The Safe Way is the Only Way at Monadelphous

Have you ever wondered where our company motto The Safe Way is the Only Way comes from? Throughout our 50 years of operations, our commitment to the safety, health and wellbeing of our people has continued to be pivotal to our business.  

We sat down with Group Manager Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Jason Lamb to find out where our core safety policy message originated from and the significant impact it’s had across our operations.  

The message authorises you to stop work immediately if it is unsafe to continue, aiming to prevent injuries and keep everyone safe. 

Where does The Safe Way is the Only Way message come from? 

Back in 2009, as the business was maturing, we did a comprehensive safety culture review where it was recommended to implement a simple policy message. This was intended to help drive a shared safety culture throughout Monadelphous and take our performance to another level.  

What did the review involve? 

Using surveys, interviews and data collection, an external agency reviewed our results and compared these with industry standards from around the world. The assessment showed we were doing well but there was still room for improvement. After this feedback we began workshopping new initiatives to drive a safety culture and help shape behaviours across the business. 

How did our current safety message come about? 

We launched an internal competition for our employees to share their ideas and at the conclusion of it, our executive leaders reviewed a shortlist, ultimately deciding The Safe Way is the Only Way at Monadelphous. 

Since that decision, our policy message has been the foundation of safety leadership at Monadelphous and is used to emphasise the importance of safety across all our communications and initiatives.  

Are there other programs the cultural review initiated?  

Yes, the review enabled the launch of a coaching program for leaders that is an essential part of training and still in place today. Our Life-Saving Rules were also established to address critical safety risks across the business. We also set up the Personal Safety Action Plan for Managers that allows managers to make practical commitments to improve safety for themselves and their team.