Hire and Rental News - November 2018

INDUSTRY NEWS Good mental health in focus on construction sites Positive mental health messaging is being rolled out across Australian construction sites under a new partnership between the Black Dog Institute and Target Tradies via a series of creative posters giving construction workers pragmatic, useful, and relevant tips on how to support mental health. The aim of the posters is to help make thinking about mental health as normal as thinking about physical health and safety on site. Research has shown, compared to other industries, those in construction are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health problems. The posters also ask readers to ‘mind your mates’, in a bid to reduce stigma and to get readers to support their colleagues' mental health, as well as their own. "We know people in construction have a culture of safety and looking out for their mates," Black Dog Institute research fellow Dr Mark Deady said. "We wanted to extend that way of thinking to mental health – knowing what the danger signs are, and either being there to help out a mate, or knowing where to seek help for yourself.” The posters are bold and attract attention, using a play on words like ‘stressed and can’t nail it?’ to make the signs and symptoms of mental illness relatable and quickly understood. Visit: www.targettradies.com.au A moment is all it took during National Safe Work Month Last month National Safe Work Month gave workers and employers an opportunity to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace. Last year in Australia, 191 people died while doing their job and over 106,000 people made a claim for a serious injury, Safe Work Australia CEO Michelle Baxter said. “No industry should be unsafe to work in and no death or injury is acceptable”. The theme for this year’s National Safe Work Month campaign was: ‘A moment is all it takes’ and called on all of us to spend a moment each day considering safety in the workplace, Michelle said. “While a safety incident can happen in a moment and in any workplace, a moment’s forethought can prevent harm. “Taking a safety moment can be as simple as spending five minutes every morning talking with your team about the hazards and risks in your workplace and how to prevent harm,” Michelle said. Safe Work Australia published a range of resources on the National Safe Work Month website (www.safeworkaustralia. gov.au/news-and-events/national-safe- work-month), including posters and graphics specific to a range of industries. Employers and workers are encouraged to use these resources to raise awareness of work health and safety in their workplace. Visit: www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Wacker Neuson reports substantial increase in profitability Setting a new record high, the Wacker Neuson Group reported a marked rise in revenue and earnings during the first six months of 2018 with revenue rising 8% to EUR 825 million. The company said revenue growth was driven primarily by continued high levels of demand in the construction market and strong performance in the European agricultural sector. Bottlenecks among some suppliers prevented machines from being completed for customer orders and this had a dampening effect. Unfavourable currency developments, in particular the US dollar’s weakness against the euro, resulted in negative translation effects. Revenue for the Americas region rose 9% to EUR 202 million. The weak US dollar had a strong impact. When adjusted for currency effects, revenue rose 21%. High investment activity among rental chains in North America and strong sales of compact equipment had a positive effect. Revenue in Asia-Pacific rose 4% to EUR 24 million. The strong euro also squeezed growth figures. Adjusted for currency effects, revenue rose 11%. The rise in revenue with cost control and improvements to internal processes had a positive impact. Increased material prices had a dampening effect, as did material bottlenecks among suppliers. Visit: www.wackerneusongroup.com Creative posters give construction workers useful tips on how to support mental health Wacker Neuson HQ 10 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2018