owned facilities, are provided with a level of appropriate protection," he said.
"When people go to work in the morning they should be able to expect they will get home at night in one piece."
The upcoming seminars for ALPA members will be held at:
- Emerald, Wednesday February 17, 9am Emerald Explorers Inn, Gregory Hwy.
- Roma, Thursday February 18, 1pm (after cattle sale) Roma Bowls Club, Lovell St.
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