Company Policies

As a responsible business entity, we have an obligation to ensure our workers (including contractors and sub-contractor), clients and visitors at your premise, are as far as reasonably practicable not exposed to any health or safety risks as a result of our operations.

We are committed to constantly challenging our performance in safeguarding health and safety, pushing the boundaries to continuously improve our approach to ensure that our safety and health policy remains effective for our day-to-day business operations. We remain committed to professionalism in all our operations and business activities without compromising the health, safety and wellbeing of all workers and all who may be affected by our business activities.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd bears the aspirations of creating a risk-free environment for all our internal and external stakeholders. We believe that every incident is preventable, and that safety comes first in all our business decisions. This policy integrates our values and beliefs on health and safety. To achieve a risk-free environment, we endeavour to:

• ensure our Management System complies with the requirements of ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
• identify the health and safety risks to those potentially impacted by our operations and deploy the principles of the Hierarchy of Control to reduce such risk to the lowest levels possible
• comply with all relevant statutory obligations, regulations, and codes of practice
• establish a safe and healthy working environment designed to prevent work-related injury and illness
• set objectives in alignment with industry best practice and continual improvement targets
• provide the appropriate information, instruction, and training for workers to increase their understanding of workplace risks
• deliver moral support and resource-assistance to ensure an integrated rehabilitation program is provided for workers who have sustained injury or illness in their line of duty if any.

It is important to note that health and safety is a share accountability as well as an individual responsibility, for all persons impacted by our operations. At Bedford Built Pty Ltd, we seek the co-operation of all our stakeholders to achieve our health and safety objectives. We emphasise the requirement to always comply with the company’s safe work practices so that no person is exposed to, or exposes others to, a health and safety risk.

Our organisation will always encourage suggestions to improve our health and safety objectives and work towards creating a safe working environment. 

As a responsible business entity, we have an obligation to ensure our workers (including contractors and sub-consultants), clients and visitors at our premise, do not harm the environment as a result of our operations.

We at Bedford Built Pty Ltd acknowledge the importance of protecting the environmental as part of the community. In saying that we aspire to being a sustainable organisation which goes beyond minimising harm to the environment. To achieve this, we will endeavour to:

• ensure our management system complies with the requirements of ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management Systems
• implementing procedures and processes to identify, prevent and mitigate undesirable environmental impacts
• identify the environmental risks to those potentially impacted by our operations and deploy the principles of the Hierarchy of Control to reduce such risk to the lowest levels possible
• comply with all relevant statutory obligations, regulations and codes of practice
• establish an environmentally friendly workplace designed to prevent pollution and or waste
• promote and encourage environmental awareness and training to ensure individuals throughout our organisation are aware of their environmental responsibilities
• executing and undertaking our operations in accordance with our management system
• fostering a collaborative approach between top management and workers to achieve a sustainable outcome.

It is important to note that environmental management is a shared accountability as well as an individual responsibility, for all persons impacted by our operations. At Bedford Built Pty Ltd, we seek the co-operation of all our stakeholders to achieve our environmental objectives. We emphasize the requirement to comply with the company’s safe work practices at all times so that the environment is not harmed.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd will always encourage suggestions to improve our environmental objectives and work towards keeping environmental harm to a minimum in a sustainable, economically and feasible manner.

As a responsible business entity, we have an obligation to ensure we provide our clients with a product and or service that meets the relevant specification, on time and within budget. Our aim is to deliver quality services to our clients. To do this Bedford Built Pty Ltd will endeavour to continually improve the quality of our services, staff, processes and management system. Top management are committed to demonstrating leadership with respect to the management system and taking accountability for the effectiveness of the system.

We believe that every service is unique, and we will strive to exceed our customers need at every opportunity. This policy integrates our values and beliefs on quality management, as we endeavour to:

• ensure our Management System complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Standard.
• aligning our processes with industry best practice and significant learnings from our continual improvement process
• exceed our client’s requirements, industry regulators and staff, and provide these services in a professional and ethically responsible manner.
• provide exceptional service and reliability
• provide appropriate training to our personal and ensure they work in professional manner.
• comply with all relevant statutory duties, codes, standards and contractual requirements
• ensure that workers at all levels of the organisation maintain a focus on quality
• monitor our outputs to ensure these meet the endorsed quality process

 To achieve our objectives and satisfy the expectations of clients, we are committed to implementing, maintaining and improving our Management System. In addition to this this Management will ensure the integration of the management system into business processes and promote a risk-based approach.

