The WorkCover Tasmania Board congratulates the successful applicants of the Healthier, Safer and Productive Workplaces Grant Program 2019–20.
All four recipients applied to the Education and Training category, which focussed on developing education and training to assist workers and employers in identifying, improving and promoting work health safety and wellbeing, including injury management, and preventing health hazards in the workplace (the other two categories were Innovation and Research).
The four recipients and their initiatives are:
Fruit Growers Tasmania Inc
Issue: Language barriers have been identified as a risk point for foreign seasonal workers in the fruit industry.
Initiative: The Tasmanian Fruit Industry Worker Induction Program will provide an effective visual learning resource for the Tasmanian fruit industry, giving employers the ability to conduct concise safety inductions, and have a greater confidence that workers are aware of key safety messages. Each worker who participates in this induction program will be tested on the safety principles contained in the video, which has multi-language capability to ensure that all pickers are more aware of workplace safety.
Ondental Pty Ltd
Issue: The risk of physical and mental injury is well documented in the dental profession; for example, the work involves poor posture, stagnant positions, and repetitive tasks.
Initiative: Dental Workwell is an online in-practice training program that provides the tools, guidance and know how to effectively manage and improve physical and mental health in the dental practice. It covers a pilates postural preventative and restorative program for neck and back health; a hand, wrist and arm mobility strength and function program; and a reducing stress and anxiety in practice program.
Primary Employers Tasmania
Issue: Agriculture is identified as a priority industry nationally in Tasmania, due to its high rate of injuries.
Initiative: The AgCard is a pre-farm employment induction program using the resources of Safe Farming Tasmania to give workers essential awareness and understanding of standard work health and safety procedures before they enter a workplace. It does not replace an on-farm induction, but rather attunes the worker to work health and safety habits and conversations they should be having once they start work. The aim of the pre-employment induction is to create a sense of ownership by the employee and the employer that we are all responsible for safety at work.
Rural Business Tasmania Inc.
Issue: National and Tasmanian surveys have shown a high rate of sexual harassment for women working in agriculture.
Initiative: This project provides the opportunity to reduce the risk of bullying and harassment using a combination of behavioural based training and practical guidance electronic and printed tools, focused on rural workplaces. It will provide awareness of the types of behaviours that are unacceptable and develop measures to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual harassment and other forms of bullying and harassment. This includes improving induction programs to include discussion about what are considered unacceptable behaviours.
About the grants
The Healthier, Safer and Productive Workplaces Grant Program support innovation, research, and education and training that will improve work health and safety, culture and injury management for workers and employers in Tasmania.
The Grant Program was open to workplaces, researchers and other eligible individuals and organisations who wish to make a difference to work health and safety, culture and injury management for Tasmanian workers and employers. This could be by conducting leading-edge research, developing innovative engineering solutions, or preparing/delivering training programs.