Highly Commended Award for banana growers in Safe Work Awards
A loud cheer went up when Jade Buchanan and Steve Lizzio received the award in the category Best Workplace Health and Wellbeing Initiative. The pair were congratulated on the stage by Queensland’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Jarrod Bleijie and Safe Work Awards Ambassador, Mal Meninga.
LMB Farms and Liverpool River Bananas 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.
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. Activities have included a number of staff quitting smoking, cooking and eating healthier meals including more fruit and vegetables and undertaking physical activity through the 10 000 Steps program.
“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,” said Mr Livingstone.
“The list of farms participating in the Live Well Farm Well project has grown and now includes Ag-White Pty Ltd, S Lowe & Sons Pty Ltd, and Mackay Estates.
“We hope that the great work done by the Buchanans and the Lizzios will see more farms in Queensland – not just in horticulture but in agriculture as a whole – embrace this program which not only improves the health and wellbeing of staff but also has been shown to improve morale, increase productivity, and reduce absenteeism.”
Live Well Farm Well is a pilot initiative being rolled out by Growcom and Diabetes Queensland in the Cassowary Coast region, focusing on practical ways rural workplaces can achieve simple health improvements to reduce the risk of chronic disease. It is a Queensland Government Workplaces for Wellness Initiative.
Photo caption: Jade Buchanan and Steve Lizzio receive their Highly Commended Awards in Brisbane congratulated by Queensland Safe Work Awards Ambassador Mal Meninga and Queensland Attorney General and Minister for Justice Jarrod Bleijie.
For more information about Live Well Farm Well contact Maya Smitran, Project Manager on 0408 789 768 or by email mayas@diabetesqld.org.au.
For more information:
Chris Walker
Growcom
Tel: 0061 7 3620 3844
Mob: 0061 408 014 843
Fax: 0061 7 3620 3880