Within the retail sector Mirvac manages more than 14 shopping centres across Australia, has more than 60,000 contractors and experiences more than 96 million individual visits to site per year, making it imperative that Mirvac has a Safety Management Plan with the complexity to ensure it can deliver on its safety compliance requirements.
The challenge
Mirvac’s safety responsibilities include contractors working on site, tenants operating on their properties, Mirvac employees and the general public who visit their facilities.
With a diverse property portfolio and a vast number of contractors to manage, the challenge for Mirvac was to find a solution that provides a way for the company to consult and communicate effectively with the contractor workforce, assess contractor activity risk and manage hazards through stringent process controls.
The solution
Mirvac was already a user of Rapid Induct for online inductions and a decision was made to implement further Rapid products to assist in the process safety model. Rapid Contractor Management, Rapid Access and Rapid Permit To Work with key dispenser cabinets have been implemented to provide an integrated safety solution to manage inductions, site access, contractor assessments and work permits.
The safety of the facilities is now underpinned by the use of technology to ensure the lifecycle of the contractor is managed effectively, and that visitor management is used to reduce risk to the workplace. The solution provides a robust system to manage contractor pre-engagement, the communication of safety culture, policies and procedures through online training systems and stringent control of onsite hazardous activities through the onsite automated permit to work and access control software.
The property management industry has traditionally found it challenging to manage contractor compliance. With the challenges of multiple buildings, a vast number of contractors and the logistics of distance, it can be difficult to control risks. Rapid Contractor Management has made a significant contribution to the industry by providing an end to end online solution that solves the problems of determining contractor compliance and risk levels. Property management companies using Rapid Contractor Management now have a safe and reliable way of ensuring contractor compliance and this means safer buildings for everyone involved.
At Mirvac Real Estate, we have been able to take what was once a labour intensive process and convert it into a simple automated system. Importantly, there has been a marked improvement in the efficiency of the way we communicate and consult with our contractors about the safety of our sites. By using Rapid Contractor Management we are sure that each contractor company we engage is compliant with legislation and Mirvac policies. This translates directly to real safety results for our business and a greater awareness of the responsibility everyone has to make sure the sites are safe workplaces.
— Ken Hawkins, Property Manager, Mirvac
Process safety framework for the contractor
Contractor pre-qualification
Before Mirvac’s contracting companies can begin work, they are pre-qualified through Rapid Contractor Management. The online system is used to assess contractors on a number of key criteria: how they manage safety and their people (including diversity, bullying and harassment); sustainability; whether their insurances and licences are up to date; and whether they have a safety management plan in place.
This information helps Mirvac better understand the contractor and determine if they are the type of company Mirvac are comfortable working with. Armed with this information, Mirvac’s safety team can then follow up to determine next steps. The contractor relationship can be assessed and, if necessary (for example on remote sites), assistance can be offered to help the contractor develop a safety management plan in line with Mirvac requirements.
Induction & access
Rapid Induct delivers the safety message, policies and procedures to Mirvac contractors through online training that is completed before they start work or enter a site.
When a contractor becomes successfully inducted and their company is determined to be compliant, they can select a work order via the Rapid Access touchscreens when they arrive on site. As soon as they sign in, the system recognises who they are and what work they are there to complete. It will then issue any relevant safety alerts and match their SWMS with their work order.
If amendments are made to the work order by the contractor, a Mirvac site representative is alerted immediately. The Rapid Permit To Work system then presents the contractor with a series of questions to determine the type of work they are doing and if it requires additional permits, training etc. A nominated site representative is then automatically notified to approve or reject the contractor’s access to site.
Hazard notification
Once the work is completed, contractors use the same touchscreen to sign out. At sign out they are asked if they have noticed any risks and the system informs the site manager that they have left.
This process captures hazards on the way out of the door. Previously this was by paper and sometimes not seen by a person immediately.
— Stephen Butler, General Manager, Facility Management, Mirvac
Key management
Rapid’s key dispenser cabinets have also been installed as a pilot on a Mirvac site. These units are fully integrated with Rapid’s contractor management system, so contractors can enter unattended sites without a Mirvac representative being there to hand over keys. The dispenser allocates the correct key to an individual and registers that the key has been used or replaced.
Alcohol testing
Mirvac is also assessing breathalyser units to complement the access control system. The units help confirm that contractors are not affected by alcohol before they enter a site. If a reading shows a blood alcohol level, a Mirvac safety officer is alerted immediately by email or SMS.
The results
By automating key administrative tasks, Mirvac has been able to put safe work practices in place for high-risk activities such as confined space entry, working at height and opening process equipment, as well as control who enters a facility. Pre-qualifying contractors gives greater control of risk. Online induction before arrival promotes the safety culture and makes sure policies and procedures are communicated.
Mirvac now has the tools for safety lifecycle management and can respond promptly to contractor-related hazards while work is underway. Contracting companies have seen the benefit too:
We wanted to take the opportunity to say how impressed we’ve been with the MyRapid System portal, process and team managing the contractor prequalification, induction and access for Mirvac. C3X uses up to 10-15 contractor management systems across Australia, and we have found that My Rapid system has been very user friendly, and the responsiveness of My Rapid service team has been exceptional.
— Marcus Tehan, CEO, C3X
The benefits
The Rapid solutions used across Mirvac facilities give strong reporting and solid evidence of safe work practices, as one integrated safety control system.
Rather than a varied approach across the portfolio, Mirvac now has one system performing a range of safety functions. That reduces the risk of human error and gives a systematic, robust safety control process.
Rapid Contractor Management makes contractor records and documentation available, auditable and accessible to the Mirvac management team, and helps establish contractor accountability. It also reduces the burden on the facilities management team of controlling the large number of contractors on Mirvac sites each day.
The organisation now has assurance that properties across the portfolio are controlled consistently for access, contractor at-risk activities, and the release of security keys.
