Bulla has introduced wearable wristwatches as part of its mandatory uniform in an effort to oversee staff movements as efficiently as possible.
The wristwatches, called Smart Badges, are a form of wearable contract tracing technology which log a person’s movement as they pass ‘nodes’ placed at the entrances to sites and key communal areas.
The badges are being rolled out effective immediately after a successful trial period at Bulla’s Colac site.
Bulla is a major employer in the Colac region providing about 700 jobs locally in the town which was hit by a COVID-19 cluster in September.
Bulla's people and culture general manager Jacinta Munro was instrumental in the Smart Badge integration.
“The roll-out of the Smart Badge has been met with fantastic employee and union support and it has really been about letting our team know that their wellbeing is our first priority,” Ms Munro said.
“The technology was implemented during one of our biggest recruitment drives to date, in a year when we have welcomed nearly 200 new team members to our sites in Colac.”
Smart Badge general manager Simon Finlayson said being on the front foot and able to quickly respond in the event of a positive COVID-19 case was a “real game-changer”.
“In a manufacturing environment, meticulously managing the set capacity limits is also now essential with enforced regulation — Smart Badge’s technology will help Bulla manage this using real-time data,” Mr Finlayson said.
Bulla chief executive Allan Hood believed it was the dairy processor's responsibility to increase safety measures on behalf of the team and the broader local community.
“In additional to being an incredible assurance for the health and safety of our team, the technology has enabled us to effectively manage existing shift segregation, allowing precious minutes to be re-focused back on to our production line, creating assurances for the future of our business as well,” Mr Hood said.
Bulla employs 900 people across its Colac and Melbourne sites.
Visitors and contractors attending Bulla sites must also wear Smart Badges.