03-07-2025
Onside launches digital platform to boost agri supply safety
Onside has launched PCBU Enterprise, a digital platform aiming to address shared safety responsibilities in agriculture supply chains across Australia and New Zealand.
New platform development
The platform was developed in collaboration with ANZCO Foods, a major exporter of beef and lamb in New Zealand. PCBU Enterprise is intended to resolve ongoing challenges related to joint safety duties between enterprises, contractors, suppliers, and transport operators along the agri supply chain.
The tool enables agribusinesses to form multi-party safety and risk networks. These networks allow companies to collaborate on managing shared risks, map areas of joint responsibility, communicate in real time, maintain accurate compliance records, and generate inter-business risk reports. Integration with Onside's existing mobile app, already deployed across more than 21,000 rural properties in Australia and New Zealand, allows users to log contractor and visitor check-ins as well as the movement of machinery and plants.
Benefits for supply chain safety
Ryan Higgs, Chief Executive Officer of Onside, commented on the significance of the new product: "PCBU Enterprise is our biggest and most ambitious agri risk and safety product yet. It sets a new standard for safety outcomes by ensuring enterprises, contractors, and suppliers share a transparent system that leaves nothing to chance when it comes to safety and shared risks."
Nearly two years ago, Onside and ANZCO Foods began addressing the question of how to manage safety obligations that extend throughout the supply chain, rather than being confined by property boundaries. Higgs explained: "Loading yards, accessways, trucks, plants, paddocks, runways, irrigation trenches - anywhere operations intersect is where things can go wrong. You can't hide behind organisational layers when safety fails. With PCBU Enterprise, we're making WorkSafe's '3 C's' Consult, Cooperate, Coordinate applicable across multiple PCBUs. This clarity ensures everyone knows who's managing risk, creating a safer and more efficient supply chain."
Higgs highlighted that for meat companies like ANZCO, shared safety responsibilities stretch across producer properties and involve transport firms. He added, "ANZCO took the initiative, deciding it wasn't good enough to wait for someone else to figure it out. The result is we've created what we believe is a world-first agri enterprise solution that will improve safety outcomes across the sector."
Sector support and safety context
The initiative has received strong support from the National Livestock and Transport Safety Council (NLT&SC), an organisation focused on improving safety and standards in New Zealand's livestock transport sector.
Derek Foley, President of NLT&SC, said, "The implementation of PCBU Enterprise by ANZCO and Onside is a giant step forward for our drivers' on-site safety. NLT&SC members have appreciated the ability to be involved with the development and roll-out process. We thank both ANZCO and Onside for this initiative and their ongoing support for our drivers' safety."
Recent developments in workplace safety have highlighted the urgency of improved management practices across the agricultural sector, given high-profile safety incidents and regulatory penalties for executives responsible for breaches in work health and safety obligations. Higgs noted, "Recent high-profile safety incidents, including significant fines against senior executives for PCBUs (persons conducting a business or undertaking) breaching worker safety and health legislation, have reinforced the need for clear and coordinated safety management practices across the agricultural sector."
Availability
The PCBU Enterprise platform is now accessible to agribusinesses in both New Zealand and Australia. It is intended to facilitate a coordinated approach to safety, compliance, and operations for organisations involved in agricultural supply chains.
