The team at Vector Group Charitable Trust would like to extend our immense gratitude to the entire team at Ballance Te Puke, with a special thank you to Van den Berg, for their incredible generosity and community spirit.
We were honored to be selected as the recipient of a $500 donation through Ballance’s admirable “Safety Cross” initiative. This program is a powerful testament to the team’s unwavering commitment to health and safety, and we’ve been so impressed by their proactive approach to creating a safe and secure workplace.
We’d like to express our sincere appreciation to Johan Van den Berg for taking the time to give us a personal tour of the Te Puke branch. It was fascinating to learn about the vital work they do and to see the Ballance Safety Cross in action. This tour provided us with a deeper understanding of the processes and dedication that go into achieving their impressive safety goals.
The Safety Cross isn’t just a chart on a wall; it’s a visual representation of a team’s daily dedication to a safe workplace. It’s about a collective effort to go above and beyond the standard requirements, and to build a culture where everyone looks out for one another.
To mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we’re celebrating our Safety Cross programme. Safety Cross is unique to Ballance. It was designed by our manufacturing team in Kapuni in 2017, to drive ownership and pride in health and safety, and form connections in the communities we operate in. Each operational area has a set of monthly safety targets to meet to achieve a “green cross”. The reward is making a donation to a community organisation of the team’s choice.
To achieve this monthly recognition, the Ballance Te Puke team demonstrated a consistent and proactive approach to safety. While we weren’t there to see them fill in each square, we know from the program’s guidelines that they would have successfully accomplished a number of important safety milestones. These likely included:
- Daily Safety Checks: Consistently performing and documenting pre-start checks to ensure all equipment and workspaces were safe and ready for the day’s tasks.
- Safety Conversations: Engaging in meaningful conversations about safety, sharing “near hits,” and discussing potential hazards to prevent incidents before they occur.
- Health and Safety Meetings: Actively participating in and contributing to regular health and safety meetings, using these as a forum for continuous improvement.
- Near Hits/Incidents Reported: A crucial part of the program is not just avoiding incidents, but also actively reporting “near hits” and minor incidents. By doing so, the team can learn from potential dangers and prevent future, more serious, events.
- Contractor Hours: Ensuring all contractors on-site were compliant with health and safety protocols, and that their hours were tracked and managed with safety as a top priority.
- Zero Serious Incidents: The ultimate goal of the Safety Cross is to achieve a period with zero serious incidents, represented by a grid of green squares that shows a job well done.
It is this kind of dedication and teamwork that not only ensures a safe workplace but also has a ripple effect in the community. The Ballance Te Puke team’s achievement, and their choice to support us, is a testament to their values. The Vector Group Charitable Trust will use this donation to continue our work in the Te Puke area, making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.
Thank you once again, Ballance Te Puke. Your commitment to safety is a beacon, and your generosity will help us continue to build a stronger, healthier community. Look forward to future collaboration in your community events 😉