Queensland primary school students are encouraged to put on their thinking caps and get creative to help save lives on farms.
Head of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Tony James today announced entries are open for the annual Farm safety calendar competition. Budding young artists can show off their works and deliver important safety messages for those who live and work on the land.
“The 12 winning entries will go into the 2023 calendar to be displayed in homes and workplaces across the state as a year-round reminder to work and play safely on farms,” Mr James said.
“As always, youngsters will use their artistic flair to illustrate important safety messages about electricity, animals, tractors and machinery, quad bikes, water or general health and wellbeing.
“Our stats show that although the agriculture industry employs around three per cent of Queensland’s workers, it tragically accounts for around a third of our workplace deaths.
“There’s a high workplace death and injury rate in agriculture, with farm vehicles, sometimes involving children, figuring in a large proportion of statistics.
“The competition is a great way to get kids at home and in their classrooms thinking about safety. After that, the calendars prominently—and very colourfully—display and reinforce a dozen important safety messages,” he said.
The popular competition has been running since 2015 and almost 8,500 Queensland kids have entered over those seven years. The winners in the 2022 calendar were selected from more than 1900 entries.
The 12 winners receive a $250 gift voucher and $500 for their school.
Entries close on Friday 24 June, with the winners to be announced in October. Once printed, 30,000 copies of the free calendar will be distributed around the state.
