Business case study: 8 effective steps to workplace injury prevention

In response to identified workplace issues and shortfalls in safety standards this busy product manufacturing business of household cleaning products more than halved the number of claims and days lost due to injury through adopting a preventative program and following the Gallagher Workplace Risk team’s advice.Established in New South Wales over 30 years ago, this family run company is involved in the end to end production of household cleaning products with three main operational functions including sales, research and development (including quality control) and manufacturing.

Its core activities include manufacturing, packaging and product development of personal care products, household cleaning products, pet care products, car care products and industrial cleaning products. The company employs approximately 220 employees from the local area, across three shifts, five days per week, as well as up to 100 labour hire employees.

The Gallagher Workplace Risk team worked in partnership with the business over the last 18 months, focusing on the adoption of an icare Protect Together program and strengthening their risk management. As a result the company has achieved a considerable reduction in the frequency and severity of injuries across their 300+ workforce.

The people risk improvements this client achieved over the year include

• 25% decrease in the number of claims lodged
• 54% decrease in paid days lost
• 64% reduction in paid claims costs (to date)
• 72% lower medical costs
• significant improvement in downtime for injured workers with claims incidents.
  
  

The 8 steps to effective injury protection using Gallagher Workplace Risk specialty expertise

This achievement in improved injury prevention outcomes was enabled through 8 critical steps

1. undertaking a comprehensive review into claims, incidents and injury prevention drivers that we know can contribute to good safety performance
2. promoting an attitude of shared accountability and ownership around a prioritised injury prevention strategy and annual action plan which targets factors identified by the Gallagher Workplace Risk team as high impact initiatives to improve safety
3. encouraging senior leaders in the business to show visible leadership in safety practices across its operations
4. development and implementation of an early intervention and return to work program including documenting a suitable duties register, injured worker packs and manager training
5. creating robust hazard identification processes, upskilling managers in this and encouraging proactive reporting to enable sustainable changes
6. implementation of an online integrated technology platform to simplify reporting and improve transparency/accessibility of safety data to enable improved data-based decision making
7. regular plant and equipment inspections to ensure risks frequently associated with control failures are identified proactively
8. provision of expert and strategic workers’ compensation, injury management and injury prevention support to the company’s safety team, enabling internal capacity in operational safety.

Ongoing commitment to achieving safety outcomes

The company still has further work to complete and numerous programs are being targeted over the next few months, including

• review of the pre-employment approach to linking job requirements into effective recruitment strategies
• review and refresh of the induction training program for both full time employees and labour-hire workers
• continued work towards a systems approach for enhanced reporting capability
• continuous improvement in the current training packages to foster development of safety leadership and managers’ coaching skills
• engagement of senior leaders in additional safety interactions that demonstrate visible leadership and promote safety to workers throughout the business
• ongoing work with the Black Dog Institute to further develop a mental health approach for both staff and families
• ongoing review of machine safety practices and equipment guarding across manufacturing operations.

With the company well on its way towards sustained improvements in its injury prevention journey our Workplace Risk team is very proud of our contribution to helping achieve sustainable improvements in injury prevention outcomes.

Does your business have high workplace costs and risks to improve on?

Every business faces different workplace and people risks, and improving these requires commitment and investment that can achieve significant benefits to the bottom line and culture of an organisation.

Take the first step – contact us to find out more about reviewing your organisation's health and safety. The Gallagher Workplace Health & Safety offering encompasses everything from safety mentoring and training through to health and wellness programs, hazard and risk profiling, and incident management and investigation.

Connect with us to find out more about the Gallagher Workplace Risk team.

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