2022 WHS Excellence Showcase Champions revealed

The NSW Government’s inaugural Work Health and Safety (WHS) Excellence Showcase Champions have been revealed during a ceremony at the Maritime Museum. Head of SafeWork NSW Natasha Mann said the Showcase acknowledges NSW businesses, industry associations and unions that have come up with innovative solutions to support the safety of their employees. Formerly known as the SafeWork Awards, the 2022 Excellence Showcase recognises the hard work of employees and businesses in setting new standards in outstanding work health and safety management. Mann said that the Showcase attracted entries from a range of industries and regions across the state, adding that the finalists and Champions demonstrated Work Health and Safety best practice across regional and metropolitan New South Wales, and an innovative mindset and willingness to implement real behavioural change.

The Crane Industry Council of Australia was named the WHS Champion in the NSW Unions and Industry Associations category, for developing an online training program with a practical assessment, which assesses the crane operator’s familiarity with driving articulated cranes. Another regional Champion, HVTC in Maitland, was recognised for its campaign, ‘Incident Reporting… It’s a Life Saver’, which had host employees reporting incidents more accurately and in a timely manner with a 26% increase in proactive safety reporting.

Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel in Mascot was commended for its WHS approach as a dedicated Crew Quarantine Facility to accommodate airline crew arriving in Sydney, combating the spread of COVID and ensuring customer and employee safety in a high-risk environment. Cumberland City Council in Merrylands was recognised for adopting a 50/50 shift model which allowed those who wanted to work to be active, while managing the mental wellbeing of essential workers with additional leave. Small business Champion, Balmoral Engineering in Hornsby, created an innovative solution for a powerline marking system to prevent powerline wire strikes. These strikes were causing serious injuries across the agricultural industry, involving farm machinery, tipper trucks and crop-dusting planes.

“What’s particularly great about their stories is that many of their solutions have the potential to be rolled out across New South Wales, further contributing to the health and safety of all workers. Every worker has the right to a safe and healthy workplace, regardless of industry, occupation or background. I would like to thank and congratulate these businesses for setting the benchmark in work health and safety innovation for others to follow,” Mann said.

The 2022 WHS Excellence Showcase Champions are listed below:

Businesses

• Balmoral Engineering, Hornsby – Small business (non-government) – Metropolitan
• Core Project Group, Newcastle – Medium business (non-government) – Regional
• Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel, Mascot – Medium business (non-government) – Metropolitan
• Expressway Spares, Mount Thorley – Large business (non-government) – Regional
• HVTC, Maitland – Large business (non-government) – Regional
• Endeavour Energy, Greater Sydney – Large business (non-government) – Metropolitan
• Cumberland City Council, Merrylands – Large business (government)

Industry associations and unions

• Crane Industry Council of Australia.
   

The full list of Work Health and Safety Excellence Showcase Champions can be found here.

Image credit: SafeWork NSW