Safety Ambassadors The Sharpe Bros
Background information
Joint Managing Directors of Sharpe Bros, brothers Michael, Richard and Hayden Sharpe have built their business on safety.
Sharpe Bros is a leader in the roads industry, developing and providing viable solutions and technologies to improve the quality, strength and safety of Local and State Government road networks.
Sharpe Bros is a family owned business that can trace its roots back over three generations and nearly 60 years.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the family was in the business of development and building construction on the NSW Central Coast.
The Sharpe brothers have continued the tradition of innovation and the company is known throughout Australia as a leader in road repair, widening and maintenance. They continue to develop innovative road repair solutions from their Gosford workshop.
One such solution is the award-winning Sidewinder technology which provides fast and cost-effective road edge repair with minimum disturbance to road users.
With the Sidewinder purpose-built equipment, roads can be repaired and widened on a daily basis without extensive reconstruction and traffic delays. A job which would normally take at least a week, from digging up the road to final bitumen sealing, can be completed in a day at a much lower cost.
According to the Australasian College of Road Safety, the sealing of road edges can potentially reduce run-off and head-on crashes by up to 60 per cent.
The Federal Office of Road Safety has found that when traffic lanes are widened by just one metre, the rate of head-on and run-off road crashes can fall by 20 percent.
Another solution is the unique and highly efficient Adjustable Patching process using the Flexipaver machine, which allows you to pave only what you need to pave - saving time, materials and maintenance costs.
The full sized high performance Flexipavers from Sharpe Bros can pave roads and intersections at a variety of widths and depths so that all new work matches the surrounding pavement, resulting in no dips or bumps and smoother road surfaces. For motorists a smooth surface means a superior and safer ride, for clients a smooth surface means stronger, longer lasting roads and reduced maintenance.
Why workplace safety is important to us
Safety in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility and ensuring worksites are safe for staff is equally important because workplace safety doesn’t just affect the worker at work, but their whole family.
Working in the construction industry, which has one of the highest rates of injuries, safety is paramount so Sharpe Bros has invested time and energy building a strong safety culture.
Asphalting carries workplace dangers that don’t exist in a regular office environment. Sharpe Bros staff work on construction sites and use heavy machinery so this risk to workers requires constant reinforcement of OHS policies and guidelines.
Sharpe Bros’ main challenge in recent years has been maintaining an impeccable safety record during a period of extremely rapid business growth.
The company has always had secure processes in place, such as a comprehensive safety and environment handbook that must be read regularly by all employees, and daily work records that include reports on OHS issues.
As the business continued to grow, it became clear that additional measures would need to be implemented to maintain the excellent health and safety standards.
The challenge Sharpe Bros faced was not tackling a poor safety record, but the hazards associated with complacency. The risk was that the company’s solid safety record may have led to employees being less vigilant about safety.
In response, the company implemented a simple yet effective program to develop and maintain a positive safety culture throughout the business. The team developed a bold and novel way to promote OHS around the worksites by creating a mascot for employees, a champion of safety in the workplace.
The playful green mascot, Safety Bro, reflects the strong spirit of mateship in the company and is constantly used to reinforce safety messages to staff through a number of marketing and communication channels.
The Safety Bro image has been completely incorporated into the company’s OHS strategy. He features on all safety induction handbooks, daily work sheets, coffee mugs, message boards, work stations, in the lunch room, in the boardroom, and on plant, equipment and vehicles.
Safety Bro stickers are plastered all over the company’s worksites and machines, and safety messages are sent out in regular text messages. Safety Bro even has his own website.
Safety Bro has had a tremendous impact on the company. The program has introduced a renewed enthusiasm for safety issues in a way that has involved all employees.
Operations were also improved because the strategy gave management renewed confidence that the safety message was constantly being conveyed to employees.
New clients are extremely impressed with the bold, visual impact, and are pleased to see that workplace safety has been given a ‘face’ at Sharpe Bros.
As long as everyone in the workplace is involved, and management are willing to be enthusiastic and alternative ideas are encouraged, then even the simplest safety strategy can be a huge success.
Our plans for national Safe Work Australia Week
Safe Work Australia Week will be held on 25 to 31 October 2009, and is a key initiative of Safe Work Australia which asks employers and employees to focus on safety in the workplace and to foster a safe and healthy workplace culture.
Everyone can get involved in Safe Work Australia Week. Even Safety Bro will be taking part, with a special edition Safe Work Australia Week vest, hat and sign.
Safe Work Australia Week Safety Bro will be featured on the website and will be displayed prominently around the office.
Safety Bro will be sending out text messages to all Sharpe Bros staff reminding them of Safe Work Australia Week and the importance of safety in the workplace throughout the year.
The company will host a Safety themed bbq at the Gosford Regional Gallery in the lead up to the annual Roadworkers Prize, where all staff will receive Safe Work Australia Week mementos such as caps, massage rollers and rulers.
Safe Work Australia Week provides an ideal opportunity for companies like Sharpe Bros to build upon the success of their own OHS programs and to include staff in the active promotion of safety in the workplace.
Why we accepted the role as a national Safe Work Australia Week Safety Ambassador
After winning the national Safe Work Australia Award for Best Workplace Health & Safety Practices in Small Business, Sharpe Bros were approached by other small businesses looking for a simple and effective method for promoting safety in the workplace.
Safety Bro has been such a success that the company is now tailoring the program to individual companies needs, so that businesses right across the country can benefit from the award winning formula and to ensure that the safety message can reach a wider audience.
The company recognised that safe workplace practices were not just a concern for the construction industry but for all businesses, large and small, across all industries.
The Sharpe brothers are keen to use the experience they gained developing and implementing the Safety Bro OHS program to help raise awareness and encourage other businesses to take safety seriously.
Sharpe Bros has seen the benefits that come from investing in the safety of staff in creative and engaging ways and sees their role as a Safety Ambassador as an opportunity to encourage others to do the same.
Page last updated: 18/10/2009