Industrial and Safety - Health, safety and wellbeing

Health, safety and wellbeing continue to be a focus for the Industrial and Safety division, with total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) having reduced from 3.5 in the 2022 financial year down to 3.3 in the 2023 financial year.

Measuring safety performance and driving initiatives to mitigate fatality risk, prevent injuries and support team member physical and psychological wellbeing is a priority for the division.

Initiatives implemented during the year include the introduction of safety interactions as a new leading indicator, a refresh of the Safety Walk the Talk program, a continued focus on the First Aid First program and delivering mental health first aid training. These initiatives are designed to verify critical risk control implementation and support positive physical and psychological wellbeing in team members.

Mental health and wellbeing

The division is working towards building a mentally healthy workplace by delivering certified mental health first aid training. More than 90 team members were certified during the year. Monthly Health and Happiness communication and live events were shared throughout the division, providing team members with access to resources to promote positive wellbeing.

NZ Safety Blackwoods launched a FeelSAFE program in partnership with MATES in Construction to support the mental wellbeing of team members. Mental health training was undertaken by 100 employees.

Manual handling and workplace safety

Blackwoods and Bullivants continue to drive the Stop Access Move (S.A.M) initiative, to raise awareness of manual handling and slips, trips and falls. This is seeing positive engagement from team members and the S.A.M. program was nationally recognised by the National Safety Council of Australia with the award for the Best Communication of a Safety Message 2022. S.A.M was launched in 2020 following a spike in sprains and strains injuries. A review of data identified manual handling as being the highest mechanism for strains and sprains, which prompted the launch of the initiative.

NZ Safety Blackwoods rolled out S.T.A.R (a variation of S.A.M) with positive responses from team members.

To reduce critical risk, Workwear Group’s controls included developing a standardised training program for mobile handling equipment operators and three-person competency sign-off, permanent barriers in despatch areas, and developing a plan to separate people and mobile handling equipment in the battery charging room at the Melbourne Airport distribution centre.

Coregas launched a safety refresh event to align with Safe Work Month. This interactive forum enabled team members to engage in safety conversations on their Golden Rules and high potential events with senior management to reinvigorate their commitment to safe operations in their workplaces.

_{GRI 3-3, GRI 403-1, GRI 403-2, GRI 403-3, GRI 403-4, GRI 403-5, GRI 403-6, GRI 403-7}