Online training to improve safety of transport workers

The transport and storage industry accounted for 8% of all serious workers compensation claims (10,400 claims) in 2009-10, according to Safe Work Australia. This equates to 29 employees each day requiring one or more weeks off work because of work-related injury or disease. To help counter this alarming statistic, PaQS (People and Quality Solutions), a registered training organisation, has launched a new online safety course tailored to the transport sector.

The course has evolved from the original, nationally recognised, competency-based course in Advanced Safety Awareness (ASA). It has a psychological approach, is available online and has been designed to fit into the transport sector’s safety induction programs. It enables employees and contractors to complete a series of online exercises to help measure, focus and shape their attitudes towards safety in the workplace.

Through a series of online exercises, the course is designed to measure, focus and shape transport workers’ attitudes towards safety and build their confidence and self-esteem through transport self-awareness. It also provides tips about communication skills that enable them to deal with issues such as conflict and bullying. This emphasis on empowering the individual is fundamental to all of PaQS’ safety training.

“Traditionally, safety training has focused on visible workplace hazard awareness and training job skills, but what we deal with, personal or psychological safety awareness (PSA) evolves safety to a new level by focusing on the individual’s abilities and motivations - the safety thinking that drives behaviour,” said PaQS Senior Psychologist and Founder Carl Reams. Most experts agree that more than 90% of workplace incidents, injuries and fatalities have some human error element.

“Excellent work had been done in Australia over recent decades to improve safety systems and procedures and identify management responsibilities, but there hasn’t been much other than skills- or systems-based training for the managers and employees. What PaQS is doing is developing rational judgement, perception and personal motivation to follow safety systems and that’s what makes our style of safety training so different.”

Transport workers can complete the course at their own pace, usually in less than two hours. A login and logout feature is available, 24/7, providing flexibility and convenience for both the apprentice and their supervisor.