Located in the upper reaches of the Spencer Gulf in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia, Port Pirie Regional Council has received the top State regional award for its ‘Operation Happy Feet’ program.
Council took out the Best Practice in Occupational Health and Safety category at the South Australian Local Government Association Workers Compensation Scheme presentations.
Operation Happy Feet involved reviewing the
footwear worn by Council’s technical services employees following two incidents resulting in knee and ankle injuries to employees. Another employee also suffered shin pain attributed to his footwear.
Council’s Risk Coordinator, Cazz Nitschke, said Council’s works employees spend up to 8.5 hours a day on their feet, and typically on uneven ground.
“It was therefore imperative to ensure they have appropriate footwear for these activities,” she said. “This situation needed to be addressed and we needed to take a professional approach due to the complexity of the issues involved and the potential risk to the safety of our employees.”
As part of the program, during 2008 Council conducted a survey to determine the footwear requirements of the workforce, investigated suitable options, tested preferred footwear with the assistance of a podiatrist, and then sought feedback from employees of the identified options.
Port Pirie CEO, Andrew Johnson, said a key requirement for the new shoe was support.
“With staff being on their feet for long periods throughout the day, trips and falls were identified as common hazards, and ultimately, better support from footwear was a must to overcome this,” he said. “All technical staff have now been issued with new, locally designed boots that aim to help stop leg pain and deter injuries.”
Operation Happy Feet has not only improved the comfort of employees while at work and potentially reduced work place injuries, but also has a number of spin off benefits. These include an improved focus on workplace safety, improved staff morale, and an enhanced workplace consultation process.
As well as receiving the award, Port Pirie Regional Council received a cheque for $15,000 to be used for other improvements to its safety systems, which will further enhance the safety of all staff.
For further information contact Cazz Nitschke on
(08) 8633 9777.
