Shay grew up farming and still helps his parents during busy periods. Shay has spent 12 years in civil construction on the tools and held national management roles in WHS, environmental and quality. In 2019, Shay established Regional Workplace Safety (RWS).

Get to know Shay a little better, keep reading…

1. What's your most-used productivity hack?

Formulas or short cut keys in excel and word. It can cut time down on documentation by 75%. Difficult to learn if self-taught but there are plenty of YouTube videos!

2. Do you have any hidden talents? 

I don’t think so. Although not many would know I write poetry. Other than that, footy, cricket and water skiing are my go-to sports.

3. What motivates and inspires you at work?

Growing up, I experienced the highs and lows of success and failure. Failure has always come from poor choices and a lack of application or desire. The thought of failure is always in the back of my mind, so I work hard to prevent that. I want to provide for my family and not restrict their potentials.

4. What’s something you find challenging about your work?

 Organisations find it hard to invest in safety because the benefits are not seen immediately. Then there is always the issue of change management. Sometimes changing the norm is difficult.

5. Where do you suggest farmers start when it comes to health and safety?

Identify the hazards involved in their operations. Develop controls and document these controls in a procedure or similar. All workers, including family members, need to be inducted to the farm and be aware of incident/emergency response procedures i.e. “what to do when something goes wrong”. From there, develop policies and rules for safe and efficient operations i.e. PPE rules, pre-start inspections, fault reporting etc.

6.What are you most excited about when it comes to Safe Ag Systems? What problems will it solve for you?

Farmers and workers need simple systems to reliably record what they do. Safe Ag Systems provides a platform for businesses to build evidence of their risk mitigation strategies. This supports workers and is much more efficient on a digital platform.

Topics: Find a Consultant

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The aim of Regional Workplace Safety (RWS) is to support Agriculture and Transport Companies. RWS provide consultancy services and offer contracted advisors to help manage ongoing compliance.

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