Proudly supporting country Victorians
WorkSafe is proud to once again support AFL Vic Country for the much-anticipated 2021 season.
We have been closely associated with country football and netball since 2002 and it’s a partnership we are passionate about, as it plays such a significant role in the health, safety and wellbeing of regional and rural communities.
For many country Victorians weekends centre around going to the local ground to watch the football and netball.
It unites communities with common purpose, and it helps everyone stay connected. After a year of being socially isolated from family, friends, colleagues and team-mates, this has never been more important.
Together we need to re-establish those connections and look out for the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community.
This year WorkSafe will continue to work alongside local clubs and leagues to promote workplace safety, so we can ensure all workers make it home and get to do the things they love, like playing sport each and every day.
When our workers are safe, we’ll see them on the field. We’ll see them on the court. Or we’ll see them on the sidelines.
In country areas we know a large part of staying safe at work is staying safe on farms.
Sadly we know far too many workers are being killed or seriously injured on farms every year.
WorkSafe’s new agriculture campaign “It’s never you, until it is” shows how easily an ordinary day can turn to tragedy and how small decisions can have life-changing consequences.
This isn’t about us telling farmers and those in the agriculture industry what to do, but reminding them that accidents can and do happen.
We want to change the bullet-proof attitudes that many farmers have, that an accident, serious injury or fatality will not happen to them.
That an ordinary day can turn to tragedy and have life-changing consequences for the farmer, workers, family and the farm’s future.
WorkSafe can’t do this alone, that’s why we value this partnership so much.
When the season was cancelled last year because of COVID-19, we put in place an alternative WorkSafe Country Club Challenge.
This created a space to allow clubs to still engage with each other and the wider community.
But it didn’t fully replace the comraderie and of course the fierce competitiveness of playing against each other every weekend.
We look forward to again embracing that competitive spirit and to meeting you at a Country Club Game throughout the season and through the @CountryClubHub group on Facebook.
We are here to support you and our Club Safety Fund offers financial support to clubs who have initiatives to make their players and supporters safer.
Because when we work together we can get the message out that workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Colin Radford
Chief Executive
WorkSafe Victoria