National Safe Work Month is almost here. This October, Safer Together members in Queensland are encouraged to “Stand Together for Safety” in response to a call by the Qld Resources Minister, Scott Stewart MP, for companies across the entire Qld resources sector to engage their workforce in a Safety Re-Set campaign. Safer Together has prepared a toolbox talk pack to help member companies to respond to the Minister’s call during National Safe Work month.
The Qld mining sector experienced 6 workplace fatalities in a 12-month period across 2018-2019. In response, a Safety Re-Set campaign was conducted across the Qld mining sector in late 2019. This year, to follow-up on the 2019 Re-Set, Minister Stewart has asked the entire Queensland resources sector to participate. This campaign is expected to reach some 70,000 workers across the state.
While Queensland Oil and Gas has not had the same issues as the mining sector, the 2021 Safety Re-set offers an opportunity for our industry to further improve safety culture and support a key Ministerial priority.
In his 2019 review of mining and quarrying fatalities, serious accidents and other incidents, Dr Sean Brady recommended that industry adopt the characteristics of High Reliability Organisations (HROs). These organisations have, among other things a chronic sense of unease when operations appear to be running safely, because there may be underlying issues and problems not being detected, reported or appropriately acted upon.
Consistent with Dr Brady’s recommendation, the theme of this year’s campaign is “Chronic unease: improving safety culture through better hazard and incident reporting”. The expectation is that this theme will focus on reinforcing an industry culture of open and comprehensive reporting and investigation of near miss events, without fear, to encourage vigilance and diligence in hazard identification and risk control.
Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) have contacted organisations in the Queensland Oil and Gas Industry to advise that the Minister is seeking industry commitment and support to implement and support the Safety Re-Set. RSHQ have also provided a 2021 Safety Re-Set Pack.
To help Safer Together members respond to the Minister’s call, Safer Together has prepared a toolbox talk pack that incorporates the RSHQ materials and customises the messages for our industry. The toolbox talk pack contains ‘blank spaces’ for company-specific or site-specific content. It also links to relevant Safer Together material that member companies may use to complement the toolbox talk pack. A How To Guide has also been developed to help Safer Together members in delivering the campaign materials.
October is National Safe Work Month, a time to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace. During October each year, SafeWork Australia asks workers and employers across Australia to commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. As such, Safer Together members are encouraged to Stand Together for Safety to roll-out the Safety Re-Set campaign in October. Members will be free to customise the Safer Together toolbox talk material, or to use their own material, to meet the Minister’s Safety Re-Set expectations.