Follow the correct process - every time!

Recently there was an article on TVNZ news now about the use of contractors in rural New Zealand, more farmers are downing tools and bringing in specialists to do jobs with high-tech machinery. Rural contractors contributed $1.5 billion dollars to GDP last year, but despite that growth, businesses are struggling to fill positions.
Golden Bay contractor James Crawford runs a multi-machined business servicing 60 farms. He and his staff operate expensive machines to do silage, baleage, groundwork and planting. “It's not just about steering a wheel,” he explains. “You need specialist operators to drive the gear. The general farmer doesn’t have that”.
  - Click here to read the article 
The point of interest for us as operations managers is the fact we need to make sure these contractors are well versed in our health and safety requirements. We can't afford to overlook the safety aspects even when we get busy, in fact, this is often the most dangerous time as it is when we are tempted to cut corners and that is when mistakes happen.
Many farmers cannot afford to bring in specialists with their own equipment, so they may end up having a go themselves, in that time-honoured No8 wire style that we all love to embrace. If you need to use this kind of machinery you must make sure you can do it safely!
Make sure EVERY person that operates machinery on your farm is trained to the highest standard, not the most convenient one, after all it is your responsibility and you will be the one that is still around after they have moved on.....