Orange City Council employs nearly 700 people who deliver a wide range of essential services to the community — from childcare and tourism support to maintaining sports fields, parks, water treatment facilities, waste management, and more than 500 km of roads. With so many physically demanding roles across the organisation, hazardous manual tasks (HMTs) were an ongoing and significant health and safety concern.
The challenge
With a workforce of nearly 700 people spread across diverse and physically demanding roles, Orange City Council faced a significant challenge in managing manual task risks. From carpentry and water network operations to road maintenance, parks, and waste services, many roles exposed employees to health and safety risks that could lead to injury, absenteeism, and reduced wellbeing.
Orange City Council recognised that traditional approaches were not enough. They needed a systematic way to identify, assess, and address HMTs across the organisation. The goal was to create a safer, more sustainable work environment that would not only reduce risk but also engage employees in adopting healthier, safer work practices.
The solution
To address the challenges of the diverse and complex HMTs across their organisation, Orange City Council engaged Ethos Health to deliver a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to workplace risk management. At the heart of this approach was MoveSAFE Profiler™, our platform designed to streamline the assessment and analysis of job tasks and roles.
MoveSAFE Profiler™ enables us to capture, assess, and report on physical, psychosocial, and environmental risk factors associated with each task. By aggregating these insights, the platform produces detailed role profiles and an organisation-wide task risk profile, giving leaders clear visibility into where risks exist and how to mitigate them. It also allows users to model the impact of proposed changes and manage suitable duties with ease.
Using this technology combined with the expertise of our workplace consultants, Ethos Health completed 120 task analyses across 21 council roles. From this, we developed 109 task-based recommendations that were developed in conjunction with the workforce to reduce the risks of HMTs.
To ensure lasting impact, participative, in-field training sessions were delivered to over 200 staff who had the greatest risks associated with HMTs. These sessions were practical, engaging, and focused on helping employees find safer ways to work — embedding safer practices into daily operations while supporting the overall health and wellbeing of the workforce.
The results
Through the MoveSAFE Profiler™ program and tailored training, Orange City Council achieved clear improvements in workplace health and safety:
- Comprehensive risk insights: 120 task analyses across 21 roles created a detailed organisational risk profile.
- Actionable recommendations: 109 targeted strategies identified to reduce physical, psychosocial, and environmental risks.
- Improved staff engagement: Over 200 employees participated in hands-on, practical training sessions.
- Safer work practices: Staff learned practical, sustainable techniques to complete tasks with less risk of injury.
- Stronger organisational capacity: Orange City Council now has a clear framework and data-driven insights to guide future injury prevention initiatives.
Together, these outcomes supported Orange City Council in reducing the risk of their hazardous manual task, empowering staff, and reinforcing the Council’s commitment to keeping their people safe, healthy, and supported.
Key takeaways
- Systematic task analysis and role profiling helps identify and reduce hazardous manual task risks.
- MoveSAFE Profiler™ provides clear, data-driven insights into physical, psychosocial, and environmental risks.
- Participative, in-field training engages employees and encourages safer work practices.
- Actionable recommendations ensure practical, role-specific strategies can be implemented.
- A structured, evidence-based approach strengthens organisational capacity for ongoing injury prevention.
Ready to reduce hazardous manual task risks in your organisation?
Discover how MoveSAFE Profiler™ can help you identify, assess, and mitigate workplace hazards while engaging your staff in safer work practices. Contact Ethos Health today to create a tailored injury prevention program for your team.
