Farm safety and visitor tracking – Onside

Boyd Hogan is the farm manager of 2 citrus properties in the Riverland owned by Southern Cross Farms. Across these properties are 200 hectares of navels, tangerines, mandarins, grapefruits and lemons.

Prior to adopting Onside, most documentation relating to farm safety was done on paper, including spray records and visits from contractors. In mid-2022, the head office of Southern Cross Farms in Mildura recommended the move to a digital platform. Boyd chose Onside and he has found it so useful that he has recommended all other Southern Cross farms do the same.

Boyd says the greatest benefit of Onside comes with the instant nature of a digital platform. Because there are no longer delays associated with paper forms, he can create a task and someone on the other side of the property can action it immediately.

He can see where all staff and visitors are from the moment they enter or leave the property. Rules for visitor and compliance documentation can be viewed by everyone at all times.

Another benefit is the improved farm safety that comes with instant risk reporting, which keeps small problems from becoming worse. It saves time and money, and ultimately protects worker safety.

If a pipeline bursts or a tree goes down in the middle of the night, the first person to happen across it can notify everybody at once, rather than individually contact everybody concerned. The exact location of a hazard can be pinned by GPS.

The ability for workers to report their movements has been used preventatively to manage the spread of crop diseases, which is important when picking crews and backpackers travel across many properties.

Onside has been favourably received on-farm, including by elderly staff who were initially hesitant about shifting to a digital solution. The user interface is simple and intuitive enough that staff have been able to adjust quickly. Boyd recommends Onside for any grower who wants to save time and improve risk management on their farm.