But that has changed slightly at the Moss Vale saleyards in the past fortnight with the introduction of tougher occupational health and safety regulations following an accident last year.

Now Akubras have given way to hard hats, and sweaty shirts are hidden under padded vests.

Wingecarribee Council - which operates the selling centre - predicts this change of culture will flow through NSW.

“We were copping a bit of flack about it to start with,” said council’s property manager Peter Bowmer.

“I think what will happen, the agents are concerned now we are doing it here, if they aren’t doing it at other places ... they could find themselves with liability issues.

“When you go to work, you want to come home in one piece,” Mr Bowmer said.

The overall argument might be irrefutable, but some stock agents are yet to be convinced of the finer details of the regulations, which require anybody in the yards to wear steel-capped boots, a padded vest, and a hard hat.

Pat Cleary from Elders Moss Vale said wearing a hard hat was sensible, but argued it would be difficult to implement padded vests in all of the 97 saleyards which they operate in.

“We’ve had a real issue here with the vest,” he said.

“We’ve looked at it in other areas and basically the heat exhaustion our workers are suffering now... has put us in a difficult position as to which is the greater risk."

Full story SHN Monday, March 24.