Growing a Safety Culture: The Mechanisms of an Industry-Led Safety Learning Network Pilot in Horticulture

Horticulture farms are high-risk, hard-to-reach workplaces where regulatory and education-based safety interventions often fail to achieve lasting impact. Challenges arise from multifaceted hazards, skepticism toward regulatory authority, and the precarious employment conditions of seasonal and culturally diverse workers. This paper reports on findings from a study of an Australian horticulture industry-led Safety Learning Network (SLN) pilot that aimed to drive sustainable safety-culture change.

Qualitative data collection from participants in the initiative involved semi-structured interviews with farm owners/managers (n = 10), observations (n = 6) and notes from farm visits (n = 2), governance meetings, and informal communications (n = 19). Thematic analysis involved the application of a socio-ecological framework to identify the mechanisms that contributed to the pilot's effectiveness and weaknesses in engaging horticulture farms and fostering safety culture change.

Participants identified three interrelated mechanisms through which the SLN supported engagement and contributed to safety culture and safety-related attitudes: building trust between the initiative leaders and farmers involved, providing practical and tailored support to farmers and their employees, and providing credible legal and industry expertise to farmers. Behavior change associated with these mechanisms included shifts in attitude and accountability among all participating farm managers and owners, and observable changes in safety behavior among workers on some farms.

Industry-led networks have the potential bridge the gap between regulation and farm-level practice and may support culture and behavior change among horticulture workers. However, evidence of effectiveness is limited and these networks typically require participatory, context-specific implementation that can be resource-intensive. Future research could incorporate independent outcome measures (e.g. injury or claims data) and longitudinal designs to assess sustainability and broader impact.