Is it true that country people possess a level of inventiveness little known to urban dwellers?

I think there’s some truth to the idea. Perhaps it has to do with having fewer resources in a rural community, in contrast to the diverse level of resources available in the big smoke. In the country it’s sometimes necessary to just “make do”. 

Bill Hudd is the Staff Development Manager at Banner Hardware in Mt Gambier, a proud South Australian family-owned company. Bill was a nominee in WorkCover South Australia’s recent Recovery and Return to Work awards, in the category of employee excellence.

 “A sense of community is very important to country people,” Bill told RTWMatters. “Everyone knows everyone or knows of everyone and you look after your own.”

For Bill, this means not only listening to injured workers and building rapport, but also looking for creative solutions to the challenges they face.

Banner Hardware stores supply hardware and building products to the trade and do-it-yourself markets. Currently employing over 200 people, the company continues to grow. Established in 1979, Banner now has ten sites in all, including a network of six stores (three in metropolitan Adelaide, and three in the south east of the state) as well as a distribution centre and a number of frame and truss plants.

Bill’s role includes rehabilitation and return-to-work coordination, occupational health and safety, and various human resources functions like training and assessment in business and retail. Like all good country folk, challenges bring out the best in Bill.

When a forklift worker suffered a spinal injury that led to restricted movement, Bill knew that he would no longer be able to perform his pre-injury duties.

Following a job analysis, it was identified that the worker had good carpentry skills. This got Bill thinking. For some time, Banner Hardware had wanted to branch out into producing its own garden furniture. Instead of thinking about what the injured worker couldn’t do for the company, Bill started thinking about the opportunities he was opening up.

The injured worker’s newly discovered skills were put to good use, and he now creates a range of outdoor furniture, gates and other garden accessories which retail through the chain of six Banner Hardware stores.

The supervisor, rehabilitation, store manager and Bill as return-to-work coordinator worked together to enable the worker to take on this new role. The manufacturing centre was adapted with special jigs and devices to minimise lifting. Financial assistance was sought from Employers Mutual, their insurer, for power tools and equipment to build long-term sustainability for this new business.

"One thing leads to another,” Bill said. “You’re never sure where you’ll end up.”

The injured worker whose world had taken a 180 degree turn is now building bespoke pieces of furniture for individuals and door frames for the trade along with a myriad of furniture pieces for the garden. He has been given responsibility for making a success of the new business and he is going great guns. There is a steady flow of orders and Banner Hardware reports that the worker is doing well.

It is the company’s commitment to a solid occupational health and safety program and the ingenuity of Bill in bringing the staff on board that has led to a significant reduction of workplace injuries. Bill says that “photographs are taken of workplace hazards” whereby staff at meetings and training sessions work out what’s needed to be done. Then, they make it happen by setting things up correctly.

Even though Bill wasn’t the final winner of the employee excellence award in the recent Recovery and Return to Work awards, he is a winner in every sense of the word. After having won Store Manager of the Year Award ten years ago, Bill has proven that he brings the same level of passion and excellence to his work today. We toast his achievement, and the ingenuity of his approach!