The PBS Directors are dedicated to guiding & nurturing a Company culture which values excellence in Environmental, Health & Safety practices.
Our commitment to achieving best practice in regards to Health & Safety is delivered through a robust and active management system. As part of our commitment, PBS provides continual training to all staff to ensure they have the necessary skills to perform their roles safely and to a standard of excellence. PBS has independent certification to AS4801 Occupational Health and Safety Management systems and the Australian Government Building & Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme.
Environmental Protection
A key objective across all divisions within PBS is the delivery of innovative, ecologically sustainable solutions. PBS actively manages environmental risks across all aspects of our operations and we continue to promote and raise awareness of effective environmental protection & management practices within the PBS Property Group and our contractor network.
PBS Building has a current ACT Environmental Protection Agreement with ACT Environment. PBS Building also has accreditation as a Housing Industry Association (HIA) "GreenSmart" builder and independent certification to AS/NZS ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.
Performance & Initiative
As a signatory of the OFSC Leadership Charter, we are committed to reporting each year on our performance and initiatives to continually improve our health & safety culture, particularly across our building & construction projects. Following are PBS Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) performance indicators and initiatives in place to improve our performance:
Company EHS Performance & Target
Indicator |
Performance |
Target |
| Average building & construction project ESPI. (PBS Environmental & Safety Performance Indicator (ESPI) is a combination of a number of PPIs expressed as a single % figure with a monthly ‘snap shot’ indicator of EHS performance.) |
84% | >80% |
| % recycled materials against total waste removed from site | 87% | >80% |
| 12 month rolling average Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) | 21 | <22 |
| 12 month rolling average Medically Treated Injury Frequency Rate (MTIFR) | 26 | <29 |
| Notices issued by regulatory authorities (average per month) | 1.5 | 0 |
| Average training days per employee | 1.1 | >1 |
Strategies to Eliminate Hazards and Improve and Maintain Workers’ Health
- Health & Safety risk assessment across all work activities
- Training of PBS personnel in implementation of documented EHS system
- Regular communication/consultation between PBS & contractor personnel
- Encouraging dangerous occurrence reporting & investigation to reduce risks before injuries occur
- Regular/scheduled monitoring of operations (eg site inspections by senior management, internal audits & 3rd party audits)
Contractor OHS Performance and Strategies to Improve Their Performance
- Contractor 12 month rolling average LTIFR = 21
- Contractor 12 month rolling average MTIFR = 27
- Continually working with contractors to raise understanding of managing their risk assessment processes, in particular their documented Work Method Statements.
- PBS, in conjunction with construction industry bodies, work with apprentices & young persons considering a career in the construction industry to engender a positive EHS attitude & appreciation of the benefits of systematically managing EHS risks.
Rewards and Recognition Systems
- Annual PBS "Inspire, Innovate, Deliver Award" winners:
- Inspire - Bernie Sainsbury
- Innovate - Tim Pryor
- Deliver - Jason Calear
• Lessons learned
- Embedding an effective safety & environmental management system across all business activities is ‘good for business’.
- Senior management must take an active role in driving system requirements and be accountable for EHS outcomes.
- Make system documentation as simple & succinct as possible to allow workers to comprehend requirements & quickly implement good site practices.
- Mentoring, training & consulting with all project personnel are ‘worth the effect’.
