This edition of Connect is focused on our highest priority: the safety of our people, clients and communities.
It’s a way to recognise good safety practice, remind ourselves of important safety principles and inspire us to always improve.
We’re at an exciting point in Ventia’s history. Four years after our formation, we’re recognised throughout Australia and New Zealand as a leading infrastructure services provider. We have two strong, focused divisions in Infrastructure Services and Visionstream, we’re winning work and we’re harnessing technology to deliver for our clients. We’re able to do all this because of our unwavering commitment to safety and health.
I’m proud of the way we’ve embedded a strong focus on our Critical Risk Protocols (CRPs) – a single, simple set of rules for keeping our people and the public safe. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we have conducted a detailed review of the CRP implementation at Ventia. We have identified areas to improve the CRPs and we will continue to embed these improvements in everything we do.
As we reflect on safety at Ventia, it’s important to recognise the fatality of a contractor’s helicopter pilot on the Carrapateena project in South Australia in March, and the impact events such as this have. I know all were saddened when we heard the news – and since then, we’ve provided all possible support to those impacted by this tragic incident. Official investigations continue for the regulators to establish exactly what happened. Our thoughts remain with the pilot’s family, friends and colleagues.
Whenever there is a safety event it is an important reminder of the need for constant vigilance in everything we do. We can’t compromise safety or CRP compliance on any job or any task. We want every one of our people to go home safely, each and every day.
Safety is also vital to the future growth of our business. Arguably the biggest issue for any infrastructure services business today is earning the trust of its clients and the communities in which it operates.
For Ventia, winning our clients’ trust – and inspiring their confidence – starts with our safety culture.
One thing I’ve learned over my career is that the strongest safety cultures depend on every single person playing a part.
As the stories in this edition show, we have safety champions in every division and a lot of experience across the business that we need to share.
We can never take safety for granted. I want everyone at Ventia come to work with a constant sense of unease towards actual and potential hazards in our business, and to feel confident enough to speak up if they see something that’s not right.
Being uneasy means stamping out complacency about any of the risks we might face. All of us, from senior executives through to those on the front lines, have a part to play in making sure safety comes first at all times.
This is an exciting time for Ventia. Together, let’s keep safety at the core of what we do as we grow our business and create opportunities for our people.
Mike Metcalfe
CEO
