bank mecu - responsible banking

bankmecu is committed to the health, safety and welfare of staff, members and other people who may be affected by the Company’s operations.

A number of policies and procedures are in place to deal with Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) issues. All incidents are recorded and, where necessary, appropriate action is taken.

Figure 6h: Number of OH&S injuries and incidents

* An injury is where a person encounters physiological or psychological change as a result of an incident or hazard. 

** An incident is an OH&S event that affects staff but does not result in physiological or psychological change. This includes near misses (for example, when a plywood sign falls from its mounting but does not hit a person) or when a person or process is impacted by a hazard (for example, when a person trips on a broken floor tile). It is important to note that the total number of incidents do not include injury numbers.

bankmecu has in place an OH&S Committee, designed to represent all staff in consultation with management on OH&S issues and opportunities. bankmecu currently has 10 representatives across the business, from Melbourne, Western Victoria, Gippsland and interstate.  They include staff based in Service Centres and Human Resources representatives.

Any harm or damage that affects a staff member must be documented and reported to Human Resources and the OH&S Committee. Some injuries may become Workers Compensation claims.

During 2010/11, four injuries resulted in Workers Compensation claims totalling 369 lost work days. 75% of claims were made by females.

The reporting of injuries increased in 2010/11. Most of the injuries were minor slips and trips or body aches and pains and we attribute increased general awareness as the reason for the increase in reported injuries. The Workers Compensation claims were generally for medical and like expenses for soft tissue injuries that required medical treatment.

All staff receive training in OH&S areas both within their induction process and as an annual training requirement. Training includes general OH&S training, manual handling, office ergonomics and training specific to bankmecu OH&S processes and procedures. In 2010/11 staff undertook a total of 831 hours of OH&S specific training.

Figure 6i: Breakdown of OHS Training completed in 2010/11

The OH&S Committee facilitates consultation between staff and management on matters relating to the health, safety and welfare of staff. The Committee also organises educational campaigns and introduces initiatives in the workplace.

Part of bankmecu’s Occupational Rehabilitation Policy requires that, in the event of an accident, the Company will endeavour to do its best to return staff to their full capacity within the organisation. If this is not possible, bankmecu will assist staff with vocational rehabilitation so that they may return to a meaningful role within their community. bankmecu utilises the services of an accredited rehabilitation provider to assist with this process where necessary.

OH&S policies are also supported by a Wellness Policy, which outlines the subsidies provided to staff for health club memberships, assistance to quit smoking, loan assistance to purchase a bicycle and the availability of free flu injections. Its staff sustainability reference group, Footprints, promotes Wellness during one quarter of the year.

Despite bankmecu OH&S and wellbeing policies, staff suffer from various illnesses and injuries during the year. Over the past 12 months there has been an increase in the number of staff requiring extended periods of leave due to operations and extended illnesses.  Figure 6j outlines paid unscheduled absenteeism over the past seven years. The average number of paid unscheduled absentee days per Full time equivalents (FTEs) increased in 2010/11 by 10% from 5.9 to 6.5.

Figure 6j: Unscheduled absenteeism at bankmecu

In addition, there were 3,283.46 hours of unpaid unscheduled absenteeism in 2010/11. This increases the total average number of unscheduled absentee days to 7.93 per FTE.

The cost of unscheduled absences is affected by the seniority of a given staff member and their associated pay level.

Females accounted for 74% of the total unscheduled leave taken. By region, 34% of unscheduled leave was taken in metropolitan Melbourne, 31% in Gippsland, 21% in Western Victoria and 14% interstate.