R U OK Day September 10
10th September 2020 is a day set aside from others to remind us all the importance of checking in with colleagues, friends and family to as the questions “R U OK?” At WorkPac we care about all our team members. We understand that life’s challenges can leave people feeling helpless, hopeless, afraid, disconnected and at genuine risk. We consistently encourage all our employees to have open communications with their Managers and access the dedicated Employee Assistance Program services if they need additional support. Visit https://www.workpac.com/employee-assistance-programWe understand that positive actions in an open safe environment encourages engagement and can assist with improving health and wellbeing in the workplace. A simple way to provide support is by genuinely asking “Are you OK?” and be prepared to have regular meaningful conversations to help someone who might be struggling to feel supported when confronted with challenges in life whether at home, work, school or in sport.This year, we encourage everyone to keep promoting the importance of Work Health and Safety in your workplaces, looking out for one another and As always, if you need any additional information or support please reach out to your WorkPac Representative, Supervisor, Direct Manager & Regional Risk Manager.
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- RISK MANAGEMENT
- SAFETY
- HOMEPAGE
Cyclone Season - Are you prepared?
Cyclone season occurs from November through to April in Australia so it’s a good idea to have an emergency kit and household plan organised. Be prepared this season.Get cyclone smartAt work: Make sure you know and follow your workplace emergency evacuation procedure;At home: Trim treetops and ensure branches are clear of your home, clear your property of loose material that might cause damage during extreme weather and clear out your gutters;Create an emergency contact list;Organise an emergency management plan and clearly communicate this to all of your family;Prepare an emergency kit, check out some suggestions below;Here are some handy planning websites.The Queensland Government has a great website availableThe WA Department of Fire and Emergency services also offer resources Visit the QLD Government Alerts and warnings pageFor current alerts and warnings in WA click Don't forget your petsOur pets are so special, make sure you don’t forget to pack for them too! Ensure they have a collar, are clearly identifiable and have a secure pet carrier, leash or harness on hand. Include them in your emergency plan – if there’s a weather warning, keep your animals close.Handy emergency contactsLife threatening emergenciesTelephone Triple Zero (000). For life threatening, critical or serious situations only.State Emergency Service (SES) flood and storm assistanceTelephone: 132 500 for help with a damaged roof, rising flood water, trees fallen on buildings, or storm damage.Local CouncilVisit your local council website for information for your specific location, or look up your local council contact numbers.Here's the QLD list.Here's the WA ListHere's the NT ListWeather and warningsVisit the Bureau of Meteorology web site at www.bom.gov.auAlternatively, visit the Bureau's Telephone Weather Services Directory for Queensland.Additionally, tune to your local radio station for warnings and advice. Details of your local ABC radio frequency and local web-page can be obtained from www.abc.net.au/local.Animal emergenciesWildlife Hotline: To report wildlife emergencies, marine strandings and pollution incidents, call the Wildlife Hotline on 1300 130 372.To report lost or missing animals during times of disaster and emergency events visit your state RSPCA lost/found web site:QueenslandNew South WalesVictoriaSouth Australia Western Australia Northern Territory TasmaniaAustralian Capital Territory Should you need to report an animal in distress, or you have concerns for the welfare of an animal, please contact one of the following options:RSPCA websiteEmergency Animal Disease and Biosecurity MattersSocial mediaFollow your state police service, SES, fire and rescue service and local council for real time information.
