At Blackwoods we are always looking at ways to improve workplace safety, particularly at our distribution centres and trade stores.
Recently we introduced a new program called S.A.M. (Stop, Assess, Move) to help improve the decision-making processes concerning manual tasking. The feedback on S.A.M. has been tremendous. It’s a simple program that
incorporates simple steps. How often do we forget the importance of simplicity when working in hectic work environments and WHS compliance?
S.A.M. was successfully launched in the Blackwoods business in October 2021 accompanied by a video highlighting how it can be applied in our workplace. S.A.M. uses the three steps…
For example, at Blackwoods’ Morwell store, staff watched the S.A.M. video, and then visited their warehouse to identify
‘The Uglies’, which were objects deemed difficult to handle. These included:
• Barbed Wire – coiled, sharp edges, odd shapes.
• Rolls of Insertion Rubber – awkward shapes, heavy, and slippery.
• 20L Drums – large size and falling hazards.
After assessing how best to handle these objects, staff then implemented a series of steps as part of S.A.M.’s ‘Move’ process.
• Barbed Wire – source a piece of pipe to slide through the timber coil to enable safe handling. Wrap in cardboard prior to dispatch.
• Rolls of Insertion Rubber – locate the pallet item. Move at the same height and roll off one and onto the other without lifting. Ask a teammate for help.
• 20L Drums – replace old black bunding to prevent the risk of an unbalanced drum falling.
“The S.A.M. program has been strongly supported by the Blackwoods Executive Leadership team and embraced
across the business,” says Amanda Haddad, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Blackwoods.
“It challenges our thinking and identifies opportunities to complete a task in a safer way. S.A.M. stories are regularly
communicated across the business and discussed in team pre-starts and toolbox talks. It is fast becoming embedded into the Blackwoods safety language and forms part of incident investigations, hazard reporting and shared learnings.
The opportunities for S.A.M. in the future are limitless and we are now working on how we can apply this methodology to other aspects of our business. S.A.M. is not onerous for the business or the team to engage with, it is as simple as an individual assessment of ‘how can I get hurt?’ and ‘what can I do better?’”
