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Consistently leading safe outcomes
We work to establish consistent application of policies, standards and procedures across the organisation and with our business partners based on effective risk management.
1. There were 2 LTI claims lodged in 2018-19
2. There were 2 LTI claims lodged in 2018-19, zero of these resulted in severe lost time injuries (actual or estimated 60 days or more lost from work)
3. There were 2 LTI claims lodged in 2018-19, both employees have returned to work within 13 weeks
4. There were 2 LTI claims lodged in 2018-19, both employees have returned to work within 26 weeks
Projects and activities planned for next financial year, some of which have already commenced, include the following:
A series of Safety, Health and Wellbeing (SHW) measures are tabled at the monthly Corporate Executive and Corporate SHW Committee meetings. The information available in our online incident reporting system, EQSafe, has enabled us to review both employee and contractor injuries. The Pin Man figure below is used for our Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting and data is based on a rolling 12 months. The data from 2018-19 has shown that of all the injuries recorded, 24 per cent are Main Roads employees and 76 per cent are contractor injuries. Other KPIs include the number of serious incidents reported for the month, and the status of outstanding investigation reports. This information helps identify critical issues, trends and emerging challenges that assist Corporate Executive to make strategic decisions to ensure the safety of our workforce and those that work with us in delivering our services.
There was a high incidence of upper hand and arm injuries throughout the year. A trend that is being seen across industry generally.
89%
Within 24 hours
Within 24 hours
Not within 24 hours
Over the last 12 months, almost 90 per cent of serious incidents were reported within 24 hours.
75%
Less than 30 days
Less than 30 days
More than 30 days
We seek to have all incident investigations closed out within 30 days. Last year, we achieved a 75 per cent closure rate.
Injury prevention and effective injury management continue to be a key focus of our SHW Strategy. We have continued to steadily reduce claims over the last few years achieving a 57 per cent reduction of workers compensation claims and improved claim-closure rates. Amongst the three workers compensation events, two have resulted in LTIs and are being managed.
We completed all 2018-19 actions associated with the SHW Strategy. The actions were reviewed quarterly by the Corporate SHW management committee. The SHW Policy Statement was reviewed and approved by the Managing Director for two years with a commitment to focus on both physical and mental wellbeing. We also operate and implement policies that manage the risk of being killed or seriously injured on our roads, or while working directly or indirectly for Main Roads, through our overall Road Safety Strategy.
Many of our people and the people we work with are directly engaged in road construction activities or interact with the road environment in some way. The construction industry itself is characterised by activities that are high risk from a safety perspective. According to Safe Work Australia the construction industry is consistently among the top industries in Australia with the highest number of serious incidents and is currently ranked as having the fifth highest incident rate of all industries.
We aim to influence safe practice throughout our business including on our construction projects, road maintenance and operational activities. We require our contractors to provide safety related information including the reporting of serious incidents and reporting to our external bodies such as WorkSafe or EnergySafe if required. The following outline some of our key achievements over the last 12 months.
Following the 2019 Integrated Management System external audit Main Roads was recommended for certification to ISO45001:2018 – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. The focus for this certification includes leadership, consultation and risk management.
We are committed to employee safety and commenced, in November 2018, a project examining potential fatality scenarios for Main Roads personnel and contracting partners. The project focused on the top 10 fatality risks to our workers, contractors and sub-contractors, and involved workshops with more than 70 employees. The Critical Risk Project was finalised at the end of May 2019 providing us with a thorough understanding of the causes of fatality risk events. We will now focus on strengthening the performance of identified critical controls and planning for the implementation of the Network Critical Risk Management Program during the next 12 months.
Mental health is increasingly important in the workplace, playing a crucial role in everything from productivity and economic success to the social wellbeing of the nation. The impact of mental health on organisations can be significant – especially from work absences and long-term work incapacity. Nationally, this impact is estimated to be as high as $11 billion per year.
Our Main Roads Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Survey has set a baseline. Results indicate that 45 per cent of our workforce report a need for an approach to mental health in the workplace (including awareness raising, capability building, and prevention and support) that is embedded in an integrated and sustained way.
During 2019, Human Resources has developed the Mental Wellness Strategic Framework and the Mental Wellness Action Plan 2019–2022, with release set for late 2019.
This is Main Roads’ first comprehensive approach for workplace mental health. It is a three-year program, delivered across four principles: people management; prevention; early recognition and support; and rehabilitation and return to work. It is a framework for staff to build their capability and commitment to positive workplace culture, to assess mental health risks, to take informed action for improving mental health and ensure early access to effective care and rehabilitation.
Main Roads has been conducting a trial for a device called Spot Generation 3, a location, tracking and emergency response device. The device is used for hazards associated with driving on the network and working in isolation. Functions include global coordinate tracking, message notifications and SOS functions to initiate an emergency response. If the trial is successful then the device may form part of our journey management and working in isolation processes.
We have reviewed and updated incident management processes. The update simplifies the process, summarised via flowcharts, and aims to increase efficiencies whilst also gaining better quality outcomes. In summary, working harder at the prevention of reoccurrence. Streamlining of root-cause analysis tools to a single methodology (Incident Cause Analysis Method – ICAM and ICAM Lite) to drive behaviours whilst also separating the investigation process from the analysis process gives more compete reports.
We regularly communicate Safety Banner Alerts across the organisation and to our contractors providing lessons learnt from serious incidents with associated corrective actions. During 2018-19 the following Banner Alerts were communicated:
| Safety banner Alert Type | Number |
| Red (initial information on a serious incident) | 30 |
| Grey (final investigation with corrective actions taken) | 27 |
| Blue (safety information - general) | 16 |
| Orange (technology and innovation) | 1 |
| Contractor | 11 |
This year has seen the establishment of the Austroads’ OSH Working Group Network with all Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand represented. Each agency provides a quarterly report that can include innovation, safety alerts and policy and procedure updates. Under the auspices of Austroads an Asbestos Management Working Group has been created and we have allocated a technical specialist to be part of this group. The working group will meet annually to discuss current best practice and share learnings.
In November 2018, the State Government was shining a light on the state’s horrifying family and domestic violence statistics through their ‘16 Days in WA to Stop Violence’ campaign. The campaign raised awareness, particularly on violence against women, and encouraged active change in communities.
Main Roads supported the campaign and was involved in lighting, in orange, recognisable Perth landmarks such as the Matagarup Bridge. We also promoted the campaign to staff through articles and items on workplace impacts, support available, and tips for supportive environments and respectful relationships.
We value our employees and recognise family is an important part of our employee’s life. To embrace work–life balance, we host a Family Day event annually with family members invited to the workplace. Activities, including displays of Main Road’s initiatives, can enhance understanding and show employee contributions to the community.
Safety, Health & Wellbeing
During the year, we hosted a two-day forum promoting, through speakers and topics, a positive safety culture and providing an opportunity to network and knowledge share....