IN A proactive move, 17 saleyards in Victoria and five in South Australia are set to launch an industry-designed Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management system as part of a project of keeping saleyards safe.
Known as the Livestock Saleyards Occupational Health and Safety Management System, the project aims to maintain high safety levels in saleyards and ensure that all people working in saleyards, delivering or handling livestock, become more aware of their responsibilities in ensuring a safe working environment for others.
Livestock Saleyards Association of Victoria (LSAV) president, Gerard Shanley said: “Saleyards are a workplace, and owners and operators have a responsibility to ensure the best workplace practices are followed. With our project we aim to ensure this is done on a consistent basis across not only the state, but the whole industry.”
Mr Shanley said that a similar system had been operating in NSW for more than a year, with many saleyard workers – in particular agents and livestock transport operators – already accredited in a program.
“We will recognise those accreditations and hope the same recognition will be reciprocated,” he said.
The overall program will be administered through each state association, but accreditation cards will be issued by the Livestock Saleyards Association of Australia (LSAA). Over the coming weeks individual saleyards will organise induction sessions.
Participants will be required to interact in a PowerPoint presentation and briefing, and then answer a multiple choice 20-question questionnaire to be accepted into the system.
They will then be issued with an accreditation card which will allow them to work in participating saleyards.
All saleyards workers – including drovers, livestock handlers, agents, buyers and livestock transporters – will be required to be accredited, along with others who might, for example, deliver livestock to a saleyard more than three times a year.
Casual visitors who attend saleyards – even weekly – to watch sales will not require accreditation so long as they remain in public defined areas such as walkways and are not involved in any livestock handling.
It is hoped that more association saleyard members will sign up to join the system in the coming months to make it universal and consistent.
Mr Shanley says he understands saleyards in Western Australia and Queensland are watching the development of the program closely. With their participation, it could become a truly national scheme.
He said that the system recognised that each set of saleyards had its own individual features, and this was catered for within the program by use of signage and pre-sale announcements. This would let people know the locations of emergency meeting points or first aid stations.
The LSAA will maintain a register of accredited people under the program.
The cost of the system has been met by participating saleyards, the saleyards association as a whole, and with assistance from the National Association Saleyard Service Organisations (NASSO) which is funding the establishment of a central recording base of accredited saleyard personnel.
Saleyards participating in the system at present are: Casterton, Hamilton, Warrnambool, Camper-down, Colac, Horsham, Warrack-nabeal, Ouyen, Swan Hill, Kerang, Bendigo, Kyneton, Wangaratta, Euroa, Bairnsdale and all Victorian Livestock Exchange saleyards in Victoria.
The South Australia saleyards include Adelaide Plains, Millicent, Mount Compass, Mount Gambier and Naracoorte.