Queensland manufacturing industry heads urged to cut injury toll
October 2010
Nearly 200 manufacturing industry leaders have been encouraged to cut their industry's rate of workplace injury by working with the Queensland Government and making workplace safety a priority.
Industrial Relations Minister Cameron Dick challenged the manufacturing industry to follow the leads of the transport and construction industries in resolving to turn around current death and injury rates.
Mr Dick said the serious injury rate for manufacturing was the highest of any industry (16.7 per 1000 workers) and double that of the state average (8.5 per 1000 workers). Manufacturing also experiences approximately five fatalities a year.
He said the inaugural Zero Harm at Work Leadership Program forum for the Manufacturing Industry, which was held this week for industry leaders from business and unions, would help target death and injury rates in the sector.
"The Zero Harm at Work Leadership Program aims to build a positive safety culture in Queensland workplaces, helping to reduce the number and seriousness of workplace health and safety incidents," Mr Dick said.
"Effective workplace health and safety performance comes from the top. Industry leaders have both collective and individual responsibility for workplace health and safety
"Continuous improvement in workplace health and safety is not a task for government alone—reducing the current death and injury rates in Queensland manufacturing workplaces requires a collaborative effort from all areas and levels of the manufacturing sector."
Mr Dick said that since the launch of the Zero Harm at Work Leadership Program in September 2009, membership had grown steadily to include 115 of Queensland's largest employers, industry associations and unions.
"Participating in this program is a very public demonstration to peers, workers and other organisations that you are committed to ensuring that workers return home at the end of each working day safe and healthy." Mr Dick said.
"A fundamental part of being involved in this program is putting forward and sharing practical examples of your own initiatives so that those good ideas can benefit all Queensland workplaces.
"This is definitely not a prescriptive program, with a big stick approach. It's about providing a positive forum to harness the energy, expertise and experience of industry. Simply put, it's about looking at what industry is doing right and sharing those good works."
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