Together with the Shire of Carnamah, the City of Armadale took out the 2000 WorkCare Safety Award. This is the highest form of recognition for commitment to Occupational Safety and Health given to Councils in Western Australia.
WorkSafe WA Assessment Plans are used as a benchmark for the Awards, as well as a number of further criteria developed by the Municipal WorkCare Scheme.
“In four years, we have reduced the number of days lost through injury from 1,600 per year to 99 days,” said Armadale’s Chief Executive Officer, Ray Tame. “This equates to an average of 46 days lost per employee being reduced to just 2.2 days.”
Ray Tame believes the key to Armadale’s success is a classic case of team work, where everyone is committed to creating a safer workplace.
“The challenge now is to maintain our low record of injuries,” he said.
Council established a Safety Committee, calling for representatives from across the organisation The Committee led the push for a stronger emphasis on safety across all work areas.
Focusing initially on the high risk areas, where injuries were putting people out of work for long periods, positive results were soon evident.
“We also concentrated on ensuring processes were in place to get people back to work as quickly as possible, as this accelerates recovery and avoids adverse long term implications for injured workers,” Ray Tame said.
“Our approach to ensuring we have a safe and healthy work environment includes the wellbeing of our elected members, as it is vital for the organisation that we have healthy, productive, clear thinking Councillors.”
For further information contact Ray Tame, telephone (08) 9399 0111.
