Focus on electrical safety at Beef Week 2025
Meaty safety messages were the centre attention at the 2025 Ekka Beef week as the Office of Industrial Relations (OIR) showcased electrical safety, asbestos awareness and quad bike safety tips at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane earlier this month.
OIR proudly sponsored Ekka Beef Week; an annual event that brings the experience and all aspects of the agriculture sector to the city of Brisbane.
Part of the sponsorship included a dedicated booth on the Main Arena, where more than2,500 exhibitors and crew including agriculture school students and 350 farmers attended from across Queensland and northern New South Wales.
As well as farm safety and construction advice, Workplace Health and Safety inspectors were on hand to offer advice to people about electrical safety in their homes and businesses.
An interactive display with a switchboard and safety switches at the OIR booth demonstrated what a typical switchboard might look like, and inspectors walked people through how to check different brands of switches and how to locate switches for different circuits.
Principal Electrical Safety Inspector Jane Darling spoke to people about electrical safety issues on the farm and in the home.
“I met a lot of interesting people at Beef Week - it was a great place to discuss unique electrical safety issues that businesses and individuals in the city may not need to regularly think about, including knowing the location of overhead and underground power lines around your property,” Jane said.
“We also talked about how, in rural areas, it can be difficult to get an electrical contractor to attend a property immediately, so it’s especially important to check that all electrical equipment shows no visible damage before use.
“And with these issues in mind, people shouldn’t be tempted to DIY electrical work, the risk is simply not worth it.”
The stand also attracted families and children, with The Wiggles' Electrical Safety Song playing on the TV, along with a new Farm Safety Trail educational resource complete with colouring pencils designed especially for kids.
The resource includes stickers and colouring-in pencils and age-appropriate activities for kids from prep to year six and is designed to support teachers and parents with ready-to-use educational content.
It allows students to identify and understand real farm safety risks in a fun and engaging way – including electrical risks. It also features a delicious meatball recipe from the Country Women’s Association for little chefs to create!
The resource will be available at key events over the coming months
Visit the Electrical Safety Office website for more information about electrical safety initiatives.
Image 1: Mario and Jodie Cocco with the new Farm Safety Trail resource.
Image 2: The WHSQ stand was set up on the Main Arena at the Brisbane Ekka 2025.
Image 3: An ESO Inspector demonstrated how to check safety switches in a fuse box.