C9 Workplace health and safety

The Directorate is dedicated to improving workplace health and safety across schools and central office. A strategic framework is currently in place to provide a planned, documented and quantifiable approach for the comprehensive and systemic management of leadership in injury prevention and management. This strategic framework is the Directorate’s Workplace Health and Safety and Injury Management Improvement Strategy 2009-2012 which is a requirement under the ACTPS Workplace Health Strategic Plan 2008-2012.

Investigations

In the reporting period, the Directorate did not have any incidents that required reporting in relation to non-compliance, any undertaking, notice or agreement being issued by Work Safe ACT. The Directorate did not have any placement of Provisional Improvement Notices.

A total of 533 staff Accident/Incident Reports were received during 2010-11, a decrease from the previous year’s figure of 732. There were 21 staff notifiable incidents reported under section 38 of the Work Safety Act 2008.

The Directorate received 966 student Accident/Incident Reports and 20 third party Accident/Incident Reports. This was a decrease from the previous reporting period, which recorded a figure of 1,043 (this number is inclusive of both student and third party reports). All student and third party reports are notifiable under section 38 of the Work Safety Act 2008 and were reported to Work Safe ACT.

Worker consultation arrangements and work safety representatives

As required under the Work Safety Act 2008, the Directorate consulted with employees regarding Worker Consultation Units. A total of 85 Worker Consultation Units were formed during 2010-11. The Directorate had 97 Work Safety Representatives and 66 Deputy Work Safety Representatives trained and undertaking their responsibilities. To support the Work Safety Representatives, training was delivered in June 2011 and network meetings for representatives were conducted over August, October and November 2010. These contact points ensured up-to-date health and safety information was disseminated throughout the Directorate.

Injury Prevention and Management Policy Committee

The Injury Prevention and Management Policy Committee has overseen the development and management of new and existing health and safety initiatives such as:

• Managing High Temperature in ACT Public Schools policy
• Safety and Wellbeing Core Principle Commitment Statement
• Risk Assessment Toolkit
• Manual Handling Project in specialist schools
• Workplace Health and Safety Reference Manual.

Injury prevention and management programs

In 2010-11, a range of programs were implemented throughout the Directorate to ensure the safety and welfare of staff including:

• implementation of the Directorate’s Workplace Health and Safety and Injury Management Improvement Strategy 2009-2012
• development of the Directorate’s Workplace Health and Safety Reference Manual to improve access to workplace health and safety information
• participation in the Shared Services Health and Safety Manual Handling Project which delivered targeted training to specialist schools in manual handling, risk assessment and procedures
• continuation of the Employee Assistance Program which is an independent, confidential, short term, solutions-focused counselling service for staff and their immediate families. The service offers counselling assistance for both work and non-work related matters. The average utilisation rate during 2010-11 was 7.85 percent. This utilisation rate included staff attendance at Employee Assist and Trauma Assist services
• development of Respectful Workplaces training to assist in the management and reduction of the risk of psychological injury for employees. Training commenced in March 2011 and will be delivered to over 1,000 staff in leadership positions in central office and schools
• development of the Building Service Officers risk register to assist them in managing risks associated with daily tasks.

Injury prevention and management targets

The Directorate is working towards improving workplace health and safety performance through the staged implementation of the Directorate’s Workplace Health and Safety and Injury Management Improvement Strategy 2009-2012. The improved timeliness of reporting accidents/incidents has been maintained through staff access to online reporting and enhanced early intervention strategies. These include appropriate referrals to return to work coordinators, Preferred Provider Panel and the Redeployment Network Panel. The Directorate worked closely with the Shared Services Health and Safety Team on the High Cost Claims Project and Manual Handling Improvement Project.

The 2010-11 insurance premium rate for the Directorate was 2.75 percent. There was an increase in the number of claims reported with 155 claims accepted for the calendar year ending December 2010. The early intervention focus adopted
by the Directorate has seen a sustained improvement in meeting the performance for targets on the number of workplace injuries reaching five days incapacity and average time lost (average number of weeks off for workers’ compensation per
1,000 employees). The Directorate is required to report on its performance against these national improvement targets, which also form part of the ACT Public Service Workplace Health Strategic Plan 2008-2012.

Target 1: Reduce the number of claims reaching five days incapacity by 40 percent over the period 2002 to 2012

Table C9.1: The number of new claims reaching five days incapacity and rate per 1,000 employees, 2001-02 to 2010-11 and targets for 2011-12

Source: Human Resources Branch

Target 2: Eliminate all fatalities due to workplace injuries by 2012

No fatalities occurred due to workplace injuries during the reporting period.

Target 3: Reduce the average lost time rate by 40 percent over the period 2002 to 2012.

Table C9.2: The number of weeks of incapacity and rate per 1,000 employees, 2001-02 to2010-11 and targets for 2011-12

Source: Human Resources Branch

Target 4: Reduce average time taken for rehabilitation intervention by 90 percent over the period 2002 to 2012

This target focuses on the average time taken to initiate formal rehabilitation under the provisions of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988. The average time taken during the reporting period was 17 weeks. Performance against this target is influenced by the nature, complexity and timeliness of claim lodgement.

For more information contact:
Director
Human Resources
(02) 6205 9202