Kowanyama
Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council is one of the many remote communities benefiting from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program.
Located on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, Kowanyama’s 1200-strong population makes it one of the largest and most remote Aboriginal communities in Queensland.
In 1987 the state government implemented a Deed of Grant In Trust management format for all Indigenous Councils that allowed the communities to elect their own council to oversee its affairs. In March this year the Councils’ will come under the state’s Local Government Act as part of the proposed amalgamation of local councils.
After delivering training to Kowanyama Council late last year, the program’s Cairns based Senior Advisor Jon Flower said that the Council has demonstrated great progress and improvement in their commitment to workplace health and safety.
As part of that commitment the council has:
- put systems in place in relation to warning signage
- introduced drop-down electrical leads to eliminate ‘leads across the floor’
- bolted and guarded pedestal grinders to the benches
- built and used appropriate chemical storage units with material safety data sheets
- implemented the wearing of personal protective equipment for all council workers
- put in place workplace bullying systems with mediation processes available for workplace disputes.
Feedback from the community has been extremely positive with training participants applauding the program as “well worth the time and effort”. Participants also expressed appreciation for“new and updated information” that has made them “more aware of their responsibilities”.
Jon Flower said the training has made a significant impact.
“Employees are now more involved in safety decisions and the commitment from management has improved greatly,” Jon said.
“With the help of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program Kowanyama and other remote communities will continue towards the goal of getting all workers home safely.”
Table of contents | The most important reason for workplace safety is not work at all
Last updated 22 July 2008
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