Linfox and Kings Transport are getting proactive to reduce injuries over the Christmas period
By Ruza Zivkusic | December 15, 2010
With the busy Christmas period approaching, truckies and transport workers are being reminded to take care while at work.
Linfox has introduced a safety campaign which runs from November until January to increase the focus of safety during the peak trading season.
Linfox spokesman Gary Max says the lost-term injury rate has been reduced by 85 percent over the last five years since the campaign was launched.
As workloads and traffic in warehouses and public roads increase, it is important that all employees are aware of the risks and are well prepared, Max says.
“The volume of work increases by 40 percent this year so there’s a lot more traffic around the warehouses and also on the road,” he says.
“The focus of the business is to make sure we can handle the work well for our customers and handle it safely.
“We have planned for the peak season four months ahead of time; increasing traffic leads to increasing risks, it’s a matter of making people aware of the additional pressures and making sure they focus on them all the time.”
The campaign consists of a number of activities and sessions that addresses the increased risks during the trading peak, and was introduced as part of the broader-vision safety strategy.
“We aim to keep focusing on reducing injuries and incidents until we get to zero,” Max says.
The lost-time injury frequency per one million kilometres is 2.7 injuries. Linfox has also introduced the campaign at its overseas depots.
Kings Transport and Logistics National Safety Manager Andrew Kus says the company will soon release a hot weather toolbox for its employees, reminding them to keep hydrated and to apply sunscreen.
“Our focus is on hot weather preparedness and also on being careful and extra vigilant during the holiday period,” Kus says.
“We are calling on the drivers to take their time and not to rush or to take any more risks than they would normally take; they’ve been safe all year and we expect that’s the standard they continue to operate, we don’t want people getting hurt before the holiday.”