The South Australian Government has launched a road safety guide aiming to reduce the number of workers injured or killed on SA roads.
According to the SA Government, vehicle use is the number one contributor to serious injuries and deaths at work. And South Australia isn’t the only state affected – the NSW Resources Regulator recently declared vehicle interactions are on the rise across the state’s mines.
As the SA mining sector blooms with new mines and expansions, so too does the risk of incidents on major haul roads with multi-tonne mining trucks, and the influx of new workers increases the chance of an incident on the roads as workers make their way home after a long shift.
To combat this, the SA Government has launched the new Workplace Road Safety Guide – A guide for employers and workers.
The guide outlines steps employers and workers can take to support safer driving on the job, providing tools and resources to minimise risk and ensure road safety is a priority at work.
“This new guide will become a vital resource to help businesses who require their workers to drive on our roads, to understand their responsibilities and develop strategies to mitigate road safety risks,” SafeWork SA executive director Glenn Farrell said.
“Identifying and then appropriately managing risks is one of the most important things businesses can do to keep workers and all other road users safe.”
A pre-driving checklist and workplace road safety policy templates are published with the guide to map clear reporting measures and responsibilities across organisations, from the top down.
Recommended policies include zero tolerance for failing to wear a seatbelt, making speeding a disciplinary issue, a no alcohol policy during work hours, eliminating mobile phone use to avoid driver distraction and promoting good driver behaviour.
Developing a fatigue management plan is recommended when shift work and long-distance travel is required – critical given the long hours and fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) work associated with mining – with employers encouraged to provide workers with specialised skills training such as driving on unsealed roads.
Employers and workers can access the new guide on the Think! Road Safety website.
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