Implementation Workshops were held in Brisbane on 20 May and Toowoomba on 25 May to launch the Safer Together Fitness To Work Medical Assessment Guideline and to provide initial implementation support for companies intending to adopt the Guideline, and for Health Practitioners that will carry out the FTW medicals for the Industry, to help them “hit the ground running”.
Health Working Group representatives at the Toowoomba Workshop (from L to R): Gordon Livingstone (MPC Kinetic), Dennis Murphy (ConocoPhillips), Hannah McConnell (Pro-Test Well Services), Dr Nhlanhla Mpofu (Shell QGC), Henrietta Jukes (Westside Corporation), Tim Phelan (Ventia) and Norman Neligan (Arrow Energy).
Attended by 66 people from 39 different companies, the two Workshops were hosted by the Queensland Health Working Group.
The recommended Fitness To Work Medical Assessment process within the Guideline aims to promote a consistent, efficient and cost-effective approach to medicals within our industry which will, in turn, lead to improved health management across the workforce. In particular, the goal is to reduce the occurrence of severe Fitness To Work health-related events in our industry.
The Guideline is the culmination of a dedicated work program, over several years, that included Subject Matter Experts and a series of consultation workshops with more than 100 representatives from Industry, Regulatory Authorities and Health Practitioners to frame and agree on a robust, industry wide FTW medical process.
The Guideline aims to:
- Reduce risk of workplace medical events and business disruption through a medical screening program;
- Reduce unnecessary medical assessments through standardization;
- Bring organisations not currently completing Fitness To Work assessments into the fold;
- Create a baseline assessment that is accepted by industry, to streamline site access; and
- Improve overall awareness of personal health in the industry to individuals and member companies.
The Medical Assessment Guideline, together with tools and materials to help roll it out (videos, brochure, business case, FAQs) are available on our website here.
You can also read a Deployment Case Study from Arrow Energy here.
Representatives from the Health Working Group in Queensland are also available to assist with implementation questions here.