Appointment of HSE Manager, Manufacturing Organisation

At a Glance

• Sector – Manufacturing
• Location – Geelong, VIC
• Workforce – 540 employees
• Service – HSE Recruitment – Permanent
• Engagement – Permanent Recruitment

The Challenge

A manufacturing organisation with 540 employees had an HSE function operating in pure reactive mode, incident response and paperwork, with no proactive safety culture work, despite a rising trend of near-miss reports over the preceding year that leadership had not acted on.

Our Approach

Civitas screened HSE Manager candidates specifically for evidence of shifting a function from reactive to proactive safety culture in a prior role, not just incident-management competence.

The Solution

The appointed HSE Manager had led a comparable reactive-to-proactive safety culture shift at a previous manufacturing employer, starting with a full near-miss data review in the first month.

Measured Impact

• Near-miss reporting increased by an estimated 40% as trust in the reporting process improved
• Recordable injury rate reduced by an estimated 20% within the first year
• Proactive safety walk-throughs implemented across all shifts
• Improved safety culture survey results across the workforce

Client Reflection

More near-misses being reported was actually the good news, it meant people finally trusted the system. 

Why This Matters

A rising near-miss trend that leadership doesn’t act on is one of the clearest early warning signs in manufacturing safety, this appointment shows what a genuinely proactive HSE Manager changes once given the mandate to act on that data.

Related Civitas Service

HSE Recruitment