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WorkPac named finalist in 2017 Hunter Safety Awards
WorkPac has been named a finalist in the 2017 Hunter Safety Awards for the Most Innovative Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) Idea category for large organisations.WorkPac won the 2016 Hunter Safety Award for best WHS Management System and has been recognised for its industry-leading safety in Hunter workplaces.Winners will be announced at the Hunter Safety Awards gala event on Friday 17th March 2017.National Safety and Risk Manager, Rachel Pearse says WorkPac wanted to support employees and facilitate discussion on fatigue and mental health while addressing the key challenges of engaging with a geographically diverse workforce.“Our initiative was to broaden our communication approach of safety messages across platforms like video and social media,” Ms Pearse said.“Our first message focused on fatigue management and our second message focused on mental health and wellbeing which are two really important issues in our line of work,” she said.Across the industries WorkPac services, the statistics speak for themselves. A construction worker is six times more likely to commit suicide than die as a result of a workplace incident. If the worker is under 24 years of age, the risk increases by 10 times.The Minerals Council of Australia’s blueprint for mental health and wellbeing estimates costs to the resources industry, including lowered productivity, is between $320 million to $450 million per year or around $300,000 to $400,000 for an average worksite of 170 people. Luke Tresidder, Business Centre Manager at WorkPac Hunter Valley says the WorkPac team wanted to do more than produce posters and flyers or transfer the responsibility over to an external Employee Assistance Program provider when dealing with mental health issues.“We engaged with our workforce and identified that traditional forms of communication were no longer the only way to reach our field team. We didn’t want to wait around for tragic statistics before we formulated an initiative to address fatigue and mental health,” Mr Tresidder said.“We knew we needed to implement new ways to reach our workforce and our research pointed to social media, video communication and real people communicating sincere messages,” he said.WorkPac’s Head of Marketing Tracey Mesken says Facebook now serves more than 8 billion video views per day.“That’s double the amount the video content users were consuming in early 2015,” Ms Mesken said.“LinkedIn and Facebook allowed us to elevate workplace challenges that have influencing factors external to the workplace, into social networks enabling a peer engagement forum.“The campaign drove greater awareness and acceptance by our employees to openly discuss these challenging topics.“To be a finalist again is a fantastic achievement and we are happy to be recognised two years running, this is a real credit to the Hunter Valley and Newcastle teams’ efforts.”WorkPac is proud to be finalists in what will be a hotly contended category.Regardless of the outcome, WorkPac congratulates all nominees for their contributions towards making workplaces in the Hunter Region safe. WorkPac will continue to explore video and social media amplification of messages using these platforms to further enhance safety education and communication.In its 20 years of operation, WorkPac has experienced no fatalities or prosecutions and has one of the lowest Lost Time Injury Frequency Rates in the contingent labour industry.
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WorkPac named runner up for Large Recruitment Agency of the Year at the Seek Annual Recruitment Awards
The SEEK Annual Recruitment Awards celebrate innovation and excellence within the recruitment industry and the WorkPac Group is proud to place as runner up for Large Recruitment Agency of the Year, 2016.The WorkPac Group was judged on how our organisation fosters diversity and inclusion, drives innovation, supports growth, engages candidates and contributes to the recruitment industry.CULTUREThe WorkPac Group implemented a number of unique service offerings aligning with our vision to:“Create and advance strong, inclusive communities involving all Australians through actively increasing Indigenous employment and training participation, heightening cultural awareness and building mutually respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.”JobTrail is the WorkPac Group’s specialist division for Indigenous Services. The ultimate aim of the business is to improve Indigenous life outcomes. Our holistic support for candidates focuses on positive identity construction (country and identity), ownership and responsibility, financial literacy, local knowledge and contributors, family elements and walk on country.JobTrail also breaks down common barriers employers face when sourcing, selecting, employing and training Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia.The WorkPac Group’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) launches in January. Under the guidance and governance of Reconciliation Australia, we are creating a formal, documented commitment on a set of action items which will enhance cultural awareness, community participation and ultimately employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.INNOVATIONThe WorkPac Group owes its success to the innovative and dedicated people we work with. The innovative solutions and automated online platforms introduced by our Credit Collections Team to address credit collection challenges has expedited innovative thinking within the team and across the business as a whole. We will benefit hugely from their work now and into the future.GROWTHIn line with the Group’s five year operational and strategic plan, we set key targets and the delivery of these goals was critical to achieving our number one business priority – the health and safety of our employees.WorkPac faces significant challenges as the majority of our operations are undertaken in Australia’s most hazardous working environments and we employ over 4,500 individuals in regional and remote locations.Our target achievements through 2015/16 included our Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate target of 1.0 or less and exceeding our safety interactions per month target of 10% on total employees.Our reputation as a leading provider of safety management continues to drive increased client relationships and heightened candidate engagement levels. This increases our capacity to attract candidates who place explicit trust in our ability to protect them from harm.ENGAGEMENTWorkPac engages candidates at a pre-employment level right through to post-placement support. Our Local Access Policy has seen the Group establish operational presence in regional, rural and remote Australia to provide local support and accessibility to individuals who are more accustomed to long-range, telephone based relationships. The power and efficiency in local, face to face relationships continues to deliver strong candidate and employee engagement.WorkPac also provides Employee Benefits and Assistance Programs to empower our people to succeed at work and maintain healthy, happy lifestyles.CONTRIBUTION TO INDUSTRYWorkPac’s contribution to industry is varied and takes many forms, including:Regional and rural operations, promoting and ensuring recruitment services are available to clients that may otherwise be unaware of the industry’s valueNon-industry associations where our corporate memberships and participation in industry events increases awareness and fuels discussion on industry services and valueStudy papers including a recent commissioned white paper conducted with University of Queensland to promote the benefits of recruitment over in-house effortsSupport for industry events and promotions, such as the recent Recruitment Yarns roadshowWorkPac is proud to be recognised as one of Australia’s industry leaders for workplace culture and inclusion, industry advancement, candidate engagement, growth and innovation.
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