Enhancing Safety‚ Health and Wellbeing
Aim
Consistently leading safe outcomes aimed at preserving the safety, health and wellbeing of our people.
Approach
To create consistent application of policies, standards and procedures across the organisation and with our business partners based on effective risk management to create a mature safety culture.
Key Performance Indicators
| Target | Actual | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | 0 | 0 |  |
| Lost Time Injury frequency rate | 2.0 | 1.3 | |
| % of incidents closed out within 30 days | 90 | 85 |  |
Key Achievements
- New Safety, Health and Wellbeing Framework and System.
- Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801:2001 recertification.
- Lifestyle improvement through health campaigns.
- Improved safety for road workers.
Introduction
Corporate Safety Health and Wellbeing Committee
This committee is part of the high level governance arrangement reflecting the importance we place on the safety of our workforce and is chaired by the Executive Director Human Resources. It also includes all members of Executive along with safety representatives from each Directorate. The role of the committee includes presiding over safety, health and wellbeing issues from high level strategy to reviews of individual incidents and acting as the primary occupational safety and health channel and reports on full-time and contracted employees to Corporate Executive. Achievements during the last 12 months include:
- New Safety, Health and Wellbeing Framework and System
- Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801:2001 recertification
- Lifestyle improvement through health campaigns
- Improved safety for road workers.
Our Framework
We launched a new Safety, Health and Wellbeing Safety Management Framework (SHW) in April 2016 to improve useability, consistency, integration and reporting functions. The new framework is structured under 12 new SHW Elements that outline the policies, procedures, guidelines and consultative mechanisms that make it easier for our staff to consistently lead safe outcomes according to Occupational Safety and Health legislation.
The framework is integrated with our quality management systems, promoting holistic business practice. Visit our Governance section for more information on our Integrated Management System.
Key Achievements
Proactive Safety, Health and Wellbeing
The most notable health campaign of the year was the ‘Steve Troughton Highway to Health Challenge’, with part of the name borrowed from our Managing Director. Of 181 participants, 78 per cent reported improvements in lifestyle, diet and workplace morale, while 48 per cent reported a positive impact on motivation and individual health. In the challenge, teams of three employees or contractors earned points through the number of steps taken in daily walking and activity, plus health and exercise challenges.
Other initiatives throughout the year included:
- flu vaccinations
- skin screening
- ergonomic assessments
- nutrition seminars (lunch-and-learns)
- cardiovascular plaque checks, a free Commonwealth Government initiative
- exercise campaigns, including State government endorsed corporate sports and charity events such as the City to Surf and HBF Run for a Reason.
Traffic Management Safety
The interaction between traffic and our workers remains one of the highest priorities of our occupational health and safety profile. For this reason, we continue to explore innovative ways to improve the protection of workers, contractors and members of the public. Our safety initiatives and innovations include:
- Robo-Sign
- Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMA)
- Telepath Voice Beacons
- ‘best practice’ safety training days.
These measures are in addition to our consistent implementation of procedures and Traffic Management for Works on Road – Code of Practice. Further information on safety initiatives is in the Case Study.
Lost Time Injuries
Our time lost from injury and disease is dramatically reduced though diligent work under our Safety, Health and Wellbeing Framework. Lost time is classified as being for one full shift or longer. The table shows our lost time injury frequency rate over the last three years. It is clear that we met our target of 2.0 (or less) over the last 12 months.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Time Injury | 7.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
The following graph illustrates the LTIFR performance over the year:
LTI-FR is: (the number of LTI/Ds over the 12 months x 1,000,000) divided by the number of exposure hours worked during that 12 month period, Actual FY15/16 LTI-FR calculation is: (10 LTI’s x 1,000,000) / 7,898,848 = 1.266) ~ rounded up to 1.3, Contractor LTI’s and exposure hours are included in the our LTI-FR calculation
Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management
Injury prevention and effective injury management are areas of focus in our Safety, Health and Wellbeing Framework. Following the principle of early return-to-work, we achieved a 21 per cent reduction in workers’ compensation claims and improved claim closure rates.
From 11 workers’ compensation claims lodged, one claim was declined and five closed with successful outcomes. Six claims remain open with return-to-work-plans in place. Of injured workers, 91 per cent returned to their full-time role within 13 weeks. All injured workers returned to work within 26 weeks after sustaining injury. These results support a trend of year-on-year reductions (as illustrated in the graph below), across a 10-year period.
Looking Ahead
- Implement the iSafe project to improve safety, health, wellbeing, quality and environmental management outcomes.
- Complete Critical Risk Reviews to continue delivering industry best practice on critical health and safety issues.
- Continue reviews of standards, guidelines and forms for our Safety, Health and Wellbeing Framework.
Case Study: Traffic Management Safety
Safe interaction between traffic and our workers is of the highest priority in our occupational health and safety profile.
We continue to explore and implement innovative ways of improving the protection of workers, contractors and members of the public.
As well as improving safety for the road user and workers, we design our initiatives to deliver efficient work practices. The table shows three specific road safety innovations that we have adopted over the last 12 months supporting our objectives:
| Initiative | Description | Status | Key Outcomes | Next Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMA’s) | A ‘crash cushion’ device mounted on the rear of heavy vehicle to absorb impact of an errant vehicle (travelling up to 110km/hr). Protects workers from impact and minimises injury to errant driver and passengers | 15 TMAs in use in Metropolitan and South West Regions; goal achieved to use in 90% of maintenance activities | TMAs set a new standard in road safety; four TMA strikes have occurred (due to errant vehicle). In each incident, the TMA’s prevented fatalities & serious injuries. TMA’s increase efficiency when installing traffic controls. Also reduces costs and damage to property and assets | Continue use in metropolitan maintenance activities; includes sweeping, mowing, litter collection, streetlight pole replacement, drainage works & vegetation maintenance |
| Telepath Voice Beacons (UHF CB Radio) | Mobile radio alert system that delivers tailorable ‘roadworks ahead’ alerts over Highway Channel 40. Commercial vehicles hear message when coming into range and can prepare to slow down | Embedded into Wheatbelt and Pilbara Regions (2015 -16); under trial in the Goldfields Region (commenced March 2016) | Highly effective; safety is enhanced as commercial drivers receive alert before seeing roadwork signs. Other public road users using Channel 40 (e.g. caravaners) also alerted | Ongoing embedment including tailoring operating procedures & extending use to unplanned road incidents in Goldfields Region |
| Robo-Sign | Remote control Stop/Slow signs for temporary traffic control | Currently in trial in the Goldfields Region (commenced June 2016) | Enhances safety for traffic controllers; removes traffic controller away from ‘line-of-fire’ and reduces risk of being struck by an errant driver | Ongoing trials including road-user compliance & battery life/recharge performance |
These traffic management initiatives provide efficiencies for operations particularly where it is not practical to deploy temporary safety barriers, such as with short to medium term road works. Over the next 12 months we will continue to embed and enhance the use of these safety assets as a key part of the safety, health, wellbeing, and road safety strategies.