PATTIESPATTIES
Unlocking Safety and Operational Excellence at Patties
PROJECT
Operational Safety Diagnostic
WHAT WE DID
Delivered an Operational Safety Diagnostic across Patties’ operations in Australia and New Zealand.
CLIENT
Patties https://patties.com.au/
TIMELINE
Ongoing
Unlocking Safety and Operational Excellence at Patties
Patties Foods is a trusted household name across Australia and New Zealand, renowned for its iconic food brands and large-scale manufacturing operations. Operating in a fast-paced production environment, Patties recognised that achieving true safety excellence meant going beyond compliance. They sought to elevate safety performance while driving operational improvement across their diverse sites.
Work Safety Hub delivered an Operational Safety Diagnostic across Patties’ operations in Australia and New Zealand. This was more than an audit—it was a comprehensive exploration of how safety and work intersected. We examined leadership, frontline practices, and systems to uncover both gaps and opportunities for innovation. Our work provided Patties with a clear roadmap to embed modern safety practices—drawing on Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) and Safety Differently principles—to strengthen safety, improve performance, and build a culture where care and operational excellence go hand in hand.
CHALLENGES
- Balancing Safety and Production Demands
Operating across fast-paced manufacturing sites meant ensuring safety improvements did not disrupt production efficiency. - Inconsistent Safety Practices Across Sites
With operations spanning Australia and New Zealand, variations in safety processes and practices created gaps in consistency and performance. - Moving Beyond Compliance
While regulatory requirements were met, Patties aimed to move from a compliance-driven mindset to a culture where safety was integrated into operational excellence. - Identifying Hidden Risks
Routine audits often overlooked the realities of day-to-day work, requiring a deeper diagnostic approach to uncover system vulnerabilities and adaptive practices.
- Leadership Alignment
Ensuring leaders across all levels embraced a modern, human-centred approach to safety required shifting mindsets from control to enabling success. - Frontline Engagement
Gaining honest insights from frontline teams and empowering them to contribute to safety improvements was crucial to embedding lasting change. - Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice
Formal safety systems did not always reflect how work was actually performed, creating a need to align systems with real-world operations. - Sustaining Long-Term Change
Embedding modern safety practices into the organisation’s culture required more than quick fixes—it demanded a long-term commitment to learning and improvement.
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Moving safety forward
RESULTS
- Clear Understanding of Safety and Operational Gaps
The diagnostic provided Patties with deep insights into system gaps, operational risks, and cultural factors affecting safety performance. - Tailored Roadmap for Safety and Performance Improvement
A detailed, practical action plan was developed, guiding Patties towards embedding modern safety practices while enhancing operational efficiency. - Leadership Alignment on Safety Strategy
Senior leaders gained clarity on their role in enabling safe work, shifting from a compliance focus to supporting frontline success. - Improved Connection Between Systems and Work
Policies and procedures were adjusted to better reflect how work was actually done, ensuring safety systems supported, rather than hindered, performance.
- Greater Workforce Engagement
Frontline teams felt heard and valued through the diagnostic process, fostering a stronger sense of ownership and participation in safety improvements. - Stronger Capacity to Manage Operational Risks
Insights into work variability helped Patties build capacity to manage risk dynamically, enabling teams to adapt safely when work conditions changed. - Embedding Safety as a Driver of Performance
The business began to see safety not as a cost but as a driver of operational success, improving both production outcomes and workforce wellbeing. - Foundation for Long-Term Cultural Change
The diagnostic work laid the groundwork for sustained cultural and operational improvements, positioning Patties as a leader in modern safety practice.
“Work Safety Hub’s Operational Safety Diagnostic provided us with a clear, honest picture of how safety and work interacted across our sites. Their insights helped us identify practical opportunities to strengthen both safety and performance. This work has set us on the path towards embedding safety into everything we do.”
Selina McNultyHead of Quality, Safety & Customer Experience