WHS lessons from Major Transport & Infrastructure projects Presented by Harvey Fernandez, Director Transport Project for Infrastructure Delivery, Department for Infrastructure and Transport SA

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Friday 20th October 2023
South Australian Safety
Symposium 2023

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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the
Country throughout South Australia and recognise
their continuing connection to land and waters.
We pay our respects to the diversity of cultures;
significance of contributions and to Elders past,
present and emerging.

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Background
Deaths Nationally and SA were due to:
• Falls Trips Slips
• Hitting object with part of the body
• Sound and pressure
• Body stressing
• Chemicals and other substances
• Biological factors
• Mental Stress

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Sharing learnings from incidents
• A tragic fatality at
the new Royal
Adelaide Hospital
site in February
2016 impelled DIT
to intensify efforts to
make all work sites
under its control
safer.
• October 2016 the
first DIT/Industry
Safety Forum was
established.
Initiative continues
today – via Industry
Safety Leadership
Forum.
• Ongoing
implementation of
strategies to ensure
that everybody can
operate to a leading
level of safety.

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An Avoidable Incident resulting in serious injury
Sharing learnings from incidents
• The injured person was unlocking a temporary fence gate, when two of his
fingers got caught in between the fence pole and the mesh. The worker lost
balance and stumbled pulling his weight down causing amputation of his middle
finger to the first knuckle and the removal of the finger-nail to his ring finger.

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The Learnings
Sharing learnings from incidents
• Eliminating the need to reach into the temporary fence to unlock the padlock
gate. Gate panels across Contractor's site will now have a gate wheel fitted.
• Inferior fence panels from supplier will now not be accepted across Contractors
sites.
• Non-compliant installation and setup of temporary fencing across sites

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Solution “The Wheel”
• Cultural Shift
• Solution shared with and adopted
by other Contractors

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An Avoidable Incident resulting in serious injury
Sharing learnings from incidents
• The injured (IP) person was working with an articulated Mobile Crane Operator
to load several 7 metre lengths of steel road safety barriers onto a flatbed truck.
During the activity, the worker was pinned between the headboard of the flatbed
truck and one the steel road safety barriers. The IP sustained lower leg fractures
and lacerations.

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• Relocating steel road safety barriers required lifting them from the road surface and then
carrying them to the bed of a semi-trailer for subsequent loading and removal to a laydown
yard;
• The Intermediate Rigger (the injured worker) accessed the rear bed of the semi-trailer
using the stairs provided;
• The steel Road Safety Barrier became fouled on a steel post which formed part of the
semi-trailer’s edge protection; the worker then attempted to release the barrier which
caused a pendulum or swinging effect;
• The steel road safety barrier then struck the Riggers lower legs twice, resulting in the
injuries.
Share Learnings from incidents

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Solution
• Workers are banned from accessing the back
of trucks;
• Retention mechanisms such as extendable &
articulated forks, barrier grab attachments to
be used to eliminate/reduce the need for
human interaction.
• The use of a lock out system (e.g., padlock,
spring gate) to be used on all trucks, only
released once a load is safely landed.
• Use of a “Safe T Stik” to be used. These can
often have greater control than a tag line.
• Review of Lifting SWMS and barrier
loading/installation was completed.
Lifting
Grab

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Let’s start with…..Establishing a great Safety Culture
• Proactive Leadership –
leaders at all levels
influencing other
people’s safety attitudes and
behaviours
• Consulting & Involving
Workers – Involving workers
in decisions about doing
their work safely. Encourage
and value their participation

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Consistent level of safety performance
Confined Space
Worker Behaviors
Demolition
Cranes & Lifting
Load Restraint
Exclusion and restricted Access
Zones
Overhead and Underground
Services
Mobile Plant & Vehicles
Trenching & Excavation
Power tools and Equipment
Working at Height

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Challenges and Opportunities
Traffic Management
Devices and Controls.
Site Supervisor safety
training.
Austroads National
Training requirements
Safety Influencers working groups currently focusing
on three key safety improvement initiatives:

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Artificial intelligence
Virtual Reality enhancing plant
safety
Using microlearning to
improve site safety

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Psychosocial hazards
Is an emerging key safety area.
We need to ensure the way work is designed,
organized and managed, is considered in such a
way as to support worker mental, emotional, social
and spiritual health.
Department for Infrastructure and Transport requires
its contractors to make available support resources
for workers.

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Psychosocial hazards
3249
people have died through suicide nationally in
2022
Under 25
Young Construction workers
are ten times more likely to be at risk of suicide
than dying of a work-related incident
2455
were men, 794 were women
190-200
Construction workers died in 2022
(one every 2nd day)
Many of our contractors fly the flag for Mates in Construction including DIT.

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Website Resources
https://www.dit.sa.gov.au/safety-in-construction/safety-resources-for-contractors

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• We all own safety
• Set the right environment to
establish, encourage and maintain
an effective and ‘great’ safety
culture.
• Define and demand a consistent
standard of safety performance.
Mistakes will happen. Learn from
the mistakes. Monitor regularly.
Share the learnings.
• Get buy in. Involve all workers,
collaborate with industry partners to
identify issues and solutions.

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No IP in Safety
https://www.dit.sa.gov.au/safety-in-construction/safety-resources-for-contractors

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