Safety commitment with council

WorkCover NSW and Shellharbour City Council have signed a safety alliance to improve work health and safety and injury management for Council staff.

The 12-month alliance commits WorkCover and Shellharbour City Council to developing practical and effective approaches to work health and safety and injury management through communication, consultation, cooperation and industry leadership.

As part of the alliance, WorkCover and Council will develop arrangements in relation to asbestos complaints, construction and demolition sites, major developments and Council construction projects.

“The safety and welfare of our staff is paramount to the success of the Council as an organisation,” Shellharbour Council General Manager Michael Willis said.

“Local government is unique in its management of a diverse professional workforce that operates a range of equipment from heavy machinery to technically specific tools and resources,” Willis said.

“This alliance will assist us in the delivery of a safe workplace for the benefit of staff and the community at large,” he said.

Acting General Manager of WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division Tony Robinson said the alliance was an example of WorkCover’s commitment to working in partnership with the NSW community to achieve safer workplaces.

“In 2008/09 in NSW, two local government workers were killed on the job while 753 were injured,” Robinson said.

“Shellharbour City Council is one of the largest employers in the area and almost all staff are connected in some way to the more than 66,000 people living within the local government area.

“WorkCover recognises the devastating affect the loss of a loved one in a workplace incident can have on family, friends and colleagues and how it can be exacerbated in a regional town due to the close links of workers to residents.

“The alliance between WorkCover NSW and Council gives the family and friends of staff reassurance that both organisations are working together to ensure their loved ones return home safely at the end of the working day, and if they do happen to get injured at work, there are systems in place to get them back to work as quickly as possible.”

WorkCover NSW fosters relationships with industry associations and peak unions to achieve safer workplaces, effective recovery, return to work and security for injured workers. The safety alliance with Shellharbour City Council reflects similar agreements with Orange City, Cooma-Monaro, Wollongong and Wellington Councils.

For more information on WorkCover NSW’s industry partnerships and alliances, go to www.workcover.nsw.gov.au.