Industry Action Plans released
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has released seven new Industry Action Plans developed in consultation with industry stakeholders to reduce workplace death, injury and disease in Queensland.
The initiatives in the new Industry Action Plans will direct WHSQ’s operational activities over the next three years and provide guidance for working with industry to reduce work-related injuries and fatalities.
The plans provide a blueprint for WHSQ to promote and lead cultural change in high risk industries, increase awareness of key issues and improve knowledge, education and skills in managing workplace health and safety.
In keeping with the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Strategy 2004-12 (PDF, 114 KB) the plans aim to reduce the incidence of work-related injuries by 40 per cent, and fatalities by 20 per cent.
There is also a strong focus on initiatives to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, which for all industries except the rural industry, represents more than 50 per cent of non-fatal injuries in 2005–06.
Other mechanisms of injury addressed are slips, trips and falls and hitting or being hit by objects.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland will improve workplace health and safety performance by:
- working with industry to develop industry-specific education and awareness raising initiatives
- developing industry-accessible practical solution
- providing targeted compliance support and guidance to industry
- undertaking regulatory reform where necessary
- undertaking more strategic enforcement action.
As part of implementing the Industry Action Plans, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland will:
- focus on the workplace health and safety of young workers
- increase the capability of industry and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to address musculoskeletal disorder risk factors
- strive to build a culture that makes workplace health and safety an integral part of normal business operations
- focus on small businesses
- explore incentives to encourage business to improve workplace health and safety performance.
Each Industry Action Plan includes industry-specific initiatives such as those outlined below.
Hospitality, recreation and other services
- Facilitate the development of an industry-wide accreditation program which recognises businesses with effective workplace health and safety systems.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing a health and safety induction program for all people who work in these industries.
Retail and wholesale
- Reduce the risks of death or injury due to material handling equipment through a targeted enforcement and education campaign.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing a health and safety induction program for all people who work in these industries.
Transport and storage
- Improve industry education and awareness through the development of guidance material as wells as the integration of workplace health and safety into transport industry training competencies.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing an industry specific induction program for all people who work in these industries.
Health and community services
- Increase the capacity of health and community services employers to recognise and manage psychosocial issues in the workplace and promote the importance of aggressive behaviour management programs.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing a health and
safety induction program for all people who work in
these industries.
Manufacturing
- Provide specific industry alerts about real life scenarios and prevention of incidents in the metal products, meat processing, machinery and equipment manufacturing sectors of the industry.
- Create benchmark performance across the manufacturing industry by assisting manufacturing businesses to better understand how they can compare their own workplace health and safety performance to companies of similar size.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing a health and safety induction program for all people who work in manufacturing.
Construction
- Provide education and training to the civil construction industry to ensure it has the skills to manage manual task risks and hazards.
- Enhance on-site consultative arrangements.
- Improve the requirements of on-site safety requirements.
- Promote participation in the “The People at Work Project” to better manage occupational stress risks in the construction industry.
Rural
- Develop and provide on-property health and safety workshops for the cattle and horticulture industries.
- Develop and provide safer systems of work workshops to reduce injuries associated with farm vehicles, elevating work platforms, animal handling, picking ladders, knives and the hazard of leptospirosis.
- Investigate the feasibility of developing a health and safety induction program for all people who work in rural industries.
Table of contents | Work Safe Week 2007
Last updated 22 July 2008