To serve and be protected: Combining road safety with work, health and safety

For decades, road safety 101 has been founded on the principle of deterrence and the presence of marked police cars in static locations. _x000D_
In 2012, NSW Police Force re-imagined this principle by strategically deploying state-of-the-art Highway Patrol vehicles on the freeway network in and around Sydney for Operation Freeflow. This route-specific approach, the Highway Patrol’s new high-visibility marking package and suite of road policing technology now extends to other highways throughout the state. _x000D_
The police patrolling Sydney’s “M” roads seek to do more than deter crashes on these vital corridors. These Highway Patrol members double as a rapid deployment force, clearing the road of minor crashes and breakdowns, and taking charge of major incidents so that the road network can be returned to full capacity as soon as possible. _x000D_
But what happens when road safety collides with work health and safety? WHS legislation imposes a duty upon employers to eliminate or at the very least, reduce risks to workers._x000D_
Traffic and Highway Patrol Command had to face this question in 2014-15 and carry out a safety review of Operation Freeflow following a crash where a semi-trailer careening across a centre median not far from where a Highway Patrol car had earlier been tasked. _x000D_
Can police deliver road safety strategies that protect the public without exposing officers to unnecessary risks? This paper show how it is possible and asks what other agencies such as road authorities can do to assist police_x000D_