Safety team named a finalist in Awards

Lockyer Valley Regional Council’s Safety Team was a finalist in this year’s National Local Government Customer Service Awards.

Council’s Safety Team was nominated for the highly coveted Awards due to its work in preparation for the Local Government Workcare, Mutual Risk Obligations Program Audit.

Council’s CEO, Ian Church said the Audit required the team to adapt quickly to the significantly increased workloads.

“Due to the fact Council had an agreed obligation to our insurer, successfully completing this Audit was imperative.

“This was in addition to still undertaking normal health and safety business as usual operations and being available for their internal customers.

“The team worked cohesively to amend normal rostered shifts between the depot and main office to maintain this important balance and realign duties,” he said.

The Safety Team’s primary customers are Council’s high-risk field construction workers, Mr Church said.

“These employees are not able to work from home, so the Safety Team’s primary role is to ensure they are available for them when they’re needed.

“As a Council, we are committed to providing a great work-life balance and the team ensures a balance is maintained when rostering in the main office and depot with differing start and finish times, flexible RDOs and a combination of administration and field tasks, while also promoting learning and development opportunities.

“Another vital tool that ensures success as a team is constant communication.

“The team achieves this through email, Teams chats, calendars, and regular weekly meetings.

“Outside, the team communicates with their internal customers through newsletters, Council’s internal intranet, Tool Box Talks, Safety Alerts and training.

“Safety is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of our workplace.

“Our Council is dedicated to ensuring our employees go home safely at the end of each day.

“To achieve this, communication lines in the Safety Team must be clear and concise.

“Our focus is zero harm, and the Safety Team must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice when notified of an accident or injury, a first aid situation, aggressive customers or duress alarm activation,” he said.

Strengthening personal leadership and responsibility are other vital keys to success, with Council’s Safety Team constantly looking to develop and learn through a range of initiatives.

“We’re constantly looking to develop the team further by providing opportunities to improve knowledge, develop skills and build relationships.

“This is achieved through backfilling in roles, cross training other roles and training opportunities.

“Our Council has a small team, so due to the limited capacity to increase members, everyone needs to be able to step in and wear different hats when required, ranging from safety, compliance to rehabilitation.

“Leadership is further enhanced by ensuring two team members attend all complex executive meetings, helping with their professional development and making them more comfortable to step up when the need arises.

“The ethos of the team is to ensure everyone can lead when required.

“As a result, everyone is aware of the opportunities available which boosts confidence levels, allowing team members to step up comfortably and confidently,” Mr Church said.