Health and safety vital for business

HR consultant Jessica Harvey. Photo / Supplied

Jessica Harvey is a Human resources consultant with Progressive Consulting, Crowe Horwath's HR division.

We are now over a year into the new Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (Act) and there has been no significant drop in the fatality rate in the agriculture industry.

So why is this?

It is common for farms to now have health and safety management plans in place, but are these actually being implemented? Are all workers aware of what is in them and are they involved in their development? Do the governors (directors or trustees) of the business understand the implementation and monitoring of these systems?

This last point is particularly important. If you hold a governance position in a farming operation (or any business), the Act sets out clear expectations and duties around what is required of you individually.

One of the key duties is the requirement to exercise due diligence on health and safety which includes understanding the risk profile of the operations, the key controls and systems that are in place and monitoring information on whether these controls are effective.

This means you can't sit back and let the farm manager (or anyone else) take full responsibility for health and safety, regardless of whether you're actively involved in farm operations or not.

Farm managers can, of course, be responsible for the day-to-day management of workers and implementing effective health and safety systems, but the overall responsibility rests with those at the top.

Defining clear and detailed roles and responsibilities within the business is vital and enables managers and business owners to easily monitor and verify health and safety is being effectively managed and implemented.

Governors need to clearly set the vision, direction and processes around health and safety for the business. It is about "walking the talk" and demonstrating your commitment as a business leader rather than just ticking the box that you have forms and folders to manage health and safety on the farm.

The Pike River Coal Mine tragedy is a sobering reminder of the need for those at the top to be actively involved in effective health and safety management and there are now serious consequences for both businesses and individuals that fail to do so.

From a practical perspective, steps taken within each business to meet their duties will not always look alike. A farm owner actively managing his farm day-to-day will have a far more simplistic verification process than a director who lives in another country.

This information is general in nature and readers should seek specialist advice before making decisions.