Tropical Reef Shipyard (TRS) supports our staffs ongoing learning and development annually. We invest in programs to help our people and our organisation learn so we develop our business and assist staff adopt new skills and refresh their specialist capabilities.
Maritime sustainment as well as all other industries are experiencing an increased focus on Governance, Risk and Awareness (GRC). Safety management, reporting, cyber and environmental sustainability are all areas where we are learning to be more vigilant managing organisational risk and better protecting our staff and communities.
TRS prides itself on its strategic focus on workforce and stakeholder safety.
Tim Fitch, Tropical Reef Shipyard’s HSSET/QA Manager recently participated in Greg Smith’s three-day Safety Literacy Tour, a program exploring the legal foundations of work health and safety. This program helps managers better understand the difference between data anomalies and the reality of what the data means. Greg helps people plan the steps to take a proactive and strategic approach to the management of their safety goals. This course encourages organisations to develop a proactive and conscious, safety awareness approach and not become over reliant of reporting in isolation from the context of assessment.
Tim found value in the practical application of the “reasonably practicable” test, and how organisations can strengthen assurance around critical risks. Across the three days, the sessions examined critical risk control, contractor and SWMS assurance, investigation quality, and the increasing legal focus on psychosocial risk.
The program challenged the traditional reliance on metrics and paperwork, reinforcing the importance of focusing on proactive controls that prevent serious harm, and being able to clearly demonstrate how those controls are verified.
TRS recognises this area as one of the fastest growing areas of control and digital transformation change to keep an eye on.
Leading workplace and safety lawyer, author, trainer Greg Smith is a Western Australian-based with more than 35 years’ experience specialising in safety and legal risk. He is the author of “Paper Safe and Proving Safety”, widely respected publications that encourage organisations to move beyond compliance and develop genuine safety literacy.
The insights Tim gained will support TRS in continuing to strengthen its focus on critical risk, practical assurance, and leadership capability.
