SA wins two Safe Work Australia awards

A major South Australian utility and a Health and Safety representative from a Coonawarra winery have been honoured for their outstanding efforts in workplace safety.
ETSA Utilities and Viki Coad of Katnook Estate Winery each won their categories in the 2008 Safe Work Australia Awards announced last night in Canberra, by the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Julia Gillard MP.
Both earned their places in the national awards by virtue of their wins at last year’s South Australian Safe Work Awards.
ETSA Utilities won the category of Best Workplace Health and Safety Management System.
The judges were impressed by ETSA Utilities’ ‘Dare to Dream Initiative’, which is a campaign series targeting its entire workforce, and is dedicated to the objective of a workplace with zero lost time injuries.
ETSA Utilities’ safety system has led to reductions in compensation claims, with the system adopted by other organisations in Australia.
Viki Coad was honoured for the Best Individual Contribution to Workplace Health and Safety.
At her workplace, the Katnook Estate Winery in Coonawarra, Ms. Coad has introduced a system of reviewing Standard Operating Procedures, instigated weekly OHS staff meetings and developed tools to monitor, record and track progress on all hazard and incident reports.
Not only did her efforts improve the workplace culture, they have significantly reduced injury-related incidents across the organisation by 29 per cent in 2007 to 2008.
SafeWork SA, which hosts the annual state awards in conjunction with Business SA, SA Unions and WorkCoverSA, has congratulated both winners.
“For a relatively small state, South Australia has a proud tradition of achievement in these national safety awards,” said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Michele Patterson.
“ETSA Utilities and Viki Coad have both highlighted what can be accomplished with the commitment to looking after your workmates and the actions that follow.
“We look forward to hearing their stories in October during Safe Work Month, and urge anyone interested in workplace health and safety to learn from their examples.”