Proactive, Not Reactive - Setting the Standard for a Safe Harvest 

Harvest is the season when everything happens at once. Long, exhausting days, high-risk machinery running flat out, and the race to get grain off before the weather turns all combine to test even the most experienced farming families. It’s a time of immense pressure and without the right systems in place, the stakes for both people and business are higher than ever. 

According to HR and WHS specialist, Danielle McNamee of ProcessWorxAg, most farmers are already doing a lot right, but too often they wait until something goes wrong to put systems in place. Danielle’s advice? Take a proactive approach

“Protecting your people protects your business.” 

So what does being proactive look like in practice? Danielle shared her top insights from decades of working alongside WA farming families. 

Start with Hazards (and Record the Conversation) 

Before the first header rolls out, Danielle says the most valuable step is gathering the team, (both new and returning), to go over the hazards. It’s a simple action that often gets lost in the rush of pre-harvest prep.

“Most farmers are safe and doing the right thing,” she explains, “but too often they get too busy to record those conversations. Protecting your people protects your business, and taking the time to have and document those discussions is crucial.” 

And that’s the theme Danielle comes back to time and again, not just having the right conversations, but being able to show evidence that they happened.

Documentation, Because Proof Matters 

Farmers are usually good at training and inducting staff, but Danielle says the gap is in capturing evidence. In the eyes of regulators, if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen. “It doesn’t matter whether you use software, make a quick voice note, jot it in WhatsApp, or even keep an old-fashioned diary,” she explains. 

“The key is to record those conversations. Something is always better than nothing, because if anything ever goes wrong, you’ll be glad you’ve got evidence with names, dates and signatures to show you did the right thing.” 

Even a quick note or signature in a diary can protect you. The important part is making recording part of the routine, not something you do after the fact. And while recording helps with compliance, Danielle says it also plays a big role in the next big challenge: fatigue.

Fatigue is the Hidden Killer 

Every farmer knows harvest means long hours, but Danielle calls fatigue the “hidden killer” of agriculture. Smaller farms in particular often lack the people to rotate shifts, which means farmers and workers alike push well past safety limits. 

“On smaller operations with only a handful of people, long hours are inevitable, but they’re also dangerous,”she says “Keeping shifts to 12 hours and making sure breaks are taken and recorded isn’t just a safety measure, it’s a compliance and profitability one too. Tired people make mistakes.”

Her advice is clear: manage hours, take breaks seriously, and remember fatigue puts both people and the business at risk.

Fatigue links directly to wellbeing. Long days and stress don’t just affect safety, they affect mental health too.

Wellbeing Is More Than a “Soft Issue” 

Safety is not only about machinery and PPE. Danielle stresses the importance of food, rest and relationships. Providing meals gives workers more time to recover at night, while checking in on mood and body language can catch problems early. 

“If you see someone and you think they’re flagging, then you have a duty of care to send them home, because they’re going to either hurt themselves or hurt somebody else,” she says.

Equally important is building trust so that tough conversations can happen. “I always stress the importance of having good relationships with your people, because if you have that, you can have those uncomfortable conversations without damaging the relationship. Sometimes it’s as simple as pulling someone aside and asking, ‘Are you OK?'” 

And just as conversations help with wellbeing, Danielle says they also need to be part of every induction and emergency plan.

Inductions & Emergency Preparedness 

According to Danielle, inductions are about more than showing someone how to drive a machine. They’re about making sure staff know what to do in an emergency, from fires to accidents to finding the assembly point. 

Too often, the training happens but the evidence doesn’t get recorded. “From an inspector’s perspective, I’d want to see clear evidence of induction,” she says. “If a farm looks messy, PPE isn’t being worn and emergency procedures aren’t clear, it’s often a sign that not everything is being done properly.” 

Most farmers already check that staff can operate machinery, but few capture that proof. Danielle’s message: running the induction is important, but documenting it is just as critical. And the best place to start pulling all of this together? A risk register.

The Risk Register: Foundation of Farm Safety 

If Danielle could recommend one thing for every farm, it would be a risk register. This simple document lists hazards, their potential consequences, and the controls in place. It can be shared with staff, used for training and ticks off multiple compliance obligations under the WHS Act. 

“If you only do one thing for safety, create a risk register,” she says. “It helps you identify hazards, think through the consequences and decide what controls to put in place. It doubles as a training tool for your team, it keeps everyone aware, and it meets a lot of your compliance obligations. It’s simple, practical and it works.” 

A risk register gives structure, and that naturally leads to the next piece of the puzzle: safe systems of work.

Safe Systems of Work 

The WHS Act 2020 (WA) requires every farm to have written safe systems of work and Danielle is clear that this is about more than ticking boxes. Written systems make sure everyone, from family members to casuals, knows the right way to do things, and they protect the business if something goes wrong.

 “Having safe systems of work is not just a box to tick. It’s about protecting your people and protecting your business. If it’s not written down, it’s hard to prove it exists.” 

And as farming continues to professionalise, Danielle believes expectations around safety and HR will only increase.

The Future of Farming 

Looking ahead, Danielle believes farming will continue to professionalise. With more automation and technology, the number of workers may decrease, but expectations around HR and safety will only increase. At the core of it all, people still matter most. “Farming is a profession, and with that comes responsibility for people, not just machines,” she says. 

“The success of a harvest depends on how you treat and manage your team.” 

Final Word

Danielle’s message is clear, being proactive about safety isn’t red tape, it’s leadership. It protects your people, it protects your business and it sets the standard for a safer, more successful harvest.

Don’t wait until something goes wrong to put systems in place. Start now, revisit hazards with your team, record the conversations, create a risk register, and make your safe systems of work official. Small steps taken today can prevent costly mistakes tomorrow.

Protecting your people protects your business and the best time to start is before the header rolls out.

Thank You

This article is part of our guest specialist series, and we’d like to sincerely thank Danielle McNamee, Director of ProcessWorx and ProcessWorxAg, for sharing her time and expertise.

Danielle’s proactive approach to HR and WHS in agriculture has supported farming families across WA to protect their people, strengthen their businesses, and prepare for the future. We’re grateful for her practical insights and her passion for helping farmers set the standard for safer, more successful harvests.

If you’d like to learn more about ProcessWorx and the work Danielle and her team are doing, you can visit processworxag.com.au.