DCN December Edition 2019

a just as problematic as being intoxicated on the job, according to
the company, leading to serious safety risks surrounding employees
operating vehicles or machinery.
“Probably our main selling point is our pre-employment
medicals so for individuals that you have coming on board, you can
do a full medical, so you ascertain whether they have any existing
injuries they’re going to be bringing into the work environment. Or
whether they have any substance abuse issues,” Mr Samuelson says.
“A healthy workforce that doesn’t use illicit drugs is more inclined to
turn up to work on time and cause the employer fewer problems.”
Once there is an issue with safety, it’s always a catalyst for
change, according to Mr Samuelson.
“Let’s say there’s an accident on site and the individual who
caused the accident is found to be under the influence of drugs
and or alcohol, then it’s usually a catalyst for that employer to
implement a new drug and alcohol policy and start a random
testing regime,” he says.
SOUND BUSINESS PRACTICE
The obvious benefit to reducing the number of accidents is saving
lives but it also makes good business sense by avoiding productivity
disruptions, costly injuries and absenteeism.
And then there are the flow-on costs.
A recent Allianz study on workers’ compensation claims found
a growing number of injured workers falling victim to a secondary
mental health condition as a result of the initial injury. The cost
of the secondary psychological condition to business was on
average four times more costly than the original claim itself.
Of course, mental health concerns are not strictly predicated by
physical injury. Flemming Hansen, general manager Asia Pacific at
Labourforce says it’s a growing safety concern in the workplace.
“We are coming across mental health issues more and more
these days,” Mr Hansen says. “It’s anything from anxiety to panic
attacks to stress, which is a growing concern. It’s not like breaking
an arm, where six to eight weeks later, it’s back to normal. A
mental health issue is likely to be much more complex.”
Psychological hazards are treated the same as physical hazards
under Australian work health and safety laws and businesses
are urged to take note of Safe Work Australia’s four-step risk
management process to avoid psychological injury and illness
in the workplace. It’s also why business giants like Deloitte
Australia are advocating psychosocial risk profiling as part of an
overall workplace safety program.
Mental health issues make up almost a quarter of the $60bn
yearly costs of workplace deaths, illnesses, and injuries.
Mr Hansen agrees the cost of not taking proper safety
precautions is far greater to business in the long run.
“Like any service or product, so long as the client is of the
opinion that there’s a direct benefit to their organisation, then
they can justify the additional cost. It’s in everybody’s interest that
everyone comes home safe, there’s no doubt about that.”
* Kelly Shaw is writing on behalf of human capital management company,
Navital Group
Iam Anupong
The relationship between workplace safety and productivity
was highlighted at the Supply Chain Safety Summit, held
in September in Sydney – jointly hosted by the Australian
Logistics Council and the Australian Trucking Association. It’s
an issue likely to receive more attention as the trend towards
outsourcing places a greater demand on our supply chains -
increasing concern relating to workplace safety.
Through a series of panel discussions and interactive
workshops, Summit participants identified areas where
government, regulators and the industry itself can continue to
improve. These included:
Rethinking the bureaucratic practices that are increasingly
being used to define safety management
Some within the industry are finding safety documentation
increasingly complex and time-consuming to complete. The
focus needs to return to identifying and managing actual risks,
rather than completing paperwork.
Stepping up efforts to reduce duplication throughout the
auditing system for heavy vehicle safety
This includes working to develop a set of common audit
standards and standard auditing qualifications, so that there
is industry confidence about the quality of audits and the
quality of auditors.
Countering the ‘tick and flick’ culture in safety management
There is little research indicating that forms and checklists
are greatly effective in addressing safety risks. We need to
transition from measuring activity to measuring outcomes.
Clarifying the roles of regulators in safety
Some industry participants are finding it difficult to
understand the demarcation of responsibilities between the
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and various state-based
work health and safety agencies in the regulation of safety.
Mental health is everyone’s business
Industry needs to continue its efforts to ‘normalise’ discussion
about mental health in the workplace and ensure jobs are
designed to minimise risks to mental health. Industry should
be supported in building mental health awareness into
workforce training modules.
Further support is needed to address alcohol and drug
related issues
There is a clear relationship between mental health issues
and substance abuse in the workplace. Governments should
support industry to develop specific initiatives that will allow
organisations to respond effectively to alcohol and drug
misuse, and ensure those affected get support they need.
First aid training is vital
Not all incidents occur in populated areas, or locations to which
first responders have ready access. All industry participants
should be supported to ensure they are trained in first aid –
and to ensure their first aid qualifications remain up to date.
Advances in technology should be embraced within safety
management
This includes promoting the collection of data through
telematics to manage safety risks, taking advantage of apps
that can help track and support those dealing with mental
health challenges, and embracing the use of technology
such as virtual reality to enhance the quality of workplace
safety training.
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