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Howsaferu Consulting
All sectors

Sector 01 · Poultry & Broiler Production

Broiler safety from someone who ran it at national scale.

For six years I was National Risk Manager for ProTen: 57 broiler farms, more than 560 sheds, close to a fifth of Australia's production. I built their WHS systems from the ground up. I know broiler sheds from the inside, the hazards that actually hurt people and the controls that hold up shed-side, not just on paper.

R01

Air quality: ammonia and dust

Litter breaks down into ammonia, and dust load climbs as the birds grow. Both hit the respiratory system hard. I set up monitoring, ventilation checks and the right respiratory protection to match how the shed actually runs through a cycle.

R02

Biosecurity meets WHS

Avian influenza, Q fever, psittacosis and salmonella are worker health risks, not just flock risks. I build biosecurity and WHS together, so one set of controls protects the birds and the people.

R03

Heat, gas and ventilation

Gas brooders, tunnel fans, and a failure window measured in minutes. I cover the CO and LPG hazards, heat stress, and the emergency procedures for when ventilation drops.

R04

Catching and pick-up crews

Night work, fatigue, manual handling and a casual crew that turns over constantly. I put fast, real inductions and safe systems around the highest-injury task on the farm.

R05

Plant, machinery and egress

Feed augers, fans, heaters and litter equipment in long sheds with limited egress. I assess guarding, isolation and emergency exit so the shed itself isn't the hazard.

Common questions

Questions I get asked

What are the main safety risks on a broiler farm?
Ammonia and dust build through a cycle and both affect the respiratory system. On top of that you have gas brooders, tunnel fans, feed augers and long sheds with limited egress. Catching and pick-up is where most of the injuries happen, because it is night work with a crew that turns over constantly.
Is biosecurity a work health and safety issue?
Biosecurity is a worker health issue as well as a flock issue. Avian influenza, Q fever, psittacosis and salmonella all affect the people in the shed. I build the biosecurity and WHS controls together so one set of procedures covers the birds and the people.
What should happen if shed ventilation fails?
A shed can go from normal to dangerous in minutes when ventilation drops. You need alarms, a written response, and people who know what to do before they enter. I write the emergency procedure around your shed layout and check it is understood on the floor.
How often should a farm risk assessment be reviewed?
Review it whenever something changes: new plant, a new task, an incident, or a control that is no longer working. An annual review is the usual working standard on top of that. The regulations require a review when a control measure is found to be ineffective.
Do catching crews and contractors need their own induction?
They need their own induction and verification, working to the same site controls. They arrive for a short window, often at night, and they work around plant they did not commission. I set up the induction and permit steps so they are accounted for.

From inside the industry

I didn't read about broiler safety, I ran it.

At ProTen I inherited rudimentary systems and built them into what the industry now benchmarks against: integrated management systems, a contractor induction platform, risk registers and a national WHS strategy across 57 farms. That's the experience I bring to your operation.

Call 0438 750 974