A GROUP of north Queensland banana growers will find out on Thursday if they are winners in the Queensland Safe Work Awards 2014.
Jade and Craig Buchanan from LMB Farms and Steve Lizzio and his family from Liverpool River Bananas are finalists in the awards which will be announced on October 23.
It is believed to be the first time that farming enterprises have been acknowledged in the awards.
The Buchanans and the Lizzios have been recognised in the category Best Workplace Health and Wellbeing Initiative.
They were the first two farming enterprises to participate in the Live Well Farm Well pilot project being conducted by Growcom and Diabetes Queensland on the Cassowary Coast and have become enthusiastic champions of the initiative.
The program saw them introduce initiatives such as five-step work health planning framework on each farm; a workplace steering group; health and wellbeing programs; access to healthy lifestyle information for staff and their families; workplace wellness policies; and health screening for staff.
Benefits observed following the introduction of the project include three employees quitting smoking, a 20 per cent increase in the daily consumption of vegetables, a 136pc increase in employee confidence to read food labels, and a 54pc increase in workers' confidence in their ability to cook healthier meals.
Growcom CEO Alex Livingstone congratulated the Buchanans and the Lizzios for the changes they are making at their farm workplaces with the support of their staff to embrace good health and exercise in the daily work routine.
“The aim of the Live Well Farm Well project is to implement health initiatives on farms to reduce workers’ risk of chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes and heart disease. Importantly, the staff have been involved in determining what activities should be embraced,” Mr Livingstone said.
“The benefit is that attending to health and fitness has been shown to also increase workers’ productivity and motivation in their jobs.
“It is great to see the work done by the Buchanans and the Lizzios recognised in the Safe Work Awards. I hope that it will spur on other horticulture farmers to follow their lead.”
Diabetes Queensland CEO Michelle Trute said that with almost 60 per cent of Cassowary Coast residents in an unhealthy weight range, health initiatives introduced to farm workplaces were an important way to fight the trend.
“Live Well Farm Well is all about looking after your body like you look after your crops and these days the busy schedules and increased time pressures on farms mean farmers often overlook their own health and wellbeing,” Ms Trute said.
“The program helps ensure farmers have the time, skills and ideas to take care of their own health as well as inspiring their workers, families and communities.
“It is an example of the health sector and rural industry working together to improve the outcomes of our rural workforce.”
