Real Foods X National Workforce: Key Ingredients to Workplace Safety

Overview

When Real Foods moved to their new manufacturing plant in Sydney’s West in 2017, they were looking to enhance their safety process and practices. The manufacturing manager turned to long term recruitment partner, National Workforce to assist. Their main decision criteria was to recreate internal structures and become fully compliant with current legislation to meet standard at the new premises.

Challenges

Reviewing their Safety Management Systems, highlighted various changes and upgrades which were required to improve operational systems and overall production capacity. Given many of the changes recommended involved the recruitment of new staff members who needed to understand their role in implementing the new systems, meeting national safety requirements, and creating a consistently safe work environment, it made sense to get their staffing partner National Workforce involved. National Workforce has an active and frequent presence onsite and is highly engaged with both management and employees. They’re recognised for their dedication and focus on safety which is aligned to the priorities of Real Foods to ensure consistency and quality across all their departments.

Results

Working closely with National Workforce’s Safety Management team of professionals, Real Foods implemented recommended new systems across the company. Safety information provided to all candidates prior to coming on site meant early compliance and further direction training and coaching from Real Food’s management created a consistently safe work environment.

• The National Workforce team assisted with:
• Implementing a new Safety Management System
• Conducting a Corporate Risk Profile
• Completing Risk Assessment for plant and equipment on site
• Completing a proforma site induction
• Completing safe work practice for tasks/roles in the production and maintenance areas
• Designing complaint emergency evacuation maps

Across the manufacturing company’s sites, National Workforce:

1. Hosts quarterly safety sessions to engage and educate staff about safe work
2. Conducts monthly safety talks
3. Provides ongoing advice to the Real Foods team about safety risk management and legal obligations
4. Provided on site temperature checks during Covid-19 and completed tool box talks for all staff

Real Foods has implemented an excellent standard of safety, significantly improving the number of workplace incidents. Since the new recommendations were implemented, Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rates (TRIFRs) have decreased by 49% and Lost Time Injury Frequency Rates (LTIFRs) have decreased by 58%.