Gear Up for Ag Health & Safety™ | National Centre for Farmer Health

The Gear Up for Ag™ program recognises young people are central to an innovative and sustainable future for agriculture.

Our objective is to engage secondary school students in a practical, fun and interactive way to provide evidence-based education that promotes health, wellbeing and safety.

The program builds students’ knowledge of farm hazards and understanding of the importance of safe practices to positively influence farm safety behaviours.

Why is it important?

A significant portion of on-farm deaths and injuries in Australia occur among young people working on the farm. Embedding health and safety awareness is critical to maintaining the health and wellbeing of our next generation of farmers living and working together in the agriculture industry.

The need for programs such as Gear Up for Ag^TM was highlighted by data collected from programs delivered by the NCFH during 2021 and 2022 as part of the Victorian Government’s Smarter Safer Farms initiative.

Read a summary of the findings here

How is Gear Up for Ag™ delivered?

Gear Up for Ag^TM is delivered onsite at schools by qualified facilitators over 4 hours. Facilitated by a combination of nurses, and industry representatives, this program is unique in bringing together health and safety and making the connection between farm hazards and the impact on health outcomes.

Program requirements

Students in Years 9 – 12 (including VET and VCAL subjects) who are engaged in agriculture studies or from schools in agriculture-dependent communities would benefit the most from this program.
Students are required to complete an online pre-training survey 2 weeks prior to face-to-face delivery. This pre-training survey will be distributed by the school and/or ag teacher and used by facilitators to identify the types of farming, common activities and tasks undertaken to tailor key health and safety education relevant to students’ exposures, at home and on the farm.
The face-to-face education session (3-4 hours) includes general and specific information on agricultural hazards. A mixture of discussions, interactive demonstrations and class activities are used to provide practical advice on ways to work safely to minimise risk of injury and illness on farm.
Schools will be required to distribute a further online post-training student survey 3-6 weeks after the face-to-face delivery to gauge the learning and effectiveness of the program with a report provided to the school about the outcomes and Certificates of Completion for students.

What topics are covered?

The topics offered vary from general and specific information about agricultural hazards such as noise exposure, working with machinery and livestock, agrichemicals, to personal safety in high-risk areas through fun and interactive activities and practical advice on strategies that promote health, wellbeing and safety and minimise the risk of injury and illness on farm.

2022_Gear Up Learning Objectives Download

Get Involved!

There are many ways to get involved with this program:

Become a program sponsor
Host a program

To find out how your school can host a program, please contact us or complete the Expression of interest below:

Register your Expression of Interest by completing this form

Gear Up for Ag Health & Safety™ is the signature program developed by Ag Health & Safety Alliance, a leading not-for-profit organisation based in the US. For more information visit www.aghealthandsafety.com.

Student Testimonial

“It can be difficult to teach about the importance of health and safety within the normal curriculum and the Gear Up program was a fun way for students discuss serious health and farm safety issues that will impact them as they become increasingly engaged in the agriculture industry.”
Casterton Secondary College, March 2021

“Today I learnt there are many solutions to dangerous hazards around the farm – eg look for alternatives.”
Student at Ballarat Grammar, August 2021