Proactive Risk Management in Action: A Conversation with Liam Bell

As part of Safe Work Month, we sat down with Manufacturing Manager, Newcastle Rod and Bar, Liam Bell to talk about what proactive risk management means in practice, and how thinking ahead helps keep our teams and workplaces safe.

At InfraBuild, our Health, Safety and Environment Principles guide how we work and lead. Proactive risk management means more than responding when something goes wrong – it’s about constantly assessing the risk of unwanted events, putting effective barriers in place, and verifying them before people or the environment are exposed to harm.

“Proactive risk management is one of the key drivers in maintaining a safe workplace,” Liam Bell explains.

“It’s our workplace. So an engaged team, using the risk management processes we’ve got and combining them with their skills and experience, is the best way to identify and eliminate or control risks before incidents occur.”

Q: Why is it important that we focus on preventing risks rather than reacting to incidents?

“Once something happens, you can’t predict the outcome. It might be a scratch or something far more serious. Sometimes it comes down to dumb luck, and that’s not a good way to manage safety.

Proactive risk management means identifying potential scenarios, putting controls around them, and removing that luck factor. Once an unplanned event starts, people often react instinctively, like putting an arm out to stop something falling, which can make things worse. Managing risks early prevents those moments from happening.”

Q: Can you share an example of how proactive risk management works in practice?

“There are a lot of layers to it in our workplace. One of the simplest examples is pre-start checks. You might do those a hundred times without issue, but it’s the 101st time that matters, when you find a fault before it causes harm.

We’ve had people stop and fix an issue during a pre-start check that could have easily turned into an incident.

Another example is our Critical Risk Inspections. They help us focus on high-consequence, low-likelihood risks events and dig deeper into areas where we thought we were performing well. It’s a great tool that’s helped us find small but important gaps before they become problems.”

Q: What are some of the barriers or controls that give you confidence risks are being managed?

“At Newcastle, we’ve got an extensive array of controls in place; such as machine guarding, physical barriers, handrails, exclusion zones, and clearly marked walkways to separate people from mobile equipment.

We also have detailed traffic management plans so vehicles and pedestrians don’t interact, and maintenance programs that ensure equipment stays in good condition. All of these are proactive controls that keep our people and environment safe every day.”

Q: How do you encourage your teams to think ahead about risk?

“Using too much ‘safety speak’ can make people glaze over, so I focus on keeping it practical.

We introduced a concept called ‘More Eyes, More Often’ following the teams training at Safety Connect. The idea is simple: I’ve only got two eyes, my colleague has two eyes. But if everyone in the plant is using their eyes and looking more often, that’s hundreds of eyes identifying risks earlier and having each other’s back.

Our people know their areas better than anyone. When they’re encouraged to look, think and speak up, we get better, more practical, and sustainable solutions – the kind that actually work on the floor.”

Q: What role does leadership play in building a culture where people feel confident to speak up?

“Leadership is critical to building a proactive culture. Our people see and know a lot. My job as a leader is to unlock that knowledge and create an environment where they feel safe to share it.

If you ask for input but never act on it, people stop coming forward. Even when we can’t fix everything straight away, being open about what we can do and why shows that we care, and that keeps the dialogue going.”

Q: Finally, what message would you like everyone to take away from this year’s Safe Work Month?

“Everyone can contribute. It doesn’t matter what your role is or how long you’ve been here, you’ve got something valuable to offer.

‘More Eyes, More Often’ is the best contribution anyone can make to the safety of themselves and their teammates. Share what risks you might see and ideas on how to improve it. Proactive risk management isn’t an extra task, it’s just how we should all work every day.”