It is important to note that quality management is a shared accountability as well as an individual responsibility, for all persons impacted by our operations. At Bedford Built Pty Ltd, we seek the co-operation of all our stakeholders to achieve our quality objectives. We emphasise the requirement to comply with the company’s best practices at all times so that our customers’ needs are always exceeded. Bedford Built Pty Ltd will always encourage suggestions to improve our quality objectives and work towards creating a safe working environment.

Everyone who works for Bedford Built Pty Ltd and everyone with whom Bedford Built Pty Ltd has dealings has the right to be treated with respect and dignity.  Bedford Built Pty Ltd will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.  Bedford Built Pty Ltd will take all complaints of discrimination and harassment seriously and will ensure they are dealt with promptly, impartially and in confidence.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd will take disciplinary action against anyone who is found to be in breach of this policy.

 Responsibility

1. The Managing Director has ultimate responsibility for ensuring Bedford Built Pty Ltd is free of discrimination and harassment. Managers, supervisors, all office staff, and employees are responsible for implementing this policy and to take immediate action to intercede and/or report whenever they witness any act of discrimination or harassment.
2. Managers and supervisors have a direct responsibility to ensure all employees and subcontractors are aware of this policy and adhere to it.

This policy applies to all Bedford Built Pty Ltd’s work sites and all employees and subcontractors; it is regularly communicated to all employees and subcontractors.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd has legal responsibility under Occupational Health and Safety and anti-discrimination law to provide a safe workplace and has a duty of care for your health and wellbeing whilst at work.  An employer that allows bullying to occur in the workplace is failing to meet this responsibility.

Therefore, Bedford Built Pty Ltd has adopted an anti-bullying policy and is a bullying and violence-free workplace.  Bullying in the workplace is unreasonable behaviour that includes repeated hurtful remarks or attacks, making fun of your work or you as a person (including your family, sex, sexuality, gender identity, race or culture, education or economic background), directed towards a worker, or group of workers and creates a risk to health and safety.  It includes behaviour such as screaming at someone, initiation practices, interfering with work processes and putting down someone’s opinions.

Bullying has the potential to affect productivity, employee confidence, relationships outside of the workplace and may also have a physical impact, such as Stress, headaches and sleeping problems.  Single incidents of unreasonable behaviour also have the ability to create an immediate risk to health and safety.

Our objective is to achieve a bullying and violence-free workplace that protects the health and safety of all employees and visitors.

If you are suffering from any form of harassment or discrimination, being bullied, or see others being bullied at work, you must report it as soon as possible to your supervisor or Management.  No employee who reports bullying will be victimised and reports will be investigated quickly and fairly.  If you feel the steps taken to remedy the situation are inadequate, please contact the Commonwealth Fairwork Ombudsman, 131394 or Workcover.

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that no person in their work group is bullied, threatened or physically hurt by other workers.  The responsibility for enforcing this policy rests with managers and employees. All are obliged under workplace health and safety legislation to protect the health of their fellow employees, and visitors, while at the workplace.  Violence between workers is not tolerated under any circumstances and will be reported to Police.

Failure to comply with this policy will result in Written Warning notification and possible termination and can also result in penalties from Workcover and Police.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd recognises that there are substantial benefits to be gained from rehabilitation principles and practices and is committed to implementing them at this workplace.  We recognise that the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (WCR Act) and Rehabilitation Regulation 2003 provide the legislative support for workplace rehabilitation activities.

Experience has shown that workplace rehabilitation assists the healing process and helps restore the worker’s normal function sooner.  Workplace rehabilitation includes early provision of timely and adequate services, including suitable duties programs, where practicable, and aims to:

• Maintain injured or ill workers at work; or
• Ensure the worker’s earliest possible return to work; or
• Maximise the worker’s independent functioning.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd is committed to:

• Providing a safe and healthy work environment, and in the event of an injury or an illness, making sure workplace rehabilitation is started as soon as possible in accordance with medical advice.
• Ensuring appropriate suitable duties are made available to injured or ill workers to facilitate their safe and early return to work. These duties must be medically approved and will be time limited.
• Respecting the confidential nature of medical information and both verbal and written confidentiality.
• Ensuring that all workers are aware that they will be consulted on a safe return to work that will not disadvantage them.
• Complying with legislative obligations with respect to the standard for rehabilitation.
• Adopting a multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation as required.
• Reviewing this policy and procedures at least every three years to ensure it continues to meet legislative requirements and the needs of all parties.

