At Programmed, we rightfully center safety as both our utmost priority and one of the core values that builds the foundation of our business. With our value of Personal Safety Leadership, it’s up to every single one of us to ensure that we all go home safely to our loved ones at the end of each day.
Concerningly, we have seen a string of high-potential incidents since the beginning of this year. In January alone, we experienced nine high-potential incidents, seven of which could have been prevented if our Safe Work Essentials had been followed.
While we’re very grateful that none of these incidents resulted in serious injuries, they serve as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance, communication, and our collective responsibility to Stop and Report if a task does not look safe.
Driving home the importance of workplace safety
Recently, several of our customer sites had the honour of welcoming Patrizia Cassaniti, Founder and Director of the Touched by Christopher Foundation and Let’s Talk About Safety Project. Speaking as a mother rather than a safety professional, her mission is to vividly illustrate the consequences of complacency overriding safety protocols.
Through a powerful, personal presentation that deeply affected many of our team members, Patrizia offered a sobering and timely reminder about the importance of workplace safety and ensuring that we Stop and Report any unsafe practices.
The following moving video shares the impact Patrizia’s story had on some of our team members – please be advised this video discusses the loss of a loved one in a workplace accident and our EAP is always available should you need.
What is Stop and Report?
In its simplest form, Stop and Report means that if you feel you are in an unsafe situation, have concerns about the safety of a task, or are involved in an incident or near miss, you must Stop what you are doing and Report it immediately.
Importantly, I want to emphasise that every team member at Programmed has both the authority and the responsibility to stop work and report to their supervisor if they believe the work cannot be carried out safely or in line with our policies and procedures.
This action will not affect your position - in fact, it’s wholeheartedly encouraged. By speaking up, you help to ensure we avoid injuries and unplanned events across our projects. There is no job so urgent that we cannot take the time to do it safely.
The stop work process is straight forward:
- Stop
- Notify
- Investigate
- Correct
- Resume
- Follow up
If you are unsure of our Safe Work Essentials or any policy or procedure, please ask your Supervisor or HSEQ Manager.
Remember, there is no higher priority than ensuring you and your team members are working safely. It’s up to all of us to feel empowered in calling out potentially unsafe situations and making sure that all of us are going home safely at the end of every day.
Take care and stay safe,
Graeme Hurn
Chief Executive Officer
Programmed Facility Management
