Komatsu has built a strong safety culture from day one, running an annual safety week for first and third-year apprentices with hands-on, engaging training across all trades.
The company’s aim is to equip apprentices with the tools, knowledge and mindset to make safety a core part of how they work, not just during their apprenticeship, but throughout their careers.
Komatsu national apprentice development manager Kate Pemberton said safety week is a key investment in people.
“Safety week allows us to deliver essential safety concepts in a way that’s interactive, relatable and most importantly, memorable,” Pemberton said.
“We want safety to be something our apprentices live and breathe – not just something they tick off a checklist.”
First-year apprentices take part in a comprehensive program that blends foundational safety skills with broader wellbeing and behavioural training. This includes mental health and wellbeing, safe driving practices and technical modules like jacking and blocking and the move to test qualification.
They also engage in workshops focused on physical and mental resilience and receive in-depth guidance from Komatsu’s national health, safety and environment team on core safety principles such as the company’s golden rules, start safes, isolation protocols and hand safety.
Third-year apprentices build on these foundations with more advanced modules, including trailer and load safety, remote work and journey management, preparing them for the realities of working independently on site.
“We realised that PowerPoint presentations weren’t cutting it when it came to delivering these critical messages,” Pemberton says.
“So, we reimagined the way we engage our apprentices with some more engaging and exciting activities, like Lego challenges, robot building, a custom Komatsu board game centred on risk and most powerfully, hearing real stories from people who’ve experienced workplace accidents.
“These personal stories have become a standout element of the week. When someone shares how a single incident changed their life and career, it really hits home.”
Pemberton said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive – not just from the apprentices themselves, but from the broader Komatsu team who can see the impact it is having on their younger colleagues.
“The apprentices embraced all the activities and learnings from the week and it’s been great to see them apply this back to their everyday roles. It’s a great initiative that we’re really proud of and we look forward to continuing to roll out the week each year,” she said.