Best Communication of a Safety Message
Safety is front of mind for everyone at Molycop, and the whole workforce is focused on an approach they call “Goal Zero”. Supported by systems that are rigorous and comprehensive, the safety regime protects workers at every step of the steelmaking and manufacturing process.
Over the years, Molycop’s approach to safety has been recognised by peers through numerous independent awards. Notably, Molycop’s ‘Crane Safety Video’ took out the Safety category at both the 2017 Hunter Manufacturing Awards and the 2018 Hunter Safety Awards.
In 2018, the Crane Safety Video won the “Best Communication of a Safety Message” at the distinguished 2018 National Safety Council of Australia Safety Awards.
The Crane Safety Video was developed by the Comsteel Rail Products team. Collaborating with staff across the department and the organisation, the video uses an emotive approach to encourage employees to ‘switch on’ when working around cranes. Rail Products employees and their families feature in the short film, which promotes a safety message and takes a thought-provoking look at the long-term impact of choices staff make in the workplace.
Creativity and thinking outside the square are an important part of the safety culture at Molycop. Informed by research that found that 90 per cent of its injuries were due to distraction or fatigue, the business realised that the safety systems could be perfect, but they would be always vulnerable to human error.
The finding inspired a small project team to examine the connection between choice and error, which led to the development of a new safety program called ‘High Performance Thinking’, which has been rolled out to every member of the Australian Molycop team.
Australasian President, Michael Parker, said Molycop saw that the next level in safety was to focus on the minds of its people.
“We believe that a more self-aware, nuanced and reasoned workforce will be more likely to make better decisions in the moments that matter. We needed to teach our people how and why different mind states lead to different choices.”
In collaboration with an external subject matter specialist, a program was developed which taps into the latest thinking in neuroscience around decision-making, the effects of stress on perception and decision-making, and the development of habits.
Mr Parker said the program was in its infancy but was already delivering benefits.
“The new program is driving improvement in our overall productivity and performance, but most critically in our safety. It is providing a different way to think about safety in the workplace and also having an impact on life outside of work starting a shift towards general mental wellness.”
