Health, safety and wellbeing policy

Vision, mission, ambition

Barwon Water’s vision is to be the safest place to work in the region. This will be achieved through the Beyond Zero program, with the mission to assure safety and wellbeing through demonstrable leadership commitment, clear safety accountability, effective systems and open and honest communication.

Our ambition is to become recognised for maximising the full potential of our workforce through practices which increase physical and mental health capability and resilience.

Commitment and objectives

Through maintaining systems, competencies and implementing processes to support a proactive safety culture, Barwon Water will:

  • provide safe and healthy working conditions to prevent injury and ill health
  • identify and eliminate hazards, and reduce health and safety risks to employees, contractors, visitors to sites and members of the community
  • vaccinate employees against infectious diseases where an occupational risk exists and strongly encourage other vaccinations including influenza and COVID-19
  • involve employees through open consultation and communication, and have HSRs actively contribute to the Corporate HSW committee
  • provide an inclusive and health promoting workplace which promotes and nurtures the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of all individuals
  • support HSRs with respect to cease work directives or other issues in their capacity as health and safety representative
  • ensure that employees and contractors are instructed, trained, empowered and supervised to perform their tasks safely, and able to contribute positively to HSW
  • maintain measurable objectives and targets which are subject to review and used to report health and safety performance
  • fulfil legal obligations and comply with all applicable laws and other requirements as a minimum
  • update processes in response to changes in industry best practice and new understanding in health and safety
  • manage the risks to the health and safety of members of the public through a public safety program
  • continually improve its management system and resulting health, safety and wellbeing performance.

Behaviour

Barwon Water will:

  • consistently demonstrate leadership and commitment to health, safety and wellbeing through programs and initiatives being driven by the Executive Leadership Team who will promote the message that we are all leaders when it comes to safety
  • encourage behaviours that promote a positive culture of accountability, inclusion and continual improvement in health, safety and wellbeing
  • value and promote opportunities that enable employees and their families to enhance their health and wellbeing.