DI 20-03-2025

Attendance:

• Sarah Driscoll 

• Thomas Lidgerwood

• Tim Bishop

• Jake Joyce 

• Matthew Windsor

• Sarah Fraser

• Alex Morris

• Paul Deakin

• Jack Tandy

Meeting Notes

Incident Classification System Review:

• Reviewing real-life scenarios to assess classification (mild, moderate, severe).

• Goal: Common understanding of decision points.

• Need for better incident documentation to avoid historical ambiguity.

1: We arrived at a customer’s house and completed a move. During payment, they mention that their housemate, who was present in the house during the unload, has covid. Nothing was mentioned during the move. 

Severe - This person will be banned from booking again. If they call to book another job they will be referred to management and informed that we cannot send staff to them because they were put in them at a potentially serious safety risk. 

Had they informed the staff earlier and then followed instructions to isolate etc it may have been classified as a moderate incident.

Actions: Customer card banned and detailed notes kept.

2. Our staff are performing a load up. Both present as 25 y/o white males. During the move, the customer’s neighbour is at the house, and makes a number of highly offensive and disparaging comments about First Nations people. 

Moderate - Staff request that customer ask neighbour to stop making comments. If they will not do so, or neighbour continues behavior it may become severe.

Actions: Detailed notes in customer card including note to ask them to mitigate that risk if it may be an issue in a future move.

3. Two non-male presenting staff members attend a customer’s business to perform a move. As they arrive, one of the business employees makes a comment to the team insinuating that they are unlikely to be able to do the job because of their gender. 

Moderate. Can escalate to severe if they are asked to stop making such comments and they continue.

Actions: 

Individual asked by staff or office to stop.

Staff may request to be swapped out.

If customer does not comply the staff may leave and ban customer.

TB & MW unload the whatchamacallit

Communicated to management and notes made in customer card. 

4. MWAV is booked to perform a move for an NDIS provider, moving their client from one house to another. The case manager books the move, and mentions their client is NDIS funded, but that the carer and case manager will be present. On arrival, it becomes clear that the client suffers from autism spectrum disorder and/or Asperger’s syndrome (or similar), and makes a number of loud comments to their carer about the body shape and inability of one of the movers to do the job. 

Mild / Moderate depending on the impact on staff.

If staff feel at a mental health risk they may ask themselves or ask the office to speak to the carer about managing or isolating the client. If they will not, or cannot, staff may be swapped out or the move paused until made safe.

5. At the time of payment, the family member of a customer becomes angry and starts to yell at the MWAV employee, and refuses to pay. When the MWAV employee says that they need to take payment, the family member pushes the employee in the chest and screams at them to get off their property. 

Severe: Staff leave the job and handball the problem to management.

Customer is banned from future moves.

Next Steps:

• Communicate classification guidelines at the next OHS meeting.

• Create clear guidance for phone and office staff on handling incidents.

• Establish a system for logging and flagging repeat offenders in customer records.

• Discuss flexible meeting options to include more staff in decision-making processes.

• Ensure incident resolution logistics are handled at the management level.

Closing Remarks:

• General agreement on classification principles.

• Appreciation for team input.

• Next meeting to focus on operationalising decisions made in this discussion.

Next Meeting Scheduled for 7am next Thursday.