THE ROAD freight transport industry has joined WorkSafe Victoria in developing a strategy and action plan to improve workplace health and safety.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, the industry, through the Transport Industry Alliance, will take responsibility for its actions and safety.
Road freight transport is considered a high-risk industry, with around 1200 workplace injury claims in Victoria very year. Most of these are caused by falls from trucks and being hit by moving objects.
Additionally, the road freight transport industry has been plagued by a number of fatalities in the past two years, and both the industry stakeholders and workplace regulators are concerned that efforts over the past five years have resulted in little improvement.
The new co-operation will undertake research-based engagement to help improve understanding of the key occupational health and safety issues in the road freight transport industry.
Social research from 2008 revealed the mobile workplace in the road freight industry, and the shifting nature of ‘workplaces’ means it is harder for employers to monitor and enforce safety.
Other factors can also affect occupational health and safety, including other vehicles on the road and the quality of delivery depots.
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