Helping Red Badge reduce injuries, claims and turnover
“Our organisation is unique in how the workforce is made up. The EMA was the first provider that listened to my needs and provided the support I needed.”
– Hayleigh Evett, Head of People & Culture at Red Badge Group
“Our organisation is unique in how the workforce is made up. The EMA was the first provider that listened to my needs and provided the support I needed.”
– Hayleigh Evett, Head of People & Culture at Red Badge Group
– Hayleigh Evett, Head of People & Culture at Red Badge Group
For Red Badge Group, the EMA Safety Culture Programme provided the structure, support and insight needed to transform its approach to health and safety. By focusing on the entire organisation and embedding safety into everyday practices, Red Badge achieved measurable improvements in a short timeframe and created a stronger, more engaged workforce.
Overview
Red Badge Group needed to strengthen its health and safety capability across a complex and high-risk workforce. With responsibility for both HR and health and safety sitting in one role, the organisation required practical support that could adapt to its structure and deliver measurable results.
Through the EMA Safety Culture Programme, Red Badge implemented a whole-of-organisation approach that embedded safety into everyday operations. Within about six months, the business saw clear improvements including reduced lost time injuries, fewer ACC claims, stronger employee engagement and significantly lower staff turnover.
The Challenge
Red Badge Group operates with a diverse nationwide workforce that includes thousands of casual staff alongside permanent frontline and operational managers. Employees work around the clock in a high-risk environment, protecting people, property and communities.
This created several challenges:
• Health and safety responsibility sat alongside HR, without specialist expertise.
• A complex workforce structure made consistency difficult.
• Staff operated in high risk, 24/7 environments.
• Safety needed to be embedded across the entire employee lifecycle.
• The organisation wanted a genuine shift in safety culture, not isolated initiatives.
There was also a strong need to ensure employees understood why health and safety mattered and felt that their wellbeing was a priority. Reputation and organisational credibility were also key drivers for change.
The Solution
Red Badge engaged the EMA Safety Culture Programme to provide structured, organisation-wide support. A key differentiator was the EMA’s willingness to listen and tailor its approach to the organisation’s needs.
The programme focused on several core elements:
• A whole-of-organisation assessment that included frontline staff, operational managers, senior leaders and the board.
• Delivery of a Safe365 report that reflected the real state of play across the business.
• Ongoing support and regular check-ins to maintain accountability.
• A flexible approach tailored to the organisation’s unique workforce.
• Integration of health and safety into business as usual activities and cyclical planning.
This approach ensured that insights were grounded in real experiences across the workforce, rather than generic recommendations.
The emphasis on continuous improvement was central. Red Badge adopted the philosophy of making steady progress rather than waiting for perfect solutions, allowing changes to be implemented and refined over time.
The Results
In just over six months, Red Badge began to see measurable improvements across key areas:
• Reduced lost time injuries.
• Fewer ACC claims.
• Improved engagement scores.
• Significantly lower staff turnover.
• Better reporting and visibility of safety performance.
Beyond these metrics, there was a clear cultural shift. Safety became embedded in everyday operations rather than treated as a separate initiative.
Employees gained confidence that their safety mattered, and this contributed to stronger engagement and retention. The structured check-ins and shared accountability ensured that progress was sustained rather than becoming a one-off effort.
Key Takeaways
Red Badge’s experience highlights several important lessons for organisations managing health and safety in complex environments:
• Tailored support is critical, especially where workforce structures are diverse.
• Listening across all levels of the organisation leads to more accurate insights.
• Embedding safety into ‘business as usual’ drives lasting change.
• Continuous improvement delivers results faster than waiting for perfection.
• Accountability and regular check-ins are essential to maintain momentum.