Know Safety, Work Safely

Stop for a moment and consider the impact of a work injury.

Whether it’s minor or more serious, every accident and injury has an impact on those affected. Physically, mentally and financially, and sadly the impact doesn’t stop there. Whilst the individual deals with healing and recovering, their families and the communities in which they’re involved, also have to deal with the very real consequences of the accident which can include loss, stress, change of behaviours and more..

This month is National Safe Work Month, and for Cater Care with thousands of staff across the country, in varying industries keeping them safe, fit and healthy is a prime focus.

For Cater Care, the Safe Work Month theme of “Know Safety. Work Safely” really strikes a chord with our Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Team. Jordan Conti the Group Safety and Wellbeing Manager, is passionate about enabling and training team members and ensuring everyone understands what working safely means.

During his tenure with Cater Care Jordan has instigated several high level safety projects which continue to make a difference across more than 200 locations.

Central to the safety culture within Cater Care is a strong foundation based on four key pillars:
– To adapt
– To innovate
– To learn
– To be fair, inclusive and just.

“These pillars allow our employees to always have a voice when it comes to their workplace and ensure innovative ideas filter through the whole organisation” Jordan stated.

The SHE crew at Cater Care know their responsibilities require a cadence for continual improvement, having delivered a number of important initiatives over the past 12 months, such as:

• Expanding employee mental wellbeing support:Thrive was launched in July 2021 in response to employee surveys that identified mental health and employee wellbeing as critical areas of focus. As a result, Cater Care has successfully delivered workshops on a variety of topics, including leadership, emotional intelligence, FIFO balance, peak performance, and more. The Thrive program will continue to thrive as Cater Care supports more than 2500 employees across Australia.
• The introduction of digital safety notice boards: Digital safety notice boards allow workplace safety updates and communications to immediately be synchronized across the business. The boards are also utilised as part of monthly safety toolbox meetings. Having proved invaluable in the remote sector the digital boards will soon be expanded to aged care and retirement facilities, education and airport outlets.
• A digital Journey Management System (JMS): designed to keep staff safe whenever they travel. With many Cater Care locations in the most remote parts of Australia the JMS provides real-time journey support and takes less than 5 minutes to set up for each trip. It’s compatible with both the Apple and Android phone systems, and easy to use. The introduction of the JMS also included a live feedback option for user feedback on the system, so Cater Care can continuously improve travel processes, policies and keep our staff safe.

As part of Safe Work Month, Cater Care has delivered SafeTea kits (in line with the Safe Work Australia initiative) consisting of branded biscuits and coffee options to over 200 locations. These kits will help foster safety conversations at the coalface and allow our teams to easily share their thoughts on their work environments as we continue to look for safer, better ways of working.

#safeworkmonth #knowsafety #worksafely