The aim of the Bedford Built Pty Ltd Rehabilitation Policy is to ensure that:

• A culture of acceptance for workplace rehabilitation exists
• A process exists to support an early safe return of any worker who has an injury/illness
• The position of the Rehabilitation & Return to Work Coordinator (RRWC) is adequately resourced
• Adequate storage is provided for rehabilitation files to maintain confidentiality of this information

Rehabilitation purpose

Rehabilitation of a worker is a process designed to ensure the worker’s earliest possible return to work or to maximise the worker’s independent functioning after being injured at work.  Rehabilitation involves the provision of approved services, services provided by a registered person, suitable duties programs or necessary and reasonable aids or equipment to an injured worker.

Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator

The Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRWC) is the link between the injured worker, management, supervisors, the relevant workers compensation provider, rehabilitation providers and any other relevant parties.

Suitable duties programs

These specially selected duties at the workplace are a means of offering a monitored and graduated return to normal duties.  They are:

• Matched to the capabilities of the worker
• Time limited and regularly upgraded according to his/her level or recovery and treating medical doctor advice.

Treating doctor

• To provide medical certification
• To provide sufficient information to allow development of suitable duties plans / rehabilitation plans 

Leaders and fellow workers

• To generally offer support and encouragement to any injured worker
• To actively assist the RRWC in identifying and coordinating suitable duties to develop return-to-work plans
• To adjust workplace procedures, rosters and/or workflows to enable successful implementation of the plan
• To monitor the injured worker’s progress in relation to suitable duties

Injured employee rights

• To workers’ compensation for work-related injuries accepted by the insurer
• To choose their own doctor
• To authorise our RRWC to contact their doctor for advice on suitable duties
• To confidential, safe keeping of personal information
• To be provided with suitable duties, if practicable
• To be consulted in the development of a rehabilitation and/or suitable duties plan
• To union representation if so desired
• To ask for a review of decisions with which they do not agree
• To have access to an impartial grievance mechanism, which is accessed in the first instance by raising the grievance with the RRWC for resolution or escalation

Injured employee roles and responsibilities

• To apply for workers’ compensation
• To advise their doctor of the availability of workplace rehabilitation
• Ask the doctor to complete a capabilities checklist if required
• To actively participate in workplace rehabilitation
• To maintain communication with the employer/Rehabilitation & Return to Work Coordinator about relevant issues related to their compensation claim

Rehabilitation and Return to Work System

An efficient system must exist for early notification to the RRWC when workers are injured to assist in compliance of the employer’s duty to report injury to WorkCover Queensland within 8 days and QBE in New South Wales and Victoria within 5 days.  Files must be kept for each worker undertaking rehabilitation, include all documents, correspondence and accounts and ensure confidentiality of both verbal and written information.  The RRWC must review the currency of the Workplace Rehabilitation Policy and the Workplace Rehabilitation Procedure and ensure there is a way for injured employees to give feedback on the rehabilitation system and to document this feedback.

Education

All workers must be made aware of the Workplace Rehabilitation Policy & Workplace Rehabilitation Procedure and be advised what to expect when an injury occurs.  This education is to be promoted within the business internally.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd are bound by the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) (Act) and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that all officers, employees, agents and suppliers (including subcontractors) are made aware of and understand Bedford Built Pty Ltd.’s obligations as well as their own obligations under the Act. Modern slavery occurs where coercion, threats or deception are used to exploit individuals and undermine or deprive them of their freedom.

Modern slavery involves serious exploitation. It does not extend to substandard working conditions or underpayment of workers, although those practices may be present in some situations of modern slavery or may escalate into modern slavery if left unaddressed.

Practices that may constitute modern slavery include human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced labour, debt bondage, deception recruiting for labour or services and child labour involving slavery or hazardous work. Bedford Built Pty Ltd will work proactively to address the risk of modern slavery within its supply chains and operations as follows:

Supply Chain

Bedford Built Pty Ltd will conduct periodic risk assessments to determine which parts of the business and which supply chains present the greatest risk to modern slavery. To assist in risk identification, Bedford Built Pty Ltd will actively seek to improve its understanding an oversight of all tiers of its supply chains. Bedford Built Pty Ltd will make avoidance of modern slavery a condition of all supply chain contracts, with a breach being grounds for termination or suspension (pending resolution of the breach).

