Unfortunately, “thy shall not steal” commandment is not inbuilt in all of us and even with workplace policies on theft and video surveillance workplace theft still occurs. It can range from stationary supplies to toilet paper and often the first aid kits.

Recently I was asked if employers could lock their first aid kits to reduce or minimise the theft from them.

Currently the NSW OHS Regulations states that employers are to provide first aid facilities and if the site has more than 25 employees that a trained First Aider is required onsite.

Therefore, no matter what your business or industry is you are required to provide a first aid kit or kits at the workplace. What type of first aid kit required is determined by the size of your organisation and the type of work being undertaken.

By the time you realise you are having theft from your kits you would have already gone through the process of assessing what type of first aid kits you need, where it should be located and how many you require.

NSW WorkCover, First Aid in the Workplace Guide, states that, “Kits must be available and accessible during working hours, however we do need to establish measures to ensure kits are not misused or subject to pilfering. Additionally, it is an offence under Section 21 of the OHS Act to abuse first aid facilities.”

Therefore, we shouldn’t be locking our kits up during working hours. However, we can put in place strategies that will deter people from opening them unless it’s necessary which will then in theory reduce the theft.

Below are some ideas that may help reduce the theft from your workplace first aid kits:

• As part of your employee induction process include your first aid policy and explain to the employees that it is important that we report any use of the kits to ensure we can determine the course of the injury and reduce it from happening again.

• Additionally, advise employees that it is an offence under Section 21 of the OHS Act to abuse first aid facilities and this includes stealing from them.

• Investigate if you are really having a theft issue, or are people getting hurt, using the contents of the first aid kit and just not reporting it?

• Think about the location of your first aid kit. Is it in an obvious spot where if someone was to steal from it others would see, or is it tucked away in the back of the kitchen where temptation is lurking?

• Who is refilling your first aid kit and how?

• Tamper tags such as seal ties seen on fire extinguishers are a good idea, as they can be installed and broken easily with our hands to gain access into the first aid kit. Additionally, you can then easily identify if the kit has been accessed.

• Promote via newsletters and staff memos that theft is occurring in the workplace and that you will be taking a closer look and monitoring the usage of first aid kits because of it. Often this is enough to curb the theft for a while, however in the long term it may creep back.

• If you have CCTV or video surveillance on site consider pointing them towards the first aid kits.

• Start internally charging out the cost of the first aid equipment to the department’s budget of where the kit is located. As this will demonstrate that you are watching the cost, and that will often then drive the department manager to keep a closer eye on the first aid kit and its usage.

About The Author:

Kylie Dowell is the founder of Dowell Solutions an Occupational Health and Safety and Human Resources consultancy. Kylie has participated, worked and trained many Occupational Health and Safety committees and also delivers the NSW OHS Consultation Training for clients.

To find out more about Kylie, you can read her profile on http://www.dowellsolutions.com.au/about.

Recruiters - Friend or Foe?

Sally-Anne Blanshard

We often review things at myambition.com in the eye of the candidate or client. This time, I asked the recruitment consultants within the Ambition group of companies to feedback on what is happening in the market from their perspective. It makes interesting reading….

Fact – it is no longer a candidate short market

There are more candidates actively looking for work due to the fall out from the GFC.  In that time a number of people were made redundant as budgets in hiring were cut.

Despite competing with an increased number of candidates the recruitment consultants are surprised at applicants still sending in out of date resumes, often poorly presented. In a candidate short market, recruiters may have on occasions overlooked this if the content of the resume itself was good. These days when you’ve got a pile of applications to plough through, this lack of attention to detail is reason enough to put people in the ‘No’ pile.

So, what are candidates doing to stand out from the crowd?

For some, not a lot. Some individuals who have been made redundant are entering the market deflated, or those who are not getting called for interviews are becoming dismissive in their approach. A number of recruiters felt that the current economic stresses allow candidates to become complacent and when they ring in about a role and they tend to moan about what is not happening for them. Whilst the consultants can be empathetic to their situations they are not employed to be counsellors. Instead requesting that candidates need to switch it on and be positive when applying for any and every opportunity. Positivity pays.

Every consultant agreed that people should follow up every application with a call and sell themselves over the phone. Naturally the consultant may not be available as they are also targeted to meet their clients so can be out of the office a fair bit. Candidates should prepare a short pitch as to why they are right for the role. Many individuals have not been in the market for some time so have little idea as to how to construct their resume and ‘work the market’.

The recruiting client

Employers still look for the exact fit. This is frustrating to the candidate and the recruiter! Some have intense selection criteria and will simply not be flexible on anything. Then, when they have interviewed so many people the consultants find it hard to track down the interviewer for feedback. Feedback is vital for the candidate to progress whether successful or not.  There is a definite shift towards hidden jobs out there. Employers are offering their staff referral incentives and not publishing ads out to the market – online or in print.

And finally, the recruiter

The main shift in this market appears to be working with the right recruitment consultants. There has been a lot of commentary around recruiters being authentic, genuine with their advice and available for candidates. When the market turns it will be these consultants who have a great rapport with candidates who will then have new clients to represent.

Candidates become clients and vice versa.

As for you, the candidate – consider how you project yourself on paper, over the phone, in person, on the stage in interview and receiving feedback.

Recruitment consultants need you as much as you need them. Maximize your interaction at every opportunity.

About The Author

Sally-Anne Blanshard: Career Manager. www.myambition.com