2008 Blake Dawson Inside OHS Awards

Find out who won a trip to Seoul or Cape Town!

2008 Blake Dawson Inside OHS Awards organisers are pleased to announce this year’s winners. The best OHS initiatives, chosen by recognised judges, were revealed during our official ceremony at Blake Dawson’s head office on 26 May 2008. Tony Kinnear, Thomson’s CEO and Lea Constantine, Blake Dawson’s Partner, awarded and congratulated our winners.

Learn more about these successful health & safety stories that have led to outstanding achievements and made 2008 Blake Dawson Inside OHS Awards more brilliant than ever!

WINNER 1st Prize – GTS Freight Management

Suspended Ceiling Pit System

GTS Freight Management has capitalised on an opportunity to design and install a suspended ceiling pit system in a mechanics workshop at its new operations headquarters to solve potential and known OHS problems. Mechanics at GTS’s former site had reported they spent up to 80% of their work time lying on trolleys and sliding over a cement floor while avoiding axles and other heavy objects in a crowded and congested area.

Head contusions and shoulder, arm and hand injuries were common. Working in pits often involved the mechanics lifting and reaching in awkward positions. Many of them balanced on stools and stands to reach their work.

GTS says a new pit elevating platform provides a flexible safe height for workers. They do not work on top of each other nor do they have to strain to reach awkward places. Anti-slip flooring has reduced slips and falls risks. Manual handling and forklift movement are greatly reduced.

As at May 2008, the transport and logistics company has operated its suspended ceiling pit system for 13 months. The system does not need to be modified. MD Damian Matthews said there had been zero back or strain injuries and productivity had improved by 60% since its introduction.

RUNNERS-UP

City of Sydney Steam Plant Redesign & Driver Awareness Program Cleansing & waste and fleet services staff have enthusiastically worked with a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders to increase driver safety awareness and reduce motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) related to operating steam plant. They have also used their collective ingenuity to eliminate manual handling hazards arising from filling steam plant units with water. Workers no longer have to climb onto the vehicles’ rear decks to refill water tanks.

Linfox Armaguard Coin Counting Machine Modification Linfox Armaguard, which aims to become the world’s leading currency management company, has deployed its management’s “fantastic” OHS initiative, drive and focus to significantly reduce manual handling for cash room and coin room staff. Linfox Armaguard national manager workplace safety Karen Brown said as a result of the new coin counting machine, projected manual handling injury claims for 2007/08 were 7% of all w/comp claims, compared with 16% in 2006/07.

FINALIST

Rio Tinto Boyne Smelter PASH Day at Boyne Smelter Ltd - Be PASSIONATE about your safety and health Demonstrating that health and safety “can be fun” and generating individuals’ own commitment to the concept has seen Rio Tinto Boyne Smelter’s multi-faceted occupational health, occupational hygiene, safety and HSE activities team secure impressive employee engagement. Boyne Smelter occupational health nurse Katrina Herbert said the market-day activities had "interactive stalls" to get the health and safety messages across. Workers could win tokens only if they participated. It has led to a 73% positive change towards health and safety in the smelter

The Blake Dawson Inside OHS Professional of the year Award 2008

For the first time in the history of the Awards, we are recognising groundbreaking work by an individual

Professor Peter Leggat

Head, School of Public Health Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences - James Cook University

Internationally recognised physician Professor Peter Leggat has long been involved in global campaigns to combat occupational health issues, particularly in the tropical developing world. He has supported safety educational programs and researched the safety of health care workers and alcohol and other drugs in the workplace. He has highlighted child labour issues.
Professor Peter Leggat is a longstanding member of the World Safety Organisation’s international board of directors. He was its Director General from 1997 to 1999 and Deputy Director General from 1993 to 1997. Professor Leggat is the current president of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine and has convened the Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine’s working overseas guidelines review committee.