The small Sydney business is up against national organisations for the Safety Leadership award.
New South Wales trucking firm TOT Transport has been nominated for the coveted Safety Leadership Award at this year’s WorkCover NSW 2014 SafeWork Awards.
It is the second year in a row the company, which specialises in high-risk transportation across NSW, has been among the nominations.
In 2013, TOT Transport WHS manager Sean Redmond won the Best Individual Contribution to Workplace Health and Safety Award, and the company came runner up in the Small Business category.
“We were totally surprised, but enormously proud,” Redmond says of this year’s nomination.
“We’re up there against national businesses.”
TOT Transport operates under an owner-driver model, with 13 direct employees and up to 70 driving teams on the road at any one time.
Redmond says those owner-drivers are also included in its strict safety program, which has proven incredibly successful.
“There were no serious incidents in 2013,” he says.
“There were no medical claims, no notifiable incidents, and no long-term injuries.
“We’re proving that you can have a strong safety culture in a small business.”
Redmond says TOT Transport’s focus on safety has been a hallmark of the business since the introduction of new workplace health and safety legislation in 2011.
“TOT engaged and heavily consulted with its workers and customers to change the perception that owner-drivers couldn’t be managed in terms of safety and customer service,” he says.
“The result was the creation of a comprehensive work safety management scheme that encapsulates intuitive risk management, ongoing worker consultation, and targeted training around staying safe whilst working in one of the highest risk industries in Australia.”
Redmond says TOT Transport has lost some customers due to its uncompromising stand on safety, but it has also won the respect and long term business of some much larger customers.
Finalists in the 2014 WorkCover NSW SafeWork Awards will be assessed by a panel of employers, workers, and WorkCover representatives.
The winners will be announced on October 30 at a dinner ceremony in Sydney.