HUME DOORS & TIMBERS
JOURNEY TO IMPROVEMENT
Guided by Safety Differently and Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) principles, we worked alongside Hume’s leadership and workforce to move beyond blame and foster a culture built on learning, trust, and capacity. This case study explores how Hume Doors & Timber transformed their safety culture, empowering workers as problem-solvers and creating an environment where safety and operational success go hand in hand. Their journey shows that when you put people first, safety follows.
CHALLENGES
- Balancing Safety and Production – Like many growing businesses, Hume sought to ensure both operational efficiency and workforce safety, recognising the need for these goals to work hand in hand.
- Moving Beyond Compliance – While compliance was well established, Hume aspired to go further—building a culture where safety was not just about rules but about enabling people to succeed.
- Harnessing Worker Insights – Hume recognised the untapped value in frontline workers’ expertise and aimed to better involve them in shaping safer, more effective work processes.
- Evolving from Incident Response to Learning – There was an opportunity to shift from reactive investigations to proactive learning—focusing on understanding work as it is done.
- Strengthening Trust and Communication – Hume sought to foster open conversations between leadership and workers, ensuring safety was a shared responsibility, not a top-down directive.
- Supporting Adaptability in a Dynamic Environment – With complex, fast-moving operations, Hume recognised the need to build capacity to adapt safely when work didn’t go to plan.
- Reducing Risk without Stifling Work – Hume aimed to manage risk in ways that enabled work to proceed effectively, rather than relying solely on restrictive procedures.
- Embedding Safety into Business Success – Leadership was committed to making safety integral to operational excellence, ensuring it supported—not hindered—Hume’s long-term growth.
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Trust-Based Safety Culture
Hume Doors & Timber built a culture where workers feel safe to speak up, driving open communication and shared responsibility for safety.
Empowered Workforce
Frontline workers became actively involved in safety improvements, contributing their expertise to enhance both safety and operations.
Learning-Focused Approach
Incident reviews shifted from blame to learning, uncovering system improvements and enabling safer, more effective work.
Safety Supporting Performance
Safer work led to better operational performance—demonstrating that safety and productivity go hand in hand.
Improved Adaptability
Workers developed the capacity to respond safely when work varies, increasing resilience across operations.
Simplified Safety Systems
Procedures became practical and worker friendly, reducing complexity and supporting safe, efficient work.
Visible, Enabling Leadership
Leaders engaged more with teams, shifting from enforcement to supporting people in working safely.
Lasting Safety Growth
A foundation was set for ongoing improvement, embedding safety as part of Hume’s long term success.
