Quality job key in the woolshed
Shearing contractor Marty Smith likens shearing to running not one, but two marathons a day.
At almost 60 he’s done his fair share of whipping the wool off sheep over the years, but for him it’s not about the numbers. ‘’It’s about doing a quality job. ‘’Sheep are worth a lot of money and farmers should get a reasonable job done,’’ Smith said.
Smith, who co-owns Spain & Smith Shearing Contractors, supports the new woolshed injury prevention programme Tahi Ngatahi that was launched in Gore this week.
ACC figures show that Southland has the lowest injury rate in wool harvesting at 10 injuries per 100 employees, but Smith believes the industry can still do better.
Spain & Smith pride themselves on having minimal injuries in the woolshed.
‘’We’ve been quite lucky. ‘’We haven’t had a major handpiece injury for a few years, but there’s always the strains and sprains.’’
Marty Smith and his partner Mark Spain established their Invercargill-based shearing business Spain & Smith in 1985 and in 1999 they bought a tailing run.
During their peak season they employ about 30 shearers, plus wool handlers, and run up to nine gangs.
Their clients include Mount Linton Station where they shear about 90,000 ewes and lambs each year through a 12-stand shed.
Smith believes the key to reducing woolshed injuries is simple.
‘’Shearers should shear within themselves and not try and do more than their body can sustain.
‘’As long as you do a good job you can make reasonable money without forcing your way around a sheep – that’s when accidents happen.’’
Smith also believes it’s important to give his staff regular time off and he’s pleased that they no longer work statutory holidays.
‘’It’s the shearers choice whether they work over the weekend. Gone are the days where they worked day in and day out – shearers work much better when they see the start and the end of the week,’’ he said.
Twenty years ago it was typical for shearers to work from New Year to Easter without a break, Smith said.
Now they work about five or six days a row which gives them the opportunity to attend their kids sports on a Saturday.
Smith, who starts his day at 4.20am with a cup of tea, organises the gangs and makes sure they are on the road by 5.30am.
The rest of his morning is spent catching up with farmers and the shearers at work to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Smith typically spends his lunch time ringing around farmers and organising the following day’s work. Spain & Smith hire out four hydraulic no-tramp wool presses to farmers who sheds are four-stands or more.
‘‘As long as you do a good job you can make reasonable money without forcing your way around a sheep – that’s when accidents happen.’’ - Shearing contractor Marty Smith.