Black Rhino Group

Cold beer, good food, and welcoming spaces – three pillars on which Black Rhino Group has built its strong reputation. Operating since 2012, it’s one of Australia’s largest hospitality companies and operates over 40 venues across Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland.

Managing compliance and safety across this portfolio of pubs, retail liquor, and accommodation was challenging, so Loss Prevention and Compliance Officers Jade O’Brien and Mia White looked for a better way of working. 

A complete operations overhaul

Jade had used SafetyCulture in a previous role, so she pitched the idea to Chief Operating Officer Josh Lister-Smith. In 2024, Black Rhino Group started using SafetyCulture to overhaul its operations. At first, they only planned to use it in the compliance team, but they quickly saw how useful it could be for maintenance, OH&S, document reporting, and staff training. “Josh said: ‘Roll it out across the whole group,’ which I wasn’t expecting,” Jade said. “But now it’s done us a lot of favors.”

Here are some clever ways Black Rhino used SafetyCulture’s Inspections and Actions tools to solve pain points:

• Incident reporting: Slips and falls, intoxicated guests, and stolen property are just some of the incidents within hospitality. Staff use Inspections to flag these and upload photo evidence. Managers are alerted immediately and assign Actions to rectify the problem. It’s a win-win, with managers having the oversight to quickly problem-solve, while workers feel more supported. 
• Compliance audits: Food safety regulations and fire safety codes have never been more seamless for Black Rhino. The team has slashed daily audit time from a full day to 3-4 hours. SafetyCulture’s built-in analytics prove venues are improving their compliance levels. They did this by replacing clunky spreadsheets with our comprehensive checklists (think: photo uploads and auto-flagging issues).
• Training tracking: Gone are the days of employees mindlessly clicking through mandatory training. Staff now get bite-sized, engaging training, and management has peace of mind that every worker is compliant with legislation and safe at work. This is done through a training matrix, which tracks employee onboarding and certifications for Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), anti-money laundering, and safety protocols.

“We worked closely with the SafetyCulture account managers to tailor the platform perfectly to our needs,” Jade says, expressing her appreciation for the comprehensive support she received throughout the implementation process. “Their expertise ensured we could maximize the platform’s value for our specific requirements before rolling it out across the group.”

This thorough implementation process set solid foundations for what would become a critical improvement in Black Rhino’s operations – its ability to respond instantly to dangerous incidents.

Real-time response to high-risk incidents

In hospitality, things can get hairy quite quickly. “Our Operations Team gets notifications instantly whenever incident reports are filed. With SafetyCulture, we’re able to react and manage the risk, which has helped the staff feel more supported,” she says.

This immediate response capability has helped the team handle difficult situations, like dealing with hotel incidents, property damage or other security concerns. SafetyCulture keeps all the information (e.g. security camera footage and staff reports) in one place and makes it much easier to share details when needed.

“Report storing and sharing has become very easy,”  Jade says. “Having it all accessible in one online platform where we can just go: ‘Here’s a PDF of the recount of the events by staff, the footage is attached to the PDF,’ saves our entire team a lot of time.”

This streamlined incident reporting process has not only improved Black Rhino Group’s relationship with authorities, it’s transformed how teams communicate across its widespread operations.

Serving up seamless communication

Maintaining strong connections and clear communication between each unique venue was difficult. Our Heads Up feature has since become a lifeline, allowing head office to send regulatory changes via video updates, while venue managers flag maintenance requests via Issues.

With SafetyCulture, venues can quickly communicate issues and access compliance tools without Jade and Mia physically present. It gives relevant head office teams instant oversight into what’s occurring on the ground. 

They’ve also made document management a pain-free process. “Previously, we’d email template and compliance document updates to the venues. However, with the ever-changing landscape of compliance, our team would easily confuse versions of documents and templates. Now there is a central database of up-to-date documentation that all staff have access to – and older versions are removed.”

Raising the bar: Black Rhino’s industry-leading approach

Black Rhino’s approach to compliance is turning heads in the industry. “I did a presentation at a liquor forum recently. The police and governing bodies requested a demonstration of SafetyCulture and how it’s impacted our business,” Jade says. 

The presentation was so well received that Liquor Control Victoria is now using Jade’s templates to help educate other venues about improving their systems. Receiving recognition from authorities who regulate the industry has been particularly meaningful for Black Rhino’s team.

Usage data shows real results

Long before her days of SafetyCulture demos at liquor forums, Jade first had to prove the platform’s worth to her manager. “I used the Analytics tool to show Josh that the venues getting the most use out of the platform were also our highest-risk venues for incidents,” Jade says. This data-driven approach has helped identify areas for improvement.

Transforming workplace culture

Perhaps the most significant impact has been on workplace culture. “Not a lot of people were on board at first. They thought: ‘It’s just another program to give me a headache’,” Jade says. “But now they see the benefit of us responding swiftly and helping them manage risks.”

For compliance officers Jade and Mia, the platform has transformed their daily work, reducing time spent chasing information and allowing them to focus on strategic improvements. “It’s made our job less stressful because we know the proper process is in place,” Jade reflects. “We’re not spending half our day chasing up footage or five different staff members about what happened because nobody’s written anything down. It’s time-saving, effective, and streamlined.”

As Black Rhino Group continues to grow across Australia, it’s finding new ways to use SafetyCulture beyond its initial compliance focus. “I’ve just started using it for essential services,” Jade says. “We’re implementing a checklist to ensure venues have the right documentation, that all fire extinguishers have been attended to recently, and that fire equipment is up to date.” With the SafetyCulture platform in hand, Black Rhino Group has the tools it needs to meet regulations without the headaches and to put its team first as they scale.