Safety initiatives implemented in response to the 2002 Summit contributed to significant reductions in work related injury and fatality in the period between 2002 and 2004.
To ensure these improvements can be sustained, the NSW Government convened the NSW Workplace Safety Summit 2005.
Over two hundred and fifty people met at the 2005 NSW Workplace Safety Summit in Orange in August 2005. The Premier, the Hon Morris Iemma MP, opened the Summit, pointing out that injury rates in New South Wales were the lowest in 17 years and that NSW is well on the way to meeting the target of a 40% reduction in rates of injury by 2012.
Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior public servants chaired working groups consisting of union and employer representatives, and occupational health and safety experts.
The Summit saw an unprecedented recognition by delegates of their common interest in improving work safety, and the importance of coordination and partnering between industry, unions and government in addressing the most serious workplace safety risks.
Industry leaders and experts in the field of occupational health and safety were provided with an opportunity to:
- review and discuss information about significant areas of safety risk
- identify and prioritise safety issues
- develop strategies for addressing priority issues
- agree on goals, targets, benchmarks and guiding principles to support prevention strategies.
In response to the recommendations and actions arising from the Summit, the NSW Government released the NSW Workplace Health and Safety Strategy 2005-2008: NSW Government response to recommendations arising from the NSW Workplace Safety Summit 2005. The Strategy provides a blueprint for coordinated, effective and efficient action to reduce the human and economic cost of work-related injury and disease.
Government Response
The NSW Government is contributing to the implementation of the Strategy through the work plans of WorkCover and the tripartite Industry Reference Groups.
WorkCover is also working in partnership with other public sector agencies to encourage and assist the development of OHS initiatives that support the Strategy.
NSW Workplace Health and Safety Strategy 2005-2008
The NSW Workplace Health and Safety Strategy 2005–2008 reflects the collective advice of industry experts, occupational health and safety professionals, senior members of industry, employee representatives and the government.
The recommendations of Summit delegates were expressed in the form of nine Industry Action Plans. The Industry Action Plans support the Strategy by identifying industry-specific priority issues and describing strategies for addressing these priorities. The industry groups are:
- construction
- consumer and business services and private
- education
- public sector
- health and community services
- manufacturing
- mining and utilities
- retail and wholesale
- rural
- transport.
Targets
The Strategy reaffirms the commitment made by employers, employees and Government in 2005 to two targets:
- to reduce workplace fatalities by at least 20 per cent by 30 June 2012 (with a reduction of 10 per cent by 30 June 2007)
- to reduce the incidence of workplace injuries by at least 40 per cent by 30 June 2012 (with a reduction of 20 per cent by 30 June 2007).
Both of these targets are reflected in the National Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2002–2012.
Guiding Principles
Summit delegates agreed on a number of principles to guide the development of workplace safety activities:
- Duties of care to workers and third parties should be shared by everyone whose actions could affect their health and safety at work.
- A comprehensive and systematic approach to occupational health and safety risk management should be an integral part of normal business operations.
- Action to eliminate or control safety risks should focus on the source of those risks, be that with designers, manufacturers, suppliers, or in the workplace.
- Effective injury prevention requires:
- the cooperation and commitment of all workplace parties to involvement in consultation on workplace health and safety
- all workplace parties to accept responsibility for identifying occupational health and safety risks
- workplace parties to have sufficient occupational health and safety skills to allow them to participate in consultations and identify hazards.
- Preventative initiatives should be evaluated and information shared.
- Evidence on and solutions for workplace safety risks should be shared.
- Workplace health and safety interventions should target hazards, injuries, industries or occupations where the risk, incidence or severity of injury is significantly high (and consequently the most significant improvements may be realised).
Evaluation and Review
Union and employer representatives agreed that the Industry Action Plans should operate to ensure that safety strategies effectively target the most vulnerable workers and high-risk activities.
To ensure that the Strategy retain this focus and meets current and future needs, the Industry Action Plans are subject to periodic review and refinement.
The NSW Workplace Health and Safety Strategy Review Committee, comprising members from Government and employer and employee representative bodies, is overseeing this process.