SMCT Live Well, Work Well Award winner: Andy McCaw

What is your role at SMCT?

My title is Lead Support Operations at Bunurong Memorial Park. In my role, I work alongside the Bunurong Memorial Park Operations Leader and oversee the Burials team when required, but mostly I work alongside the very experienced and knowledgeable Horticultural team to help make our gardens look beautiful each and every day.

You were the recipient of a Live Well, Work Well award, recognising your ability to put the health, safety and wellbeing of others first. Can you tell us about the importance of safety and wellbeing in the workplace?

Health, safety and wellness should be prioritised above all else in the workplace and in everyday life, as you only have one! As the health, safety and wellbeing representative for the Operations team at Bunurong Memorial Park, and a mental health first-aider, I try to help resolve any safety issues that arise and attend many safety committee meetings. We report near misses and incidents and take part in the different Activate Health (our employee wellbeing program) sessions with the team. In addition, advising team members of the Employee Assistance Program that is available for employees and families is something that I feel can help many people.

What is one project/team activity that you have enjoyed being a part of over the last 12 months?

I enjoyed being a part of the project within the Horticulture team at Bunurong Memorial Park that involved researching and introducing Husqvarna battery powered equipment to help with safety issues that we sometimes face with some petrol equipment. There are several issues that we have faced when using some of the bigger, heavier petrol equipment that we require to do our job, but with the new battery powered equipment on the market, we were able to get a demo and found that they had many benefits. They are lighter with less vibration, better for the environment, our employees breathe in less petrol fumes, they are much quieter as to not disturb others around us with noise pollution and much easier to start up resulting in less injuries! As a result of these findings, we have purchased several of these battery-powered combo units from Husqvarna, and I believe that some of the other sites have jumped on board with this too.

Your one wish for the next 12 months is…

My one wish is very simple – I just want everyone at SMCT to go home safe at the end of each day to their loved ones.

What's something you wish everyone knew about working at SMCT or within the cemeteries industry?

I worked at many different places before I came to SMCT, and people may not understand how great our workplace is. Cemeteries are not a scary place to be, they can be very peaceful. I enjoy helping people in need and love making the gardens and grounds look great for everyone to enjoy. The work we do gives a sense of satisfaction at the end of each day.