Safety Culture Starts With People, Not Paperwork
NSW cattle producer says genuine leadership, trust and everyday actions are the real foundations of safer Australian farms.
By Jeff Gibbs
Creating a safer farm isn’t about completing paperwork or ticking compliance boxes—it starts with people looking out for one another every day.
That is the message from New South Wales cattle producer Katie Saul, who is urging farmers to move beyond simply meeting workplace safety requirements and instead focus on building a culture where safe behaviour becomes second nature.
As part of National Farm Safety Week 2026, Ms Saul said policies, procedures and safety documentation all have an important role to play, but they only become truly effective when workers understand why they exist and leaders consistently demonstrate safe practices themselves.
“Safety has to be more than tick and flick,” Ms Saul said.
“It’s easy to complete a form or go through the motions, but real safety happens when people genuinely care about the wellbeing of the people they’re working alongside.”
Working across livestock production and farm operations in northern New South Wales, Ms Saul has witnessed firsthand how the strongest workplace safety cultures are created through trust, communication and visible leadership rather than paperwork alone.
She believes many workers become disengaged when safety procedures are treated as administrative tasks rather than practical measures designed to protect lives.
“Every procedure exists because it’s designed to get somebody home safely at the end of the day,” she said.
As part of Farmsafe Australia’s ‘Set the Standard: Show ’em how it’s done’ campaign, Ms Saul is encouraging farm owners, managers and supervisors to lead by example and recognise the powerful influence their own behaviour has on those around them.
“I don’t think people realise how much behaviour gets copied,” she said.
“What leaders do every day has a huge influence on the people around them.”
She said when employers consistently demonstrate safe work practices—whether it’s wearing a helmet, fastening a seatbelt, communicating clearly or taking time to identify hazards—those behaviours gradually become embedded within the workplace culture.
“If people are role modelling safe behaviours throughout the business, that becomes the culture,” Ms Saul said.
“People begin to understand that safety isn’t just another task—it’s simply how we work.”
For Ms Saul, effective leadership is measured less by written policies and more by the standards demonstrated every day on farms.
She believes workers are far more likely to follow safety procedures when they understand the purpose behind them rather than simply being instructed to comply.
Farming will always involve inherent risks, she said, but creating an environment built on trust, communication and mutual respect allows those risks to be better managed.
“We care deeply about our animals, our people and our farms,” she said.
“Good safety culture comes from looking out for one another. It’s built through trust, communication and the small decisions we make every day.”
Farmsafe Australia Chair Felicity Richards agreed that genuine safety culture cannot rely solely on compliance.
She said while paperwork and formal safety systems remain important, the most successful farming businesses are those where workers feel confident speaking up, asking questions and challenging unsafe practices without fear.
“When leaders consistently demonstrate that safety matters, people don’t follow procedures because they have to—they do it because they understand the purpose behind them,” Ms Richards said.
“That’s the kind of culture that protects people, strengthens businesses and helps ensure everyone gets home safely.”
National Farm Safety Week, running from 19 to 25 July 2026, encourages farmers across Australia to place workplace safety at the centre of everyday farm operations, recognising that strong leadership and genuine care for one another remain the most effective tools in preventing workplace injuries and fatalities.
