The important thing to remember when working in workplace health and safety (WHS) is that we all have a duty of care together, and it can be serious if you get it wrong.

I’ve been with HBI Australia for three years in November when they saw a need for a more streamlined Workplace Health and Safety System.

Managing WHS across all our regions, I work closely with Jessica Howe. HBI’s WHS assistant who oversees the onboarding procedure and continual compliance of our preferred trades. Part of this streamlined process includes trades supplying their Company’s Safe System of Work for us to review and educate if needed. It’s not about HBI’s WHS Team being the Safety Regulator but rather knowing that their workers have reassurance that they are safe onsite, and any Hazards have been identified.  

An important part of doing this is helping the trades to know what ‘meeting safety requirements’ means for them. Some trades are of a lower risk and others, like Demolition or Asbestos removal, are of a high risk. Our WHS system provides some excellent support tools for our trades, such as templates that meet Legislative requirements, including Safe Work Method Statements, trade specific safety and risk assessment templates.

For me, it’s about having the conversation, to reassure our preferred trades, and being prepared to explain why a specific type of behaviour is not safe. When we do safety audits, it’s more about the consultation and education on their levels of risk.

Jess and I have a good onboarding process in place now. The system gives us confidence that we have trades on board who are meeting and understanding their expectations within safety onsite, and meeting WHS Legislative Requirements, and standards. It’s reassuring for us, reassuring for our trades, and reassuring for our customers and insurance partners.

When you consider that we have1,500 trade partners across the areas we cover, ensuring they are meeting WHS requirements, this is a big task but it’s about building relationships, regular communication, and remaining positive. 

For me, the reward is knowing that I’m presenting safety knowledge to the trades, they are learning what they should/shouldn’t do, and are going home to their families safely.

It all makes perfect sense really because there is no room for risk in our business.