WesCEF - Team member wellbeing and operating safely

Operating safely

Industrial sites pose safety risks because they use complex processes involving a range of elements including raw materials, equipment, utilities such as power and water, and products.

WesCEF is focused on operating safely and continually monitors and adjusts its processes and procedures to minimise risk to its team members, assets and neighbouring communities. Inherently, the operations present a number of high potential (HiPo) risks – risks with the potential to cause serious harm or a fatality. These risks cannot be eliminated and require a comprehensive system of layers of protection to manage the risk.

During the 2023 financial year, there were 26 HiPo (no control) incidents, compared to 21 in the prior year. Twenty of the HiPo incidents involved dropped objects and this has been a focus area for improvement.

WesCEF’s HiPo risk management program continued throughout the year, which reinforces to team members the importance of having critical controls in place prior to starting a task. There are more than 70 critical controls across multiple activities that are to be verified by team members before starting a work activity, ranging from ensuring a work permit is in place, gas testing when working in confined places, wearing fall protection harnesses, to setting up exclusion zones for dropped objects when working at height.  

Additional monitoring and data collection was undertaken in the 2023 financial year to enable independent assessment of critical control effectiveness. Reporting metrics provide visibility regarding the effectiveness of critical controls and ongoing monitoring ensures WesCEF can close any gaps in processes to ensure team member safety.

WesCEF’s total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) for the 2023 financial year was 3.8.

Team member wellbeing

Fostering the positive mental health of team members is a WesCEF priority, with the business continuing to expand its range of supportive initiatives, resources and training throughout the year. WesCEF has championed recent changes to work health and safety regulations that encourage a greater focus on minimising psychosocial risks (anything that can cause harm to mental health) and gives psychosocial hazards the same importance as other significant hazards, such as working at heights or operating machinery. 

An online training program is available to team members and supervisors to raise awareness of mental health and to advise what to do if an individual or colleague experiences issues. As of 30 June 2023, team member Building Resilience and Mental Health Awareness training was at 96.8 per cent and supervisor Managing Workplace Mental Health training completion was at 82.3 per cent.

Alongside a suite of wellbeing resources and information on WesCEF’s intranet, the business adopted the NewAccess mental health support service developed by Wesfarmers in partnership with Beyond Blue. It is available across the Group as a free and confidential mental health coaching program. Since it was introduced in July 2022, 13 team members have accessed the service.

During the 2023 financial year, 76 team members and 31 family members accessed WesCEF’s Employee Assistance Program’s counselling services.

WesCEF continued monthly team member workshops via its partnership with The Fathering Project, which aims to inspire fathers and father figures to positively engage with the children in their lives. Quarterly wellness webinars were conducted on topics such as menopause awareness, stroke and diabetes. Community events that WesCEF continued to support include R U OK? Day, Harmony Day and Mental Health Week.

Looking ahead, WesCEF is exploring how it can enhance awareness around the importance of mental health and will assess its wellbeing strategy against standard codes of practice to identify additional opportunities.

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