An awareness of community and devastation of work deaths prompted Rupanyup farmer Scott Arnold to share his story as part of WorkSafe’s ‘It’s never you, until it is’ campaign. 

Mr Arnold’s family has farmed in the districts of Rupanyup North and Minyip for more than a century.

Instilled generationally, his world revolves around the land – growing crops, raising sheep and working alongside family and friends who share the same way of life.

In such a tight-knit community, he knows that when tragedy strikes, it rocks the whole region. That’s why he’s so passionate about farm safety – not just for his own family and workers, but for everyone around him.

That reality hit hard in February last year when a 61-year-old farmer was killed while loading grain from a silo into a truck at nearby Kellalac. 

Just six days later, a 91-year-old farmer died after his quad bike struck a fence at Wallup.

“What put the spotlight on farm safety for me was seeing farm tragedies and the impact they have on the community,” Mr Arnold said.

“If something happened to me it’d be my wife Stacey and my two girls who are left behind.

“And our worker has a young family – the thought of making that phone call and explaining what’s happened drove me to make changes.”

Since 2020, a further 77 workers in agriculture have been injured in the Wimmera. Of these, there were 18 vehicle and machinery injuries, 17 materials and substances injuries, and 14 caused by animals.

For Mr Arnold, the solution started with small but meaningful changes – simple steps like vehicle maintenance, personal protective equipment, and making sure everyone had the Vic-Emergency App downloaded. The efforts grew Mr Arnold’s confidence, and he soon took on bigger tasks like improving the signage in his chemical storage shed and putting a formal induction process in place with the help of a WorkSafe inspector and other external services.

“The benefits I saw in the little things gave me more belief in what I was doing,” Mr Arnold said.

His advice to fellow farmers was to ask for help and take it one day at a time. “There is plenty to do, but as you fill in each piece of the puzzle, the next bit becomes easier. Don’t burden yourself with the whole thing and think it has to be done tomorrow,” he said.

“We need to get comfortable talking to each other about the way we do things on our farms. 

“It might feel awkward to ask a mate how they handle safety on their farm, but once you start having these conversations it’s easier to put their ideas into practice on your own farm – we can learn from each other.”

Mr Arnold shared his story as part of WorkSafe’s It’s never you, until it is campaign – which has returned to TV, radio, print, and online media to highlight the importance of farm safety.

WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Sam Jenkin said the campaign was about supporting farmers to take safety action in ways that worked for them.

“Farmers know their land, their vehicles and their teams better than anyone,” he said.

“We are here to give them the tools and confidence to make safety a routine part of farm life.”

As farmers across Victoria prepare for seeding, Mr Arnold hopes his story encourages others to think about the small steps they can take to protect those around them.

“In my 20 years of farming, I’ve learned that unless you teach people the right way to approach tasks safely, they might not actually know something they do is unsafe,” he said.

“No job on the farm is important or urgent enough to skip safety steps and risk lives.

“When something happens on a farm it doesn’t just affect one person, it breaks an entire community.

“We can’t afford to wait until another mate, another parent, another worker doesn’t make it home.”

The entire April 30, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire April 30, 2025 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!