Employee wellbeing in the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mining industry, where staff work and live on company premises, has an additional dimension compared to other industries.
Operators have a duty of care to their staff as workers and also as residents. Employees must be safe not only when carrying out their duties on the work site, but also during non-working hours in workforce accommodation.
Employee wellbeing in 2025 encompasses not only the physical safety of workers, but their psychological safety too – workers must be safe, but just as importantly, must feel safe. Feeling safe in the workplace increases job satisfaction (lowering staff turnover), productivity, innovation and creativity.
For operators, smart access solutions, such as those from Salto, can play an essential role in delivering safe and secure workforce accommodation, helping to ensure that all residents know they are safe in their home away from home.
Smart access solutions use electronic locks which are opened with a programmable digital key – either a physical keycard or fob, or an app on the resident’s mobile phone. They help operators to manage their responsibilities through:
- Controlled access – an access management solution allows operators to be very specific about who can access which door or gate and when. The keycard or app is programmed to allow access only to specific areas at specific times. So, for example, a women’s accommodation block could be made accessible only to female residents, or leisure facilities could be open only between designated hours. If a keycard or fob is lost, unlike a traditional key, it can be instantly cancelled, significantly reducing the risk if it falls into the wrong hands.
- Alerts and audits – if there is an attempt to make an unauthorised access, or to force a door, the operator receives a real-time alert, allowing them to take immediate action. An audit function keeps a track of who has accessed which areas at what times, providing essential information in the case of an investigation into an incident.
- Proactive welfare – operators can use the smart access system as part of a welfare checking program. For example, receiving an alert if a resident’s door has not been opened for a set period of time, or, with Person-in-Room detection, if a room has not been occupied.
When it comes to workforce accommodation, smart access technology can provide operators with a vital tool to keep their workers safe – and feeling safe.
To discuss how Salto’s smart access solutions can help you boost employee wellbeing contact Adrian Taber, Vertical Lead Workers Accommodation – Salto Oceania at a.taber@saltosystems.com