Life Without Barriers (LWB) has been awarded the latest icare Aware Award from Insurance and Care NSW (icare). The award recognises the hard work and dedication from all LWB employees to creating a safety mindset in our day-to-day operations, and the practices we’ve put in place to achieve a safer workplace for all.
Executive Director of People, Safety and Culture Scott Orpin said that safety starts with the leadership of an organisation, by creating a safety culture, it is clear to everyone that safety matters. “We want our teams and clients to be able to focus on improving lives. We can do that best when everyone is safe and healthy,” Scott said. “Even though we have seen improvements, our commitment to safety continues and our Strategic Plan for WHS will continue to allow for a coordinated and outcome based approach.”
LWB’s recent safety journey began two years ago when it became apparent changes were needed within the organisation after analysing high injury rates - particularly soft tissue injuries. In 2016 LWB embarked on a two-year Health, Safety and Wellbeing strategy which commenced with the implementation of a team of experienced health and safety professionals and the introduction of the “Live Safe – Home Safe and Healthy Every Day” campaign. These initiatives led to real results for our staff with an ongoing reduction in injuries and the creation of robust governance around health and safety across the organisation. Over the first 12 months of the two-year strategy LWB saw a 20% reduction in the number of safety incidents reported. Meanwhile, the average days off from work after an injury reduced by 50% over the same period.
In bringing to life the ‘Live Safe’ strategy LWB recognised the importance of accountability and commitment from senior management. KPIs around workplace incident rate reduction, regular training and safety culture awareness were immediately put in place at LWB for multiple levels of management.
With an expert team, systems, a strategy and a strong safety culture in place, LWB was able to bring about real change in this space, and make a safer and healthier workplace for all our employees.
