Issue Date:  -  Monday, 30 October 2006

Work Safety Award winners lead the way in safety

The three winners of the prestigious 2006 Work Safety Awards Western Australia were announced on Friday night.

Ausclad Group of Companies, PW & CJ Bradford and Royal Perth Hospital – Sir George Bedbrook Spinal Unit are the winners of the three award categories and will now be entered into the national Safe Work Australia Awards.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said today that the three winners were terrific examples of the many excellent workplace innovations and occupational safety and health systems being developed in WA.

“These awards provide the opportunity for innovative Western Australians to gain national recognition for their achievements,” Ms Lyhne said.

“They recognise outstanding occupational safety and health management, solutions and innovation in WA workplaces that reduce the risk of work-related injury and disease.

“Awards such as these are all about encouraging best practice in safety and health, and the three winners are leading the way by making a significant contribution to reducing the injury toll in workplaces.”

Category 1 of the Work Safety WA Awards is for the best workplace safety and health management system, won by Ausclad Group of Companies.

Ausclad supplies engineering solutions including fabrication, construction and maintenance services across a range of industries.

The company has an excellent safety management system in place, resulting in a 39 per cent reduction in lost time injury and disease over the past year.

Category 2 is for the best solution to an identified workplace safety or health issue, won by Royal Perth Hospital’s Sir George Bedbrook Spinal Unit.

Caring for patients with spinal injuries, the unit was unable to comply with the hospital’s no-lift policy when turning spinal patients, who were lifted vertically and turned by four staff.

Management and staff developed the Aeroplane Pillow which allows two staff to turn patients without lifting, significantly reducing the risk of manual handling injuries to staff.

Category 3 is for the best workplace safety and health practices in small business, won by PW & CJ Bradford.

Peter Bradford is a farmer and volunteer firefighter who recognized that lifting and positioning heavy water-filled hoses into water tanks on vehicles was putting firefighters at risk of manual handling injuries and the hazards of working at heights.

In response, he developed a standpipe that allows mobile tanks to be filled with water from overhead, eliminating both the handling of heavy hoses and the risks associated with working at heights.

Winners of the national Safe Work Australia Awards will be announced early in 2007.

“Each of the category winners of the 2006 Work Safety WA Awards is a very worthy winner, and each now has the opportunity for their achievements to be recognised across Australia,” Ms Lyhne said.

“I heartily congratulate the winners, along with everyone else who nominated for the awards, and encourage businesses of all sizes to nominate for the 2007 Work Safety Awards Western Australia.”

Media contact:  Caroline De Vaney 9327 8744 or 0408 927563 (media enquiries only).