Transport safety for the FIFO and DIDO workforce will be discussed at OSIT

The last decade has witnessed a large boost to employment in the mining and gas resources sector. These resources are typically located away from major population centres and this has resulted in unique working arrangements and the growing prevalence of drive-in drive-out (DIDO) and fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforces.

It is relatively common for mine workers to drive an average of 500 km home after long and irregular shifts and extended shift blocks. Not surprisingly, the Australian mining industry has the highest level of commuter driving fatalities. What’s the extent and impact of DIDO and FIFO workforces? Is habitual commuting a risky behaviour or a risk management tool? This topic and many others will be discussed at the upcoming OSIT2014: the 2nd International Occupational Safety in Transport Conference being held from 18-19 September 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise in Queensland.

The two-day conference program has both concurrent and plenary sessions, and features 36 national and international speakers. Designed to encourage a strong program of both industry and academic presentations, keynote speakers will be drawn from both Australia and overseas, and bring new and innovative research and practice to the conference.

The multidisciplinary event will feature representatives from road transport, transport safety, fleets, safety culture and management, construction safety and associated fields.

In another presentation at the event, Ergon Energy shares details on its incident investigation process. Vehicle crashes are the most common cause of work-related fatalities, injury and absence from work. In an attempt to better understand and inform their work-related road safety risk management, Ergon Energy has developed a unique incident investigation system which has been embedded for five years.  Ergon’s investigation process uses ‘incident, cause and analysis’ methodology, which is supported by a detailed investigation process for every significant and potentially significant incident that occurs. The process also includes legal privilege, sponsor and subject matter expertise, and aspects to identify causal factors and reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence of similar incidents.

Other presentations include:

• Measuring fumigants for the protection of transportation workers and emergency responders
• Using a staircase to address work-related road safety
• Sharing a collective knowledge: building and running successful networks
• The use of alcohol ignition interlocks to improve safety in the transport industry
• Applying the Haddon Matrix in the context of work-related road safety
• Proactive safety assessment in workzones: a synthesis of surrogate measures of safety

Keynote speakers include: Dr Stephanie Pratt, Center for Motor Vehicle Safety in the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); Colonel Simon Tuckerman, Commander of 1st Joint Movements Group, Australian Defence Force;
Professor Ann Williamson, Director, Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research Group; and
Professor Lee Di Milia, Dean, School of Business and Law, CQ University.

The event is suitable for: fleet managers/coordinators; workplace health and safety officers; researchers and practitioners; policy and process developers; engineers; vehicle manufacturers; government representatives; technology manufacturers and developers; and transport logistics and operations specialists.

For more information or to register, visit www.ositconference.com.