Campbelltown City Council in New South Wales employs more than 675 permanent staff and around 200 casual staff. It is self insured for Workers Compensation and has implemented an OHS Management System, in line with the requirements of the National Self Insurer OHS Audit Tool.
Developed by the Heads of Workers’ Compensation Authorities (HWCA), the National Self Insurer OHS Audit Tool defines the criteria that relevant regulators use within their jurisdiction to assess their OHS Management Systems.
HWCA comprises the chief executives of the peak bodies responsible for the regulation of workers compensation in Australia and New Zealand.
Campbelltown is the first New South Wales Council to be audited against the new National Self Insurer OHS Audit Tool and is currently on a three year audit cycle after successfully passing. WorkCover will next audit Council in 2011.
One of Campbelltown’s continuing initiatives is the use of the annual Safe Work Australia Week to highlight safety in the workplace and at home.
During Safe Work Australia Week 2008, Council’s OHS Outdoor Committee organised a week of activities for all outdoor staff including:
- providing staff with time to clean
and check their plant and
equipment inside and out with
the assistance of their supervisor/
coordinator - staff participated in a session
on identifying the correct fire
extinguisher for the fire and how
to use an extinguisher - staff were taught how to check
and hitch their trailer correctly;
this session was aimed at staff both for work and at home - an information session for
Council’s OHS intranet page –
staff were taken through page
content and shown how to locate
information and documents
easily - fun competitions to encourage
knowledge building and
camaraderie, such as ‘How
Many Ear Plugs In A Container’,‘The Cost of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)’, and ‘Put The
Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) on the Manager’.
During Safe Work Australia Week, a lunch is also held for staff at Council’s Civic Centre, with more than 70 staff enjoying a healthy lunch and lucky door prizes, including OHS promotional items, first aid kits and fire extinguishers for the home.
Other OHS activities undertaken by Council since 2007 include a staff calendar promoting safety in the workplace and providing safety tips; focus groups to review its corporate OHS Management System against the requirements of the National Self Insurer OHS Audit Tool; and an upgrade to Council’s Figtree System (workers compensation system) to ensure that all incident and accident reporting, including public liability, motor vehicle, injuries, hazards, near misses, workers compensation, corrective actions and so forth are recorded.
Flu vaccinations are also offered to all staff at cost price (approximately $13) through Council’s immunisation clinic.
In 2008, 161 staff participated in the program, with more expected for the 2009 season.
