Suppliers & Contractors
As a large purchaser of goods and services, Investa has the opportunity to use its purchasing power to influence supply chains in the property sector.
Over the reporting period some 552 preferred supplier applications were submitted. We observed a continued increase in quality of safety and environmental documentation supporting applications for preferred supplier status and believe that this reflects both an increase in the quality of contractor that Investa is seeking to partner with, and a lift in the quality of OHS and environmental management amongst contractors.
Case study
Site Automated Safety Sign In (SASSI) system
Contractors working for Investa are statutorily required to complete extensive induction and risk management planning processes prior to commencing any works. These processes are designed to ensure that all safety and environmental risks are considered and controlled and have significantly reduced incidents that occur on our assets.
While these processes are essential, they are time consuming for both the contractors and Property Supervisors. Over the past eight months, Investa has worked closely with LSI Management Pty Ltd to develop an extensive electronic induction and sign in system which can address these requirements in a more efficient, consistent and effective manner across our portfolio. The Site Automated Safety Sign In (SASSI) system has now been deployed across our NSW sites and will soon be followed across the rest of our portfolio.
Screenshot of SASSI. Click to enlarge.
SASSI provides the following benefits:
- Inductions can be completed on-line before a worker arrives at site allowing our property supervisors to address more specific OHS and environmental risk issues.
- Rules governing activities that include specific risks (such as electrical works) are reinforced with refresher induction units with questionnaires on-site prior to commencing works.
- A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) development process enabling contractors to develop, record, and print how they will eliminate/mitigate risks during their works.
- Upon leaving a site, the contractor is required to sign out, and is asked to record hazards, incidents or ‘near-misses’ that have occurred which are immediately emailed to the Property Supervisor for review and action.
Other management and reporting benefits are also provided by SASSI which will assist both Investa and contractors alike. These reporting systems will enable:
- automated reporting of contractor time spent on-site; and
- automatic linking of workers on-site with purchase orders/work orders to which those works relate.
Most importantly, developing SASSI has provided a basis for developing stronger relationships with our contractors. OHS and environmental risk management is often still considered an encumbrance on contractors resulting in variable quality of risk management planning and therefore possible increases in risk to both contractors and our own staff.
By streamlining the overall system we have been able to increase the focus on specific risk management processes that provide the greatest reduction in risk, while also making the induction process more engaging. Through these processes, we hope to better capture the hearts and minds of contractors and our own staff. Rather than an encumbrance to conducting works, we hope that OHS and environmental risk management will be considered an efficient, important, and essential part of conducting works by all who attend our sites.
Case study
Taubmans low VOC paint trial
Taubmans paints were prompted by Investa to consider moving towards lower VOC paints. Now, after 12 months in development, Taubman’s parent PPG has introduced a new interior and exterior low VOC paint range that contain fewer VOC emissions. Investa and Clarendon have significant roles in encouraging suppliers to consider sustainability and Taubmans are pleased to comment that they have responded to this challenge. Taubmans new interior and exterior low VOC paint range has had its first field trails completed in August 2008 at two of Clarendon’s Kellyville Ridge display homes.
The challenge for Taubmans was to manufacture a product, which was low in VOC and user friendly to the applicator. The trial of Taubmans new range at the Clarendon homes enabled Taubmans to test the product on actual homes with a range of application processes, to observe and experiment with drying times, level of application required and from this testing to write detailed instructions for painters using the new product.