HSEC report

During the year, Norfolk Group has maintained its focus on improving safety performance through the continuation of the Safety All Ways program. The Norfolk Senior Management Team reaffirms its commitment to developing a strong and sustainable safety culture across the Group at all levels. Safety performance is linked to the short-term incentive plans of all employees of Norfolk Group, including senior management.

Key highlights

Eighty of our sites and major contracts have achieved 12 months Lost Time Injury (LTI) free during the financial year. Of the Norfolk Group’s 143 sites in Australia and New Zealand, 45 per cent have recorded no injuries in the last 12 months.

The Group achieved the ambitious target of a 20 per cent reduction in Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (‘TRIFR’) year-on-year. This is a significant achievement and demonstrates both management and employee commitment to maintaining a safe work environment and prevention of injuries.

The Norfolk Group is moving towards all of its businesses being accredited to the following safety standards: AS/NZS 4801:2001, AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 and AS/NZS 19001:2000. This will provide the company with recognised compliant and standardised systems and processes that support our business model.

In 2008 The Brief Group was engaged to conduct an audit of Norfolk sites for the purpose of providing recommendations for improvement. The report confirmed a number of previously identified improvement areas and recommendations for future safety initiatives. A safety committee was established to review the audit recommendations and implement prioritised initiatives.

Norfolk has reduced workers compensation costs by reducing the number of incidents and subsequent claims compared to the previous year. The 2008—09 year has reported a 32 per cent reduction in claims cost on the prior year. Despite an increase in wages nationally across the Group, there has been a reduction in premium payments of approximately 1.3 per cent on the 2007—08 year and 3.0 per cent on the 2006—07 period.

Norfolk has experienced a significant reduction in claims lodged over the reported period. Claims numbers have been reduced from 302 in the 2006—07 year, to just 188 in 2008—09. This considerable improvement has primarily been driven by the three states of Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland, with Western Australia experiencing a decrease of 64 per cent in claim numbers since 2006—07.

Initiatives for the forward year

A number of initiatives have been planned for implementation in the coming year to continue the improvement in safety performance. These include:

  • The development of an online safety induction program to ensure compliance to Norfolk safety standards and policies. This online training program allows new employees and contractors to complete the program in a flexible learning environment via the internet or intranet system.
  • Standardised Toolbox Safety Talks which focus key safety messages and activities that are based on specific safety initiatives or incidents that have been identified through incident investigations and analysis of injury data. Toolbox Safety Talks are an important method for delivering key safety messages and reaching all employees at all levels of the business.
  • Online incident reporting will improve reporting of all incidents including ‘near hit’ reporting through ‘real time’ reporting. Greater analysis of incident data will provide opportunities to target emerging incident trends and focus on mitigating workplace risks.
  • Manager and supervisor safety training across the Group has been identified as a key area for strengthening our safety culture. This training will provide managers and supervisors with the skills and information to continually drive the Safety All Ways message.

The 2010 financial year provides Norfolk Group with an opportunity to further improve its safety systems and processes and most importantly its safety performance. The company is targeting a further 20 per cent reduction in the TRIFR for the coming year. Norfolk will continue to take the health and safety of its people very seriously, at all levels of the business.