Practical Guide to Build a Culture of Safety on your Farm

Introduction

Building a safety culture is not about creating complex systems or adding unnecessary work; it is about taking consistent, practical steps that fit into everyday farm operations. It starts with strong management and leadership. When farm owners and managers prioritize safety, they send a clear message that workers’ well-being matters. Beyond preventing injuries, a positive safety culture can also improve worker satisfaction, increase productivity, strengthen relationships and boost employee retention, making it easier to attract and keep skilled workers. 

Agriculture presents unique safety challenges due to the combination of long working hours, unpredictable animal behavior, heavy machinery, and changing weather conditions.

Creating a culture of safety is vital in addressing these challenges and must be the foundation of any farm safety program. A true safety culture shapes how people think, act, and make decisions every day. It encourages proactive hazard identification and management, reduces injuries and near misses, and ensures that everyone returns home safely at the end of the day.

By following and developing the six steps outlined in this road map, farm leaders can gradually build a strong and effective safety culture.

Your Roadmap to Create a Culture of Safety

Step 1 – Create your Safety Policy

A safety policy is the foundation of your farm’s safety program. It defines your operation’s values, expectations, and acceptable behaviors, as well as the consequences for not following safety practices. This policy should not be a document that sits on a shelf. Instead, it should be a “living agreement” that is reviewed regularly and signed by both owners and employees. It should clearly communicate that safety is a shared responsibility.

Key actions:

• Develop a written safety policy tailored to your farm
• Involve employees in the creation of the policy
• Review and update the policy regularly

Step 2 – Build Trust and Encourage Participation

A strong safety culture is based on trust. Workers need to feel comfortable speaking about hazards, suggesting improvements, and reporting close calls without fear of blame or punishment. This concept is often referred to as “psychological safety.” When employees feel heard and respected, they are more likely to engage in safe practices, proactively identify hazards, and contribute to problem-solving.

How to build trust:

• Involve workers in developing and reviewing safety policies.
• Encourage open communication and feedback.
• Treat reported incidents and near misses as learning opportunities, not reasons for punishment.

Step 3 – Analyze Risks with Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is a practical tool used to identify hazards, establish safe work processes, and reduce risks in everyday tasks. It involves breaking down a job into individual steps, identifying potential hazards at each step, and determining how to control those hazards.

When workers participate in creating JSAs, they take greater ownership of safety practices and are more likely to follow them. This process not only improves safety but also engages employees in meaningful discussions about their work and how it might be done more effectively.

Steps in the JSA process:

1. Select high-risk jobs: choose tasks with known incident history, whether on your farm or other similar farms
2. Break each job into 6 to 10 specific steps.
3. Identify all hazards for each step.
4. Develop solutions for each step: Identify and plan to conduct specific actions to eliminate or control the hazards.

Step 4 – Approach Hazards using the Hierarchy of Safety Controls

When hazards are identified, engage your team and use the Hierarchy of Controls to determine how to address them and to prioritize the most effective ways to develop solutions and stop injuries before they happen. Think of the hierarchy like a ladder. The higher you are on the ladder, the better the protection.

Actions at the top tier of the ladder are the most effective and the “gold standard.”They remove the danger or keep it away from you automatically. To stay safe, you do not have to remember to do or not do something every single time. Even if you are tired or distracted, the protection you have created is still there, working for you.

Examples of High-Level Control actions:

• Elimination: Remove aggressive animals from the herd to prevent future injuries to handlers or other cattle.
• Substitution: Replace an old, malfunctioning tractor with a new one.
• Engineering Controls: Use headlocks, chutes, and gates that restrain animals safely and reduce the need for close human contact.

On the bottom of the ladder, the low-level controls are often considered less effective but still important. We should think of them as a “last line of defense.” They only work if a person does everything perfectly. If you forget your safety glasses or if a coworker does not read a warning sign, nothing will stop an injury. These methods do not fix the hazard; they just try to reduce the damage if something goes wrong.

Examples of Low-Level Control actions:

• Administrative Controls: Limit the number of people working in pens to reduce confusion and stress for the animals, or rotate workers to minimize the time any single worker is exposed to certain hazards like noise.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear gloves, masks, hearing protection, proper footwear, and safety glasses.

Whenever possible, try to correct the problem at the top of the list (like repairing a broken machine or installing a safety device) rather than relying on the lower controls (like wearing a hard hat while working under a broken machine). However, in some cases, lower-level controls such as using PPE in the milking parlor offer the best protection. For example, wearing safety glasses can help prevent eye injuries caused by teat disinfectant spills.

Step 5 – Communicate Regularly

Promoting consistent communication is essential for maintaining a strong safety culture. Implement these three methods, or a combination of them, when certain approaches are not practical in your operation.

1. Weekly Tailgate Safety Talks: Keep these conversation opportunities short and informal (10-15 min). Focus on unique, seasonal risks or recent close calls. When weekly in-person meetings are not feasible, use alternative communication methods such as weekly safety emails or key safety notes in the breakroom.
2. Provide Effective Safety Training: The most successful training sessions involve two-way communication. Encouraging employees to share their knowledge and experiences will help workers feel respected. Two-way conversations and listening can improve compliance and reduce risk. Encourage group discussion and do something tangible so workers can demonstrate their commitment to your team by asking them to sign a “Safety Pledge” after the training sessions.
3. Include safety as a required topic in your monthly or quarterly employee meetings. Use this time to recognize and reward team members who follow safety procedures correctly. Safety-related conversations can be informal, but it is good to do a bit of preparing and have a goal and outcomes in mind as you bring up issues for conversation.

Step 6 – Monitor Progress and Track Incidents

Track, document, and share key safety indicators to maintain a safe and accountable work environment. Consistent tracking of events or “safety successes” can foster a culture of transparency and continuous improvement. Share the results of the following Key Performance Safety indicators on a monthly basis:

• Close calls: Events that could have caused harm but did not.
• Workplace incidents: Work-related events causing injury, damage, or disruption.
• Workers’ compensation claims: Requests for benefits for employees’ work-related injuries or illnesses.
• Days or months WITHOUT a safety incident that required first aid, work stoppage, or other negative outcomes.

The Benefits of a Strong Safety Culture

Investing in a culture of safety delivers real, measurable benefits for your farm operation:

• Achieve safety excellence in your operation, where fewer injuries and equipment repairs translate into meaningful savings across your expense lines.
• Increase productivity and employee engagement.
• Attract skilled workers who value a safe farm environment.

Creating a culture of safety is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. It requires leadership, communication, and commitment from all who work in the operation. When you focus on prevention, encourage participation, and continuously improve safety practices, farms can significantly reduce risks and create a healthier, more productive workplace.

Ready to build a culture of Safety on your farm?

Visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Forward Farm Safety Toolbox and take the first step toward building a strong culture of safety on your farm. Access practical templates and tools to develop your safety policy, conduct Job Safety Analysis, and create the essential documents needed to implement and sustain an effective culture of safety.