The BYDA & CCF NSW Utility Safety Workshop was the first partner event for the two organisations and it provided our members with some excellent, yet sobering, information on safety.
CCF NSW announced at the session that we are reconvening our Safety Advisory Committee with Vice President Scott Hartog as chair.
There was plenty of tailored and practical advice from speakers Before You Dig Australia Member and Engagement Manager, Kate Birrell, and Safework NSW Inspector, John Mizzi.
Kate began by telling attendees the total cost of utility strikes to the Australian economy is estimated at $4.6 billion annually and that’s a very good reason to improve safety and prevent injury and damage.
She drove this home by providing evidence from the BYDA Damage Data Dashboard that civil contractors are the most likely to cause a strike (with home owners a close second).
Kate made the point that most accidents happen in construction because teams are working under pressure with incomplete or difficult to use information.
And she outlined ways that BYDA is working to drive down the number of utility strikes.
Kate went into significant detail about the BYDA Digital Utility Portal (BDUP), an online map of above and below ground utilities accessible to civil contractors via their BYDA login.
She encouraged attendees to make use of it both as a way to help prevent strikes and to increase their efficiency and confidence in decision-making.
In his role as Safework NSW Inspector, John, provided information to attendees on best safety practices with specific reference to falls, electrical hazards, and psychosocial risks at work.
He reminded the audience that falls are the number one cause of fatalities in building and construction in NSW and when someone does survive a fall, workers compensation claims cost more than three times the average of a claim in the industry.
He spoke about ways to eliminate and mitigate risk and provided some helpful and specific advice on what not to do.
He also reminded attendees on the spot fines for fall-related risks have recently been increased to $8,750.
In addressing electrical hazards, John described what constitutes a safe system of work for working near overhead powerlines.
He also spoke about how electrical hazards need to be considered in terms of threat of injury to people, fire risks, and potential for explosion in the event a fault occurs near to a flammable substance.
John also provided a good summary of things to look out for to encourage better mental health at work.
He pointed to negative factors including role overload or underload, exposure to traumatic events, conflict, harassment and sexual and racial harassment, workplace violence, bullying, hazardous environments, and remote or isolated work.
He also went over positive things that can be done to increase psychosocial wellbeing like better planning of jobs to eliminate unreasonable workloads, ensuring safe entry and exit points, enforcing behavioural standards, worker check-ins, and mentoring.
The event also had a BYDA panel discussion focussed on workforce safety skills, broadening access to education, what’s working well in NSW, and how things can be improved.
You can find more information and resources at the BYDA and Safework NSW websites.
To find out about the CCF NSW Safety Advisory Committee, contact us via email or by calling (02) 9009 4000.