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Council overall winner of Workplace Safe Awards

Total Workforce, a commercialised business unit of the Launceston City Council, has been named overall winner of Tasmania's 1999 Workplace Safe Awards.

The Unit, which provides maintenance and development services, was also winner of the 'Best Workplace Health and Safety Management Program' category. "We were delighted with the category award and thrilled to get the overall award," said Greg Preece, Manager Works Operations.

He explained Total Workforce had recognised that workplace health and safety was an area for potential improvement several years ago when the inaugural awards were held. Accordingly, the organisation contacted that year's winner to find out what they were doing which could be adopted by Total Workforce.

"To find ourselves in the same position just a few years later is highly pleasing," Greg said. "It is also a great boost to morale and a reward for the effort put in by everyone."

Total Workforce has adopted a whole of company approach to safety, with everyone working together to ensure safer working environments. It has integrated its quality, safety and environmental systems into one system, an Integrated Management System, to monitor the effectiveness of operations.

Safety is the first item on the agenda of weekly management review meetings. Each manager is expected to report on safety improvements. Greg Preece said many of the improvements have been small incremental changes.

He said it is difficult to quantify overall savings from the increased focus on workplace health and safety but worker compensation have been reduced by 12.9%, while annual flu injections have saved $28,000 in time lost through influenza on top of reduced downtime for plant and equipment.

Staff are encouraged to learn more about safety by attending training courses, seminars and conferences to achieve industry best practices. Council sponsors gym membership and morning warm up exercises are now compulsory.

In presenting the awards at a function in Hobart, Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, Paul Lennon, said the judging panel had made particular reference to the high standard of entries received this year.

The Awards attracted entries from a diverse range of industries including hospitality, forestry, retailing, health and community services, Local Government and printing.

For further information contact Greg Preece, telephone (03) 6323 3505

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