Department of Transport and Main Roads
Safety is integral in the delivery of the vision: Main Roads - Connecting Queensland. Main Roads provides a positive, proactive safety culture through which workplace health and safety (WHS) is incorporated into all business planning processes, with continuous improvements a hallmark of better safety outcomes.
The high quality of safety is enhanced through the Main Roads Corporate WHS Management System, which is based on the standards AS/NZ 4801:2001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and AS/NZS 4360:2004 Risk Management. The safety management system is also designed to be evaluated against 13 performance criteria detailed in the Safer and Healthier Workplaces 2007 - 2012, Organisational Assessment and Improvement Tool for Public Sector Agencies.
Main Roads recognises that the deployment of an intelligent, integrated safety management system can directly affect the bottom line, while simultaneously improving business efficiencies and processes. More importantly, it has a proven ability to improve the personal health and safety of all employees, contractors, suppliers and the general public.
Indicators of success between 2007-08 and 2007-09 include:
- 30% reduction in the number of Lost Time Injuries - 59 in 2008-09 compared to 86 in 2007-08
- 43% reduction in the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate - 5.8 in 2008-09 compared to 10.2 in 2007-08
- 66% reduction in the Severity Injury Frequency Rate - 70 in 2008-09 compared to 205 in 2007-08
- 62% reduction in the days lost - 669 days in 2008-09 compared to 1779 days in 2007-08
- Main Roads WorkCover premium for the period reduced by $564 000. This has much greater significance, given wages for the period increased by $64 million, which has the effect of dramatically increasing the premium calculation. The money saved as a result was invested in the delivery of whole-of-government outcomes, providing greater benefits for Queensland communities.
The department has also achieved a significant reduction in the whole-of-government Safer and Healthier Workplace Strategy 2007 - 2012 (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland) by:
- 23% reduction against the 10% target in the number of Lost Time Injuries greater than five days
- 48.9 % reduction against the 10% target in the number of days (full and partial) lost.
The WHS Safety Management System is best practice for the Queensland Government, and has the potential to be implemented across whole of government.
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Picture 1: Department of Transport |
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