Hire and Rental News - August 2018

4 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • AUGUST 2018 ASSOCIATION NEWS show staff that couldn’t attend. This may be a useful training tool. I have been attending the HRIA Convention for at least 20 years with my wife and one or two staff, along with our sons. We have always come away with something new; either equipment we have purchased or ideas to assist us in our business, and this year was no exception. I thought our keynote speaker on day two, Rachel Robertson was very interesting and inspiring. I cannot believe how easy it was to implement Rachel’s pointers; one of Rachel's key tips was to prevent 'three-way conversations' - ie: acting as the referree between two others. I have started implementing this in our business with a lot of success. Thank you once again to all our members and suppliers who attended and made HIRE18 one to remember. Making it a year to remember – HRIA Convention a blast president's message "..now weather conditions have changed and we are well into winter, the risk of slipping over has increased and for all to be extra cautious...." Member services and new initiatives Mark Burton, National President How good was HIRE18? Our 50th Convention had the largest ever number of delegates and exhibitors attending. Our Young Professionals networking evening and Women in Hire breakfast got the event off to a fantastic start. We also introduced some new member benefit programs such as the accounting and business advisory service through our partnership with HLB Mann Judd, HRIA Insurance Brokers with PSC Insurance, which I am excited about; so much so I have signed our company insurance with them. This insurance package is designed for our industry and our members. For those who could not attend, I appreciate it can be difficult to find time in busy schedules to attend, especially if you are a small operation with minimal staffing. However, we have posted many photos on the website and links to our new member benefit programs. One of the great features of our 50th Convention was the 'history wall'. Dee from the HRIA office spent countless hours putting the history together and did an awesome job. I personally spent over an hour looking at this wall and it was extremely inspiring to see how we have progressed as an industry from our humble beginnings. We are now planning to post content from our keynote speakers at future Conventions, so members can revisit the presentations once back in their businesses and also I thought I would share some anecdotes about safety to help avoid workplace injuries. As you all know we are now into winter and the weather has changed dramatically. The trays of trucks and loading ramps are wet and slippery. Our company had two minor injuries in one week involving two of our truck drivers. The first incident occurred when the driver stood on the rim of the rear truck wheel to reach a chain on the tray of the truck. Due to everything being wet he slipped off the rim bruising his ribs resulting in two days off work. The second incident occurred when the driver slipped between the loading ramp and the side of the truck while loading 45kg gas bottles resulting in a badly bruised leg and three weeks off work. I urge all supervisors and managers to remind their staff now weather conditions have changed and we are well into winter, the risk of slipping over has increased and for all to be extra cautious. If any of our members would like to share other safety incidents with me, please email me; I believe this would be a great benefit. Take care and stay safe. Mark Burton National President HRNet – valuable input HR Net continues to be a valuable tool for member companies that may not have an internal HR department to obtain general advice. Strategic Alignment Training (SAT) can identify skills/training needs, map a training pathway and connect members to an appropriate training provider. In many cases, SAT is able to leverage its industry knowledge to identify and secure appropriate state or federal funds so the cost of training is neutral. This is a free service to members and has already seen a number of members secure valuable training for their employees at nil net cost. HRIA Accounting and Advisory Service HRIA have partnered with HLB Mann Judd to provide business advisory services around accounting, taxation, debt advisory and wealth. There will be a resources website and dedicated hotline for members to receive initial advice and should further work be required, members will have the opportunity to engage using a specially negotiated member only rate. Call the Business Help Line: 02 9020 4348 or email: kkelloway@hlbnsw.com.au