Grain Producers Australia says the critical issues raised during National Farm Safety Week 2021 underscore the importance of farmers signing-up for free online safety training.
GPA Chair, Andrew Weidemann, said GPA Training’s Bronze Membership gave growers free access to pragmatic safety resources such as the Grain Site Delivery and Balco Delivery induction courses.
GPA Training’s Silver Membership offer also remains free to anyone who lives or works in Victoria – valid for 12-months from the date of joining – or $55 to anyone operating outside of that State.
“Reducing exposure to risks for you and your workers and your family is a priority for everyone, on every farm, and that’s why we’ve developed GPA Training,” Mr Weidemann said.
“GPA Training is all about being proactive with delivering improved safety outcomes for our industry by providing a one-stop shop with online training that’s easily accessible and practical.”
The development of GPA Training was boosted by funding from the Victorian Government, through the Agriculture Workforce Plan for the Grains Industry Skills Development and Induction Program.
The training program includes a comprehensive safety induction course with a range of information on hazard identification, safe work awareness and risk management tools.
It also provides training modules for; fire safety and preparedness; cropping and grazing safety; workplace safety for farm managers; and managing COVID-19 in the workplace.
Mr Weidemann said with the prospects of a large national grain harvest on the horizon, estimated at about $15 billion this year, farm labour shortages were also currently a hot topic of debate.
But he said GPA Training’s ‘Farm Worker Harvest Ready’ course can help provide options for sourcing local farm workers, giving them access to knowledge about the secure operation of combine harvesters, chaser bins and post farm-gate tasks such as grain handling and transportation.
“We know a significant number of Australian farming businesses are family farms and time is money. That’s why GPA Training is providing family farmers with an online resource that allows corporate-style learning at a fraction of the cost, to help improve safety outcomes,” he said.
“This week may be National Farm Safety Week but we urge farmers to get online, any day of the year and any time of the day, and click-on GPA Training, to take advantage of these benefits.
“Our long-term goal is to also provide our industry with a universal, high-level induction that can improve safety standards across our industry at delivery sites while saving the grains industry time and money duplicating effort in induction activities.”
National Farm Safety Week runs from July 18-24. Click here to access GPA Training.
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