Staff encouraged to intervene for “safety’s sake”

Shell Australia Chairman Russell Caplan said many safety incidents could be prevented if someone intervened when they observed an ‘unsafe act’.

He said while some safety instructions are well known, such as not smoking at the pump, others are less well understood such as:

• not sitting on a motorcycle while filling;
• making sure children under 16 are not in the area where refuelling is taking place; and
• only using approved containers for fuel and making sure they are on the ground while being filled.

“As a demonstration of how seriously Shell takes safety, all Australian staff are invited to participate in Safety Day activities at a range of locations across the country,” he said.

“Many Shell team members will join Coles Express staff on retail sites during Safety Day to talk to customers and give safety tips.”

Coles Express General Manager Peter Short said the company had designed its safety strategy to protect everyone - team members, visitors and customers.

He said a brochure will be distributed to Coles Express customers that outlines ways in which they can take a proactive approach to safety.

“I encourage customers to take the time to read the simple steps they can take to promote their own safety and that of others,” he said.

“That includes immediately reporting any activity, behaviour or piece of equipment that concerns them and informing staff of anything they can do to help make stores safer.”

“Safety is important to us, and together we should all intervene for safety’s sake.”

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Media enquiries: Paul Zennaro, Shell Media Hotline, 0417 007 344