HEALTH AND SAFETY

GWA Group continues to ensure that it provides a safe workplace for its employees, contractors, visitors and customers in an efficient and compliant manner.

Through divisional or site based health and safety advisers, GWA promotes awareness of health and safety in a continuous improvement environment.

The health and safety advisers meet with the Group Risk Manager with the collective objectives of:

• Discussing safety performance, goals and improvement strategies
• Exchanging ideas and detailing successful improvement programs
• Promoting training through guest speakers and external experts
• Arranging visits to view best practice sites
• Planning for cross site auditing (whereby health and safety advisers visit other internal GWA sites)
• Planning and implementing of new systems and procedures

The Group Risk Manager reports twice per annum to the Audit Committee. The reporting includes current health and safety performance, current improvement plans and compliance to regulations. An audit plan, consistent with health and safety objectives, is also presented for approval by the Audit Committee 
for the new financial year.

Health and Safety Performance

GWA Group measures a range of balanced safety performance indicators. Proactive indicators such as number of hazards identified, risk assessments undertaken and actions issued and completed on time are recorded for each GWA site.

Three key measures of safety outcomes are:

1. Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) which measures lost time (injury that results in an inability to work for at least one full shift)
2. Medical Treatment Injury Frequency Rate (MTIFR) which measures the number of doctor treated injuries per million hours worked
3. Injury Severity Rate which measures the number of hours 
for a lost time injury per million hours worked

The collective sum of MTIFR plus LTIFR results in the Total Injury Frequency Rate (TIFR) for GWA Group.

Major projects for the 2010/11 year include:

• Undertaking of external pilot program on safety leadership 
for supervisors and front line managers
• Commenced work on transition to the new harmonisation Work Health and Safety Act that will operate from 1 Jan 2012
• Commenced integration of Gliderol (acquired in January 2011) ensuring health and safety systems are consistent 
with GWA policies and procedures

At the start of the 2010/11 year GWA set a target of 30% year on year improvement on the 2009/10 results for TIFR. The actual improvement in performance was 14% but was influenced by weaker results from Gliderol, GWA Group’s most recent acquisition. Highlights within the GWA Group business units include:

• GWA Bathrooms & Kitchens achieved a TIFR of 3.84, 
down 70% from the previous year
• GWA Commercial Furniture achieved a Lost Time Injury 
free year
• GWA Heating & Cooling (Dux) achieved a Lost Time 
Injury free year

Improvement objectives are planned to be met through continuation of the 2010/11 initiatives and further integration of health and safety systems into Gliderol. Some key sites are planning to work towards the AS4801 safety management system. 

GWA Group Total Injury Frequency Rate

GWA Group Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate

GWA Group Medical Treatment Injury Frequency Rate

GWA Group Injury Severity Rate