• Safe handling when securing loads on trucks safety campaign
• Transport industry networks and workshops
• Duties
• Cash in transit Code of Practice 2011
• Forklifts trucks
• Fatigue
• Noise
• Risk management
• Sun safety and heat stress
• Safe concrete pumping

• Other industries
• Codes of Practice

Moving forward - delivering safety in the supply chain

In May 2006 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), in partnership with the Transport and Storage Industry Sector Standing Committee (ISSC), held a transport Safety Summit Your industry your safety: delivering in the supply chain. The objective of the Summit was to work with industry to find new ways to improve health and safety across the supply chain.

In 2007-08 the Queensland transport and storage industry had 22.4 serious injury claims (injuries requiring seven or more days off work) per 1000 employees. The claims average for serious injuries across all industries is 14.9. Over 60 per cent of all serious injuries in the transport and storage industry were musculoskeletal disorders (also known as sprains, strains and soft tissue injuries).

The transport industry is unique; it interacts with every other industry in Queensland in a constantly changing work environment. Improving health and safety in the transport industry will improve health and safety across the supply chain.

The Summit

Over 160 people from the transport and storage, retail and wholesale, and manufacturing industries and government attended the Summit. Industry representatives worked together to identify critical health and safety issues across the supply chain and provide their views on potential solutions.

The information provided by industry was collated into a report sent to all the Summit's attendees. The report makes recommendations for development of solutions by industry, by WHSQ, and through partnerships under the key themes of:

• leadership
• partnership
• workforce issues
• tools and techniques.
  
  

Highlighted in the report are links between existing WHSQ initiatives and the Summit recommendations. The Zero Harm at Work Leadership Forum program in particular provides an opportunity to link industry leadership with improvements in supply chain safety. Nine of the organisations represented at the Summit have already committed to this program.

The next steps

The recommendations below were developed by the Transport and Storage ISSC and WHSQ taking into account the common themes and barriers, and the priority issues and solutions identified at the Summit. Work on implementing these recommendations is continuing.

Leadership

• Target the Zero Harm at Work Leadership Forum program to the transport and storage, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale industries to promote a safety climate.
• Develop a communication strategy with industry to:
  • assist union and industry in developing an 'it's okay to speak up' awareness campaign
  • promote awareness of the chain of responsibility obligations across the supply chain and the relationship to workplace health and safety legislation
  • promote a focus on businesses integrating safety management systems across their supply chain.
    
    

Partnership

• Develop industry case studies that showcase health and safety solutions.
• Continue to develop partnerships with all stakeholders from industry and government.
• Industry to investigate the feasibility of influencing the design of warehouses and loading docks in the future.
  
  

Tools and techniques

• Develop case studies in risk assessment to demonstrate practical solutions for evaluating and managing risk in an ever-changing work environment. The case studies can show how improving communication reduced risk.
• Develop industry manual tasks information sheets on topics such as questions to ask at point of sale or contract, risk assessing customer sites.
• Raise awareness of and promote safety tools that already exist including tools from other jurisdictions.
  
  

Workforce issues

• Continue working with Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) to embed safety elements into their attraction and retention strategy for the transport industry.
• Encourage DTMR to build a safety focus into all their programs for new and young workers.
• Promote careers in transport through DTMR industry networks and the Transport and Storage ISSC.
• Industry to continue to work to improve its induction processes and ensure they include manual tasks risks.
  
  

For more information about the Summit or improving safety in the transport and storage industry contact the Industry Strategy Unit, industrystrategyunit@justice.qld.gov.au or the Workplace Health and Safety Infoline on 1300 369 915.