Operations

Throughout the operations, Bedford Built Pty Ltd is committed to ensuring we implement processes and controls to ensure all workers recruited and retained by Bedford Built Pty Ltd and its supply chain are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, in keeping with all relevant laws and our own ethical and moral standards.

Bedford Built Pty Ltd will communicate this policy to its employees, suppliers (including subcontractors) and business partners at the commencement of the relationship and will reinforce this policy as appropriate thereafter. Bedford Built Pty Ltd will also make this policy available on its website.

Modern Slavery Statement

In the event Bedford Built Pty Ltd have an annual consolidated revenue of more than $100 million, Bedford Built Pty Ltd will prepare and submit an annual modern slavery statement in accordance with the requirements of the Act by no later than 30^th June each year (or such other reporting date as may be fixed from time to time).

The board of Bedford Built Pty Ltd is responsible for ensuring this Policy complies with the company’s legal and ethical obligations. Management employees at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them understand and comply with this Policy.

The purpose of this policy is to establish a framework for creating a supportive work environment that promotes mental health, prevents suicide, and provides effective support for employees experiencing mental health challenges. This policy aligns with the Queensland Suicide Prevention Plan 2019-2029 and aims to:

• Reduce the harmful impacts of work on mental health.
• Provide mental health and suicide prevention literacy.
• Facilitate early intervention and treatment.
• Provide return-to-work and ongoing support.
• Promote work’s positive impact on mental health.

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and volunteers of Bedford Built Pty Ltd. It covers all aspects of workplace activities and aims to ensure that mental health is prioritized and supported across the organization.

Policy Statements

Reduce the Harmful Impacts of Work

• Risk Assessment: Regularly assess workplace practices, workloads, and environmental factors to identify and mitigate stressors that may negatively impact mental health.
• Workload Management: Ensure that workloads are reasonable and that employees have the necessary resources and support to manage their responsibilities.
• Supportive Leadership: Train managers and supervisors in supportive leadership practices that foster an inclusive and empathetic workplace culture.

Provide Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Literacy

• Training Programs: Offer regular training sessions on mental health awareness and suicide prevention for all employees, including how to recognize signs of mental distress and how to seek help.
• Information Resources: Provide access to resources such as brochures, posters, and online materials on mental health and suicide prevention.
• Communication: Encourage open communication about mental health issues, reducing stigma and promoting a culture where employees feel safe to discuss their concerns.

Facilitate Early Intervention and Treatment

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Provide access to confidential counselling and support services for employees.
• Early Identification: Implement procedures for early identification of mental health issues through regular check-ins, employee surveys, and feedback mechanisms.
• Referral Pathways: Establish clear referral pathways to mental health professionals, including psychologists and psychiatrists, for employees in need of specialized support.

Provide Return-To-Work and Ongoing Support

• Return-to-Work Plans: Develop individualized return-to-work plans for employees who have taken leave due to mental health issues, ensuring a supportive and gradual return to full duties.
• Ongoing Support: Provide ongoing support and accommodations for employees with mental health conditions, including flexible work options, reduced hours, or modified duties as needed.
• Peer Support Programs: Encourage peer support initiatives where employees can provide mutual support and share experiences in a safe environment.

Promote Work’s Positive Impact on Mental Health

• Positive Workplace Culture: Foster a positive workplace culture that emphasizes respect, collaboration, and support.
• Recognition Programs: Implement recognition programs that celebrate employee achievements and contributions, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose.
• Health and Well-being Initiatives: Promote activities and programs that encourage physical activity, healthy eating, mindfulness, and other positive lifestyle practices that contribute to overall mental well-being.

Management Responsibilities

• Ensure that this policy is implemented and adhered to across all departments.
• Provide necessary resources and support to facilitate the initiatives outlined in this policy.
• Actively participate in training and awareness programs related to mental health and suicide prevention.
• Monitor the well-being of team members and provide support as needed.
• Promote a positive and inclusive work environment.
• Ensure that any signs of distress or mental health issues are addressed promptly and appropriately.

Employee Responsibilities

• Participate in training and awareness programs.
• Support colleagues and foster a culture of openness and support.
• Seek help and report any concerns about mental health or suicide risk to a supervisor or through the appropriate channels.