Industrial and Safety - Health, safety and wellbeing

The Industrial and Safety division recognises its team members are central to the success of the division with each business maintaining a relentless focus on providing safe workplaces. This includes measuring safety performance and driving initiatives to mitigate fatal risk, prevent injuries and ensure team members' physical and psychological wellbeing. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to create challenges in the 2021 financial year as the division navigated providing COVID-safe workplaces across its distribution network and managing work from home and return to work activities. Throughout the year, the division prioritised team member health, safety and wellbeing during the pandemic by developing and implementing comprehensive protocols to reduce transmission risk and keep team members and customers safe.  

Industrial and Safety business units prioritised team member psychological wellbeing and this will remain high on the agenda. Blackwoods launched its Health and Happiness community for team members to share helpful resources with each other, such as building mental resilience, guided meditation sessions and nutrition and physical health ideas. Coregas established its Work from Home initiative, which offers flexible working arrangements and support for its team members, while ensuring the team remains connected. Greencap facilitated an internal psychological health and wellbeing workshop with 82 per cent participation and commenced training mental health first aiders. Workwear Group developed a risk matrix to assess psychological risk associated with roles and piloted a psychosocial survey with New Zealand office-based team members.  

The division’s TRIFR is 4.3, a 10.4 per cent decrease from the previous year. Each business has progressed its Critical Risk program, aimed at reducing fatal risk in operating environments through completion of ‘bow tie’ analyses, development of performance standards and verification activities.