The New Zealand Trucking Association Inc (NTA) and National Road Carriers Inc (NRC) have joined forces with AutoSense Ltd, Fatigue Management Fit for Duty Ltd, and Success Formula Ltd (NTI) to address workplace health and safety challenges within the trucking industry. Together, they have created the HARMfree Transport wellbeing hub initiative.
The initiative is one of the newest recipients of the ACC Workplace Injury Prevention Grant. The grant, valued at $850,000, will enable the group to create a set of tools, resources, and training material tailored to meet the needs of the transport industry, and will include implementing a Good Work Design approach; this approach aims to address psychosocial risks of workers in the transport sector to reduce injury.
Focused on improving workplace safety and worker wellbeing, the initiative will implement a culture of consistent processes, procedures and policies. All of which will provide a roadmap to achieving a risk-free workplace.
“As an industry organisation, we are closely connected to our members. Their health and safety (H&S) and HR staff often tell us it’s really difficult to connect across different companies. They want to learn and solve issues to create a safer workplace for their team, but it can be really challenging connecting with their peers to seek support, discuss issues and create better processes,” says Carol McGeady General Manager, NTA.
“Creating a programme that is industry-designed, industry-led, and supported by ACC, means that the programme will be designed in a language and style that’s practical for transport. With the right systems and processes in place, workplace health and safety incidents will reduce, creating a safer work environment that results in less claims to ACC.”
According to McGeady, HARMfree Transport will create an environment where H&S and HR professionals can reach out to their colleagues across the industry for support. The programme will be anchored to an industry network where participants can share knowledge, discuss and solve problems together to support each other and the industry in creating safer workplace environments for all.
Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO at NRC, says, “It follows on that a key outcome of a safer workplace environment is safer roads. With stronger health and safety systems and processes in place, hazards and risks are reduced and this flows through to safer drivers and trucks travelling on our roads.
“The programme is ‘human-centred’ in its design. It’s about creating a sea of transport industry safety champions who share their knowledge of what works, and what doesn’t, on a shared mission to create safer workplaces. The programme is designed by the transport industry for the transport industry, so we know this funding will make a difference.”
The initiative expects to celebrate many positive outcomes, including increased use of best practice guidelines, greater engagement across all staff on the development of Good Work Design and an enhanced understanding of dynamic risk with a significant reduction of harm and injuries.
According to McGeady and Tighe-Umbers, without the support from ACC, launching a project of this scale would be a challenging experience. They are delighted to receive this support and know that the results will prove that the initiative is a worthy recipient.
“This initial funding enables us to accelerate development of the HARMfree Transport programme. Helping our transport operators create safer workplaces and share best practice will have so many positive flow-on effects – least of all safer drivers and vehicles on our roads. It’s exciting to announce this initiative and I thank ACC and our partners for making it happen,” concludes Carol McGeady.