At MR & HL Wandel, a 12,400-hectare broadacre cropping business in Western Australia’s Esperance region, safety isn’t treated as a once-a-year checklist item. It’s embedded in the day-to-day culture—something Hayley Wandel says is essential when people are your most valuable asset.
“It’s a No-Brainer”: How Wandel Farms Puts Safety First
“As a family business, we believe the strength of our farm lies in the people behind it,” says Hayley. “So, it’s our responsibility to make sure everyone goes home safe, every day.”
With a rotating seasonal workforce and evolving compliance requirements, clear, consistent safety inductions are a must for the Wandels, especially during time-critical periods like seeding and harvest.
Their son Riley first came across Troy Smith’s training while working on farms during his gap year. Even having grown up on a property, Riley found the training made a noticeable difference stepping onto an unfamiliar site.
“I grew up on a farm, but that first day still could’ve easily been overwhelming,” says Riley. “Troy’s training gave me a clear picture of what to expect and what to watch for. It stuck with me and I told Mum and Dad we should look at doing something similar back home.”
In 2024, the Wandels adopted SafeStart, a video-based induction series designed for Australian farms.
“We’d been trying to find something that took the pressure off us but still gave new staff a proper introduction,” says Hayley. “Riley’s experience showed us it didn’t need to be complicated to be effective. We started using the SafeStart videos this year for our seeding induction,” continues Hayley. It’s really easy to upload them into a PowerPoint or run them as a presentation for our team. They simplify a really daunting job that we didn’t want to take on ourselves.”
Created by Real Skills founder Troy Smith, SafeStart covers more than 40 topics across machinery, chemical handling, personal safety, and site-specific risks. The content is backed by organisations like Cotton Australia and Queensland Farmers’ Federation, but more importantly for users like Hayley, it’s grounded in experience.
“Troy’s been on the tools. He knows what matters,” she says. “He’s relatable, easy to understand, and the videos actually reflect the kind of situations we deal with.”
The Wandels were one of the first farms to adopt the resource—an early example of how SafeStart could support large, fast-paced operations.
“It was great to see someone like Hayley take it on early,” says Troy. “It confirmed that SafeStart delivers safety in a way that actually works on a busy farm, not just something that ticks the compliance boxes.”
For Hayley, the relatability, relevance, and flexibility of SafeStart are what make it so useful.
“Troy’s easy to understand and speaks to the realities of a cropping operation,” she says. “The videos are applicable regardless of where you’re farming, and you can tailor them to suit your business. If someone’s sitting on the fence about trying it, I’d just say: watch one. Try and replicate it yourself—you won’t have time.”
One of the key benefits for the Wandel team has been knowing that the videos stay up-to-date with current safety standards and regulations.
“If there are changes to legislation, the videos are updated, so you don’t have to worry about chasing that information down. It’s one less job we have to do, and it’s done properly,” she explains.
For the Wandels, it’s not about complexity—it’s about effectiveness. SafeStart delivers critical information clearly, helping staff understand what matters most when it comes to safety.
“We like that it covers the basics well. That’s what we want,” says Hayley. “It’s easy to overcomplicate things, but clear communication is what actually keeps people safe.”
With high-risk machinery, remote working conditions and tight seasonal deadlines, broadacre farming will always carry inherent risks. But, for Hayley, having the right tools and the right mindset can make all the difference.
“Safety has to be part of the way we work, not something you bolt on. SafeStart has helped us make it part of the everyday.”
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