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Managing the heavy workload and fatigue that are part of farm life is non-negotiable - but the rewards are worth the effort.
Paul and Taylor are passionate about animals and can’t imagine a better place to raise their family. Image supplied.
This article was created in partnership with WorkSafe Victoria.
Paul and Taylor Wallace could never imagine living in the suburbs, hemmed in by too many neighbours and busy roads. They grew up on farms and together they manage a 1,200-acre beef and sheep property halfway between Ballangeich and Woolsthorpe in western Victoria.
While life is busy, they wouldn’t swap it for the world.
“We love choosing what we do every day – there’s always work to be done but there’s no place that I have to be at a certain time. Paul and I are passionate about animals and I can’t imagine a better place to raise our kids. Open air living is the best,” says Taylor.
The Wallace’s farm has been in Paul’s family for more than 20 years. Paul and Taylor have 230 breeder Angus cattle and about 1,000 lambing ewes and they work the property with two full-time employees.
The busiest times are during calving through Autumn and Spring and in July and August during the lambing season. In less busy periods, their working day is from around 8am to 5pm.
“On those days we check stock, tidy up and maintain the farm, feed out and mend fences. We’re currently renovating a small house for staff accommodation, too,” says Taylor.
It’s during peak times in the farming year that managing their workload and being aware of not pushing themselves too far is paramount. The couple strictly oversee how many hours their two employees work during those periods, too.
Fatigue is a key risk in farming where the job is physically demanding, can involve long hours, and where there is often a mindset that work must get done at any cost. More than being sleepy or drowsy, fatigue is about pushing your body beyond its mental and physical limits time and time again, with no time to recover.
Common signs of fatigue. Image supplied.
The serious risks of fatigue are highlighted in WorkSafe Victoria’s powerful safety campaign, ‘It’s never you, until it is.’ The campaign is an effective reminder about the signs of fatigue and how important it is to take action to manage it.
Paul and Taylor are very attuned to their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and to the wellbeing of their two workers who are also good friends.
Every Sunday, the couple sits down and plans what work needs to be done for the week. During busy periods, they prioritise jobs to ensure nobody works too hard for too long.
“We work out what we can do in the time we have — we pick what we really need to do that day and what can wait. We all know when we have done enough and when we need a rest, we take that rest,” says Taylor.
Tips to avoid fatigue. Image supplied.
“If we need to put on a casual employee to fill in for a few days, we do that. For me, I know that when I get crook, get headaches or can’t think properly, then I need to call it quits. If Paul needs a rest, I’ll take over that day. If our employees need time off, we’ll rotate our schedules so they can have a break.
“In the past few years, it has been hard to find employees. Winter on the farm can be a turn off for a lot of people and some people don’t like the physicality of farming. Then, farmers can push themselves too hard but it’s about prioritising what you have to do and knowing when it’s time to stop.”
Recently, the couple and their two young children had a 10-day holiday in Perth to take a break from the physical and mental pressures of farming – an annual break is also part of how they manage work-related stress and fatigue.
“When we go away, we relax and don’t do a million activities. We chill with the kids and that refreshes us and gives us time to think about what we want to do in the future and how we can get there. We come back re-energised,” says Taylor.
Taylor has seen the WorkSafe ‘It’s never you, until it is’ messaging and says the advertisements and information available to farmers is important to help more people in the industry become aware of the risks to themselves and others that can result from fatigue.
“These campaigns are so important. There is so much at stake in terms of protecting yourself and your employees. You don’t want to be injured or worse because you make a mistake through being fatigued and you don’t want to have an injured worker on your conscience,” says Taylor.
Fatigue isn't the same as being sleepy or drowsy. Learn more at www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/fatigue-farm
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