Case study: Thornby Premium Lamb targeting worker wellbeing
Thornby Premium Lamb (TPL) is a mixed farming business in South Australia which provides fresh premium lamb from paddock to plate and cereal cropping for lamb feeding and their breeding property. TPL has a team of 18 employees who all play a vital part in day to day operations – so looking after worker health and wellbeing is an important part of the company's work safety commitment.
Thornby Premium Lamb has a close team of workers who look out for each other, with everyone knowing they can raise concerns about work safety risks around the farm with management and their ideas and solutions will be welcomed. As well as providing one on one training, management has filmed procedures on their phones so that they can show workers how to safely complete tasks.
Having WHS policies and procedures in place means all TPL information is set out and easy to access. It also makes it clear to anyone setting foot on its properties that safety is a high priority.
Harvesting and seeding periods are especially busy, with tight schedules and often hot temperatures, meaning fatigue and dehydration are just two of the risks to be managed.
After consulting with workers and getting expert advice, TPL introduced worker flexibility to take breaks when needed (including short naps!), provision of cold filtered water and electrolyte tablets in the lunch rooms, and access to fruit and nuts for snacks.
Healthy workers are productive workers, having less absenteeism. To help workers adopt healthy lifestyles, TPL had a nutritionist advise them on the importance of good nutrition, having breakfast, keeping hydrated, and exercising to keep physically strong, with workers now more aware about preventing dehydration and heat stress and the effects of sugary foods and drinks.
Further information
If you would like assistance to plan and implement health, safety and wellbeing activities at your workplace, or improve on those you already have in place, WHSQ can help. For more information visit worksafe.qld.gov.au/health-wellbeing.