MORR™ : An International Comparisons Review
Australia - Western Australia
The WA Government has taken an approach to fleet safety promotion that utilises a ‘task force’ of government and industry representatives. The task force has a well known ‘captain of industry’ as its chairman and seeks to promote fleet safety throughout WA by using industry and government links through the various members of the Task Force.
The Government of Western Australia (including the Road Safety Council and the Workplace Road Safety Taskforce www.transport.wa.gov.au/roadsafety) have issued a number of relevant documents. This includes, Safety in the Workplace – for Company Cars and Light Vehicles.
In 1999 the WA Governments Road Safety Council established a taskforce (comprising of experts in the field and high level managers from organisations demonstrating commitment to workplace road safety) to specifically address the issue of road safety in the workplace. This booklet is the result of the taskforce’s work (available on the web) – to help businesses formulate road safety policies and procedures. The booklet carries a message from Ministers and the Commissioner of Worksafe WA. Content includes information on the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, Generic elements of road safety – a model approach, and Case Studies from companies.
Excerpt:
Research shows that about 30 percent of all registered vehicles in Australia are used in business and 60 percent of all new vehicles are purchased initially for commercial use. For Australia as a whole, 36.9 percent of distance travelled is for business, 20.5 percent for travel to and from work and 42.6 percent for personal and other purposes. In Western Australia the figures are 30.6percent, 22.8 percent and 46.4 percent respectively. For passenger vehicles, business use makes up one quarter of total travel for Australia, but only 15 percent in WA.
In Australia, road crashes are the most common cause of work-related fatalities, injuries and absence from work, with the average time lost being greater than any other workplace claim. Road crashes accounted for about half of work-related deaths in Australia between 1989 and 1992. During that period, 541people were killed in road crashes while they were working and 628 people were killed inroad crashes while commuting to and from work. This represents 23 and 26 percent respectively – almost half in total – of the2,389 work-related deaths. In addition, a similar number of bystanders are killed in work-related vehicle accidents (mainly involving trucks). In 1994, Australian Fleet Magazine reported that approximately one quarter of fleet vehicles are involved in crashes each year.
In Western Australia, road safety and work safety authorities are currently examining ways to gather, record and analyse information related to work-related road deaths and injuries. As a guide to the size of the problem, data obtained from Work Cover Western Australia for the past five years shows an annual average of 12 fatalities and 650 lost time claims from work-related vehicle crashes. In 1997-98, of 44 new claims for work-related fatalities, 13 were the result of vehicle crashes. The problem is certainly larger than this because fatal crashes are included only where there is a clear relationship between the crash and the work performed by the worker. In addition, Commonwealth Government employees, self-employed people and some other workers are not included in Work Cover WA figures. …with car crashes representing almost 40 percent of all journey claims. Across Australia, 28percent of work-related vehicle crash deaths occur in the workplace and 72 percent on public road while working. The picture is likely to be similar in WA.
Research indicates that company car drivers can be expected to have more crashes per year than drivers of private cars. Work-related road crash injuries are estimated to cost about a half a billion dollars per year. In Western Australia, WorkCover WA figures show that the average time lost from each vehicle-related claim is about 80 days. Compensation costs average $20,000, not including medical costs, rehabilitation, staff replacement, insurance premium increases and property damage. Due to their greater frequency, the total cost of property damage crashes may be even greater than that of injury crashes…..Approximately 80 percent of organisations believe their fleet safety record could be improved and more than 60 percent of organisations require outside help to improve their fleet safety.
This booklet contains information on the Occupational Safety and Health Act focusing on: Duty of Care; Safe Plant and Systems of Work; Instruction, training and supervision; and the benefits of improving workplace road safety. The law cited relates only to occupational H&S law, not road traffic law.
The generic (7) elements of workplace road safety are: A workplace road safety policy; Recruitment and selection; Induction programs; Fleet selection and maintenance; Vehicle crash involvement; Incentives and disincentives; and Training and education.
Finally five case studies are included to show how companies are moving towards excellence in road safety: Woodside, Alinta Gas, BHP Iron Ore, Hamersley Iron and Telestra.
The above booklet is a brief guide and issues are dealt with in greater depth in the second document: Road Safety in the Workplace – A Road Safety Manual for all Employees: Seven Steps to Safer use of company cars and light vehicles. This 53-page manual provides a comprehensive guide for employers to help them develop a road safety policy and plan for their business. It goes into depth on the 7 elements listed above, giving guidance for best practice as well as additional informational resources for each of the seven elements.
