Small Business – Journey to Safety
WHS 15/04 A
Small Business – Journey to Safety
The journey to safety for small business can be a rocky road at times, attempting to juggle staff, time and resources to not only operate your business but stay on top of work health and safety legislation. However, the rewards can outweigh the seemingly rocky road – read the story below of a small business not unlike your own and how/why they tackled safety in their workplace.
Daryl Dickenson Transport
This transport company has been there and done that with a fleet of over 30 trucks. However, when one of their drivers was seriously injured the business realized that things needed to be done differently. It is now their focus to share their experience and message with other small businesses.
‘Don’t fix what ain’t broken’ – Too many businesses wait until something happens, thinking it needless to invest time and money if there is no need as nothing has happened to date. But Tracie Dickenson’s message is ‘Start Now’. Take small steps – you don’t have to get it all done at once – you just need to do something.
One of the businesses staff had some experience in Work Health and Safety and they also accessed a Workplace Health and Safety Queensland small business advisor to visit the workplace and assist with ideas.
Identifying the good ideas was the easy part – but the drivers were not always on-side. The most important thing is building trust with your employees. They achieved this by actively encouraging feedback and educating their existing drivers instead of moving them on and bringing new ones in. Their long term employees, with many years of experience have now changed with the company. If there is a problem, they let the management know.
Experts on your doorstep
The benefit Brismark members and market tenants have, that Daryl Dickenson Transport didn’t, is access to qualified and experienced WHS staff right at their doorstep, all you have to do is contact Brismark and we will be there to help you on your journey to safety.
Tracie Dickenson’s Top 3 Tips
- Get Involved – Link up with safety networks or associations – attend a conference or two.
Mix with others in the same industry your in – or even other industries – there are always others facing the same issues and also those who might just provide a solution.
- Manage your expectations – There is no final destination – there is no real finish line – accept change, expect it and know the something new will be around the corner.
- Persist – Even when all you can see are the extra costs – there are benefits to the bottom line when you improve safety – even if you don’t see it immediately.
Daryl Dickenson Transport’s safety culture has over time attracted and retained quality customer.
If your business needs help in getting the safety journey started, Brismark can help you, contact Simmone Porter on 3915 4234 – we can help you via Safety Scans, implementation plans, completing risk assessments and documenting your own internal traffic management plan.