Comcare Conference – 24/25 October 2007

Building business capabilities through workplace safety and rehabilitation!

Changing long accepted work practices to reduce the number and cost of claims.

Don SmithHead, Workplace Relations

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Building business capabilities through workplace safety and rehabilitation!

• The key to improved safety and a reduction in the number and costs of claims is to create a culture of safety and to support this with strong systems of management.

• These management systems include OHS, rehabilitation, work-practice reform, training and performance management.

Some ABC Background - Facts and Figures

• 5,200 staff in 118 locations throughout Australia and overseas

• ABC Radio, with four national networks, nine metropolitan and fifty one regional stations;

• ABC Television, with two national digital services (the main channel also broadcasts an analogue service) encompassing the largest production house in Australia;

• ABC Online service

• International Broadcasting, with Radio Australia and Australian Television broadcasting to the Asia/Pacific region;

• The largest broadcast news service in Australia with newsrooms in every capital city, journalists in all regional stations and fourteen overseas news bureaux, with regular deployment of news crews to breaking stories anywhere in the world; and

• ABC Commercial, with 42 retail shops, consumer publishing and sales and resource hire operations.

• Broad range of jobs and occupational groups

–Managerial,

–Administrative,

–Technical,

–Professional, and

–Program Maker

• The jobs cover:

– Office based (admin/professional)

– Engineering workshops and design

– Technical installation and maintenance

– Electricians, carpenters, painters, etc.

– Journalists (multi-media)

– Producers, researchers and assistants (radio/TV/online)

– Actors

– Web designers

– Set and production designers

– Camera/sound and editing operators

– Set building

– Stage hands, drivers, riggers, etc.

– Plant operators

– Retail staff

– and more!

ABC employment framework pre 2000

• Five awards and four certified agreements

• 68 distinct classification groups

• 11 systems for determining salary movements

• 23 sets of working conditions (hours, rosters, penalties, overtime)

• Major disparities in leave and public holidays

• Cumbersome, prescriptive rules and procedures covering forms of employment, recruitment, mobility etc.

• Job demarcations

• Jobs narrowly defined, often inflexible

• Barriers to move between job groups

• Many work practices outdated, not

reformed since the mid 1980s

• Adversarial industrial relations climate

• Piece meal approach to workplace reform

• In 2000 negotiated the ABC Employment Agreement 2000-2003

• broke down the existing job demarcations reducing the 68 classifications to just 3

• introducing one pay spine

• one performance management system

• two sets of working conditions

ABC OHS Score Card

• Comcare Safety Map Audit in 2002

– Audited 3 operational divisions in 3 states

– Not compliant

– Gaps in data and national safety training

• Compensable injury rates at about 130 staff pa

• Premium rate increasing (doubled in 4 years)

• Premium rose to $4m by 2006-07

Building a New OHS and Rehabilitation System

• improved data on the nature, frequency and location of safety incidents;

• up to date safety and rehabilitation policies and procedures;

• risk and hazard management systems;• safety and risk management training programs;• cooperative, active and early intervention based

rehabilitation program; and last but not least,• endorsement and active support of senior

management.

National Occupational Health and Safety National Occupational Health and Safety

Strategy and Comcare Targets 2002-2012Strategy and Comcare Targets 2002-2012

• T1: Reduce the incidence of workplace injury and disease by 40%

• T2: Eliminate all fatalities due to work-related injury

• T3: Reduce the average lost time rate by 40%

• T4: Reduce the average time taken for rehabilitation intervention by 90%

Safety Leadership and Culture

• Work practice changes and procurement decisions driven by safety considerations and efficiencies

• Major and sustainable shift towards a culture of safety in the ABC

• Risk assessment and risk management strategies with adequate budgets

Work Practice Reforms

• Staff/manager discussions regarding job design mandated by the performance management and job design process

• Job design driven by the risk assessment and safety assessment/checks and training programs

Work Practice Reforms

• use of lifting devices such as ‘easy rigs’ for manual camera handling

• use of lighter weight cameras and associated equipment in the field,

• lighter weight set design,

• Greater use of lifting devices and ergonomic design

Work Practice Reforms

• Fatigue management initiatives • Improved planning of video editing schedules• Appropriate breaks in scheduled program

production shoots• Budgeting for accommodation or transport

for longer production shifts • Regular breaks in computer based work

(editing, office work) • Recognition of warning signs in performance

management of high pressure jobs• Modification of jobs to incorporate more

variety and reduce pressure.

Work Practice Reforms

• Single person crewing in TV news gathering – training in manual handling and

ergonomics

– developing safer work practices in the field in news gathering techniques

– changes in long standing work practices in high risk, high incident activities

Work Practice Reforms

• imperative for early intervention and return to work of injured staff

• modification of jobs to facilitate early return to work after injury.

