In the 2024 financial year, Wesfarmers Health improved its performance through continued refinement of its systematic Risk Management Framework (Framework). The Framework aims to control risks inherent in operations to support team member safety and minimise risk exposure by focusing on the principles of people, process, and place:

• People: Empowered team members that proactively manage their wellbeing and apply safe behaviours to reduce risk.
• Process: Best practice systems that are guided by business needs and continuous improvement.
• Place: An environment that sustainably supports safety and wellbeing for all team members and customers.

Results and focus areas in the 2024 financial year

As a result of Wesfarmers Health’s focused efforts in applying the principles of people, process, and place, fewer team members have been injured than in the previous financial year. This translates to a total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) of 4.6. This is a 30% decrease from the 2023 financial year’s result.

Examples of key initiatives employed to achieve these outcomes include improvements to the Lead Indicator program, and the commencement of a Critical Risk program.

• Lead Indicator program – Lead Indicators are designed to reduce recordable injuries by identifying, controlling, and reviewing risks before incidents happen. In the Lead Indicator program, quality assurance processes were developed for key Lead Indicators across all Wesfarmers Health business units. These processes introduced tangible measures of quality to key Lead Indicators to ensure they are as effective as possible at managing risk and reducing recordable injuries.
• Critical Risk program – The Wesfarmers Health Critical Risk program was implemented in the 2024 financial year to catalogue, assess and confirm the risk controls that are critical to preventing ‘high consequence, low frequency’ events. The program creates a targeted layer of risk protection for team members required to complete tasks with a high level of inherent risk, such as those involving pedestrian / forklift interaction, and working at heights.

Addressing common injuries

The most common causes of recordable injuries in Wesfarmers Health during the 2024 financial year were lapses in attention resulting in injury, and musculoskeletal injuries due to long-term repetitive actions.

A safety, health and wellbeing leadership program was completed across the API Wholesale business to improve safe behaviours and leadership through enhanced communication, coaching skills and a risk focussed approach to daily activities. The commencement of the program during the 2024 financial year forms part of a wider behavioural safety program being developed for 2025.

Recordable musculoskeletal injuries were typically associated with long term industry tenure in completing repetitive tasks over many years. Controls were implemented to address this trend, including the introduction of new equipment to reduce load on the body, revised break schedules and a ‘dynamic stretching’ program for team members. Injury trends will be monitored to assess risk control effectiveness.