Keeping the lights on through COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we knew we had to do what was needed to keep the lights on.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we knew we had to do what was needed to keep the lights on.
Our product is crucial to daily lives, heating and powering homes and industry in Western Australia and overseas. We had to act quickly and change the way we work to protect our people, our business and our communities.
For some staff at our operational facilities that meant a period of precautionary isolation before commencing their swing. This minimised risk of contagion in the workforce so we could maintain gas production and keep our local community safe.
To support our staff, we made sure they had access to mental health and wellbeing programs. The support provided ranged from making equipment available to encourage regular exercise to providing time and technology to help them connect with their families at home.
At the AGM in April, CEO Peter Coleman acknowledged how staff had adapted rapidly to changed rosters and ways of working, saying “I thank our employees for the flexibility that they have shown in this period”.
As health and government guidelines evolve around COVID-19, we continue to change the way we work. In collaboration with the WA Government, as of 15 May we introduced Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) screening for our operations workforce.
GM Health, Safety and Wellbeing Theo Anderson said PCR screening helps identify if a person who is not showing symptoms may still have the virus.
“PCR screening increases the likelihood of detecting COVID-19 in individuals who are asymptomatic, ensuring they receive the appropriate treatment to recover, and protecting others from being infected”, he said.
We are also encouraging those undertaking COVID-19 screening to take part in the DETECT research project with Curtin University to further understand community transmission of COVID-19 and contribute to management of the pandemic. Premier Mark McGowan recently thanked industry for supporting and collaborating with the research component of DETECT.
“We have all learned a lot through this pandemic and we are pleased to be part of research that could help prepare our community for a future outbreak, “said Theo.
Across Western Australia we have seen Government, community and industry pull together to combat the threat from COVID-19.
We are proud to have played our part in keeping the lights on for WA.