– requirement for staff and managers to discuss job design

Outcomes

• By 2006-07 significant improvement in injury prevention and rehabilitation

• On track to achieve national OHS Targets

• Substantial decrease in claims reaching 5 days, 30 days and 60 days incapacity

• Reduction in number of claims

• Average lifetime claim cost cut by 2/3

• Premium cut from $4m to $2.75m improvement of 31%

DiscussionDiscussionFinal SlideFinal Slide

Supplementary Slides

• Data SystemsData Systems• OHS/Rehab. Policies and ProceduresOHS/Rehab. Policies and Procedures• OHS/Rehab. ProgramsOHS/Rehab. Programs• Risk and Hazard ManagementRisk and Hazard Management• OHS Training (2 slides)OHS Training (2 slides)• Compensation and RehabilitationCompensation and Rehabilitation• Senior Management EndorsementSenior Management Endorsement• Charts 1-4Charts 1-4• Tables 1-3Tables 1-3

Data System

• Customised data management system – ABC WorkSafe

• Comcare’s Compensation Information System (CIS)

• ABC OHS Quarterly Analytical Report– To senior divisional management

– Basic data and trend analysis

– Identify areas requiring attention

– Suggest safety initiatives

OHS/Rehabilitation Policies and Procedures

• Policies/Procedures– OHS Safety Agreement

– Risk Assessment/Risk Management

– Fatigue Management

– Rehabilitation

– Safety Guidelines and Checklists

– Creating a Better Place to Work (anti-bullying)

– Procurement

– More….

OHS/Rehabilitation Programs

• Employee Assistance Program

• Trauma Peer Support

• Supported by state based OHS Committees

• Overseen by a National OHS Management Group

• Divisional OHS/Risk Management Committees identify and address safety issues and job reform

Risk and Hazard Management

• ABC A-Z of Safety – on line system

• Risk Assessment Templates – on line

• Safety Checklists – on line

• Safety Assessments– Ergonomic assessments – on line advice and in situ

– Electrical safety

– Radio frequency tests

– High risk assignments

OHS Training• Induction• Safety awareness• Risk assessment/management (separate streams

for television production, radio, office based work, retail safety)

• Bushfire awareness• Manual handling• Ergonomics• Single person camera crewing• Fatigue management

OHS Training (cont’d)

• Helicopter underwater emergency training

• Anti-bullying, discrimination and harassment

• New manager

• Experienced manager

• Radio Frequency safety

• Health and safety representative

• Fire warden

• First aid

Compensation and Rehabilitation

• Expedite access of employees to necessary services and support.

• Promote appropriate management of claims.• Promote early and durable return-to-work

outcomes• Collect and analyse incident data to identify

trends within the workplace.• Control claims costs through the implementation

of return-to-work programs to reduce “lost time” through injury.

Senior Management Endorsement and

Support • Strong leadership, • Appropriate structures, systems and focused action • Active support of senior and line management • Managing Director

– Endorsed the OHS Agreement – ratified the commitment to the National OHS Targets.

• Budget support by the Executive Group• Senior Divisional membership on the National OHS

Management Group• Line management support for early intervention and

return to work plans

Chart 1: Current progress against the claims incidence rate target (T1)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Financial Year

Cla

ims p

er

1000 F

TE

em

plo

ye

es

Actual Incidence Rate

Target Incidence Rate

Chart 2: Current progress against the lost time incidence rate target (T3)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Financial Year

Actual Lost Time Rate

Target Lost Time Rate

We

ek

s lo

st

per

100

0 F

TE

em

plo

yees

Chart 3: Current progress against the time taken to rehabilitation intervention target (T4)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Financial Year

We

ek

s f

or

RT

W a

cti

vit

y t

o c

om

me

nce

Avg Wks to RTW Activity

Target Wks

Chart 4: Incidence of claims that had 5, 30 and 60 days’ incapacity determined in the year (2002–03 to

2006–07)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Financial Year

Cla

ims p

er

100

0 F

TE

em

plo

ye

es

5 days or more incapacity

30 days or more incapacity

60 days or more incapacity

Table 1: ABC premium rate (percentage of payroll) compared to the Australian Government average

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

change 03-04

to

07-04ABC 0.64% 0.80% 1.17% 1.07% 0.81% 27%

Aust’n Govt

Av.

1.43% 1.67% 1.77% 1.77% 1.55% 8%

Table 2: ABC claim frequency (estimated per $M of payroll)

compared to the Australian Government average

Calendar Year

2003 2004 2005 2006

ABCClaim frequency estimated to end May

0.46 0.38 0.43 0.38Av. Lifetime claim cost

to end Feb.

$26,354 $30,637 $11,098 $11,767

All Australian Government premium paying agencies

Claim frequency 0.54 0.52 0.44 0.39Av. Lifetime claim cost

$25,588 $26,201 $28,269 $28,930

Table 3: ABC number of claims and

average lifetime claim cost

ABC Injuries suffered in calendar year

2003 2004 2005 2006

Number of claims

130.1 113.9 132.3 124.7

Average lifetime

claim cost

$26,354 $30,637 $11,098 $11,767