Shire of Kojonup, Western Australia, has worked hard across all Council departments and worksites to achieve major improvements in its Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) scorecard, and the effort is reflected in the results.
Council was audited in June 2017, against a Tier 2 level checklist, with a lacklustre final score of 39/80 (49%).
This result acted as a call to arms and with Local Government Insurance Scheme (LGIS) Regional Risk Coordinator, Monty Archdale engaged to marshal the troops, an action plan was designed and implemented.
The plan set out the steps needed to address each area requiring improvement as identified by the 2017 Audit.
These highlighted areas, as well as others identified by staff, management, LGIS (the assessors) and the OSH committee, received significant attention and resources to ensure improvements were achieved in preparation for the next and most recent audit, conducted 28 October 2020.
The inaugural OSH Annual Management Review took place over two days in August 2020, with all managers in attendance for both or one of the days.
The review identified noteworthy improvements within all departments.
Improvements across all areas were highlighted when the scorecard was returned and Kojonup had achieved a score of 98 percent, a 100 percent increase since the 2017 audit.
The combined efforts of employees, management and contractors received well deserved recognition when the organisation was presented with its LGIS Diligence in Safety Award Tier 2 Certification.
As Council progresses from the existing regulations and standards to the new Work Health and Safety Act 2020, the Shire will be well positioned to ensure all work places within the organisation are prepared for these changes.
With an active OSH committee, supported by excellent policies, procedures and governance staff, Kojonup can operate under the new WHS Act 2020 with confidence.
