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Innovative workplace program takes out top road safety award

MEDIA RELEASE

30 September 2021

Innovative workplace program takes out top road safety award

The 2021 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award has been awarded to an innovative program developed by Transport for NSW in response to the high number of workplace fatalities that occur on NSW roads every year. The government run program is a first in Australia, providing comprehensive, practical tools to support employers and workers who drive or ride while at work.

Transport for NSW developed the Road Safety in Your Workplace program in collaboration with the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) and Insurance and Care NSW (icare) to help employers address their road safety risk and provide support and guidance to workers.

The project aim was to deliver effective information and support through new engagement tools and channels. These cost-effective tools are free for all employers and workers throughout NSW, and easily transferrable for implementation and roll-out across other jurisdictions.

The 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award was presented at the ACRS Award Ceremony held on Wednesday 29 September at the 2021 Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC 2021).

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz, participated in the Ceremony via a video presentation and thanked ACRS and its members for their dedication to road safety.

Mr Buchholz stated, “I thank and congratulate each award winner but also every entrant. You are improving the safety of our roads through leadership, technological advancements, innovation, awareness and education.”

The award was presented by Mr Martin Small, President of the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), and Mr Andrew King, Group Division Manager ANZ-Transportation Safety, Advanced Materials & Electronic Solutions Materials at 3M.

Mr Martin Small, said “The Australasian College of Road Safety thanks 3M for the continued support of this highly coveted award.”

Mr Small continued “We extend our congratulations to this year’s winner, the Transport for NSW Road Safety in Your Workplace project team, for their efforts to address the staggering number of road based workplace fatalities. This is a well-deserved award and identifies the project’s capacity to be replicated across Australia and globally.”

3M representative Mr Andrew King said “In the 11th year of 3M’s support of this award we wish to congratulate Transport for NSW for the win. This project shows how thoughtful collaboration can be the basis for a well delivered, cost-effective, large-scale education program.”

There are over one million vehicles on NSW roads that are classified as a workplace. Road Safety in Your Workplace aims to equip these drivers and riders, as well as their employers, with the information and tools to get them home safely. Around 26 per cent of the fatalities on NSW roads involve a vehicle used for work. Vehicular fatalities is the number one cause of death in the workplace, and for many employers it is their greatest workplace risk.

Although in its infancy, the Road Safety in the Workplace program has already reached over 1.8 million people across NSW through a comprehensive digital engagement campaign, and an additional 5 million people through public transport advertising across Greater Sydney titled ‘Drive Safe. Work Safe.’ This campaign, coupled with digital engagement tools such as industry webinars, education activities and the development of digital resources, have been effective in embedding positive behaviour outcomes in workplaces throughout NSW.

Finalists for the 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award came from many areas including state and local governments, private companies, and not-for-profit organisations. Judges of the award evaluated all the entries in terms of problem solving, innovation in technology and thinking, and the benefits in reducing trauma. Cost-effectiveness and transferability to other areas were other key criteria.

As the winning entry, a member of the Transport for NSW Road Safety in Your Workplace project team has the opportunity to travel to the USA to visit 3M Global Headquarters in Minnesota. The ACRS and members of the road safety community across Australasia congratulate the Transport for NSW team on their outstanding contributions and their 2021 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award win.

Highly Commended Winners for 2021:

‘City of Rockingham Strategic Road Safety Action Plan – Team Leader: Ryan Gibson, Coordinator Planning and Design;

The development of a Strategic Road Safety Action Plan for the City of Rockingham is an important strategic step in working towards the reduction and elimination of serious injury and fatal crashes within the City. The Strategic Action Plan outlines several actions guided by the Safe System approach to achieve the goals of Western Australia’s ‘towards zero’ strategy. The strategic action plan is a combination of educational initiatives and engineering solutions to combat road safety issues on our road network and is based on the four pillars of Safe System, providing a holistic guidance to the City and the community about progressing towards zero harm.

‘Road Safety Training Module for Food Delivery Riders – Team Leader: Tia Gaffney, National Leader Safe Mobility Outcomes, The Australian Road Research Board | National Transport Research Centre

The program was developed by ARRB as a novel, bilingual training program for a major provider of food delivery services, in response to the Worksafe NSW set of guidelines released following the deaths of 5 food delivery riders within a period of two months in 2020. The program was built as a complete end-to-end solution for industry, intended to improve road safety for food industry delivery riders (FDRSs) by providing clear information about risk factors when operating 2-wheeled delivery vehicles. The training program uses an online platform and includes 5 core training video modules and quizzes, which correlate with the principles of road safety risk management and the safe system approach to road safety.

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About the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS)

The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) is the region’s peak membership association for road safety professionals, advocates, and members of the public who are focused on saving lives and serious injuries on our roads. The College provides an inclusive, collaborative environment promoting communication, networking, professionalism, and advocacy across all spheres of road safety including policy, advocacy, research, innovation, technologies, and management. ACRS membership includes experts from all areas of road safety including policy makers, academics, community organisations, researchers, federal, state and local government agencies, private companies and members of the public.

About 3M
At 3M we are dedicated to improving transportation infrastructure and mobility so motorists can arrive at their destinations safely. Our high performance materials combine with innovative systems and services to help you bring the best roadways systems into reality. For over 80 years, we have shared in your mission to make our roadway safer.

More Information
Awards Website: https://theaustralasianroadsafetyawards.com.au/

ARSC 2021 Website: https://australasianroadsafetyconference.com.au
ACRS Website: http://archive.acrs.org.au/
3M Transportation Safety Division: https://www.3m.com.au/3M/en_AU/transportation-au/

Media Contacts    
Ms Cara Smith – Senior Communications Manager, ACRS (m) 0497 531 021