HARMONISING A NATIONAL APPROACH
TO SAFETY
THE AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION (AFPA) IS CONSOLIDATING ITS APPROACH TO SAFETY AND RISK REDUCTION FOR THE FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT INDUSTRY NATIONALLY. MARK PIORKOWSKI, AFPA’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR QUEENSLAND AND NORTHERN TERRITORY, EXPLAINS.
F
or more than 50 years, the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) has been an advocate for safety within the flexible pavement industry. As part of this advocacy, the association has been responsible for the development of training courses, delivering industry events and technical advice to industry. AfPA has also been pursuing a set of national safety priorities, through the actions of its National Health & Safety Committee (NHSC). As the convenor of the NHSC, Mark Piorkowski, AfPA’s Executive Director for Queensland and Northern Territory, says these priorities reflect areas where industry could better meet shared safety challenges. A key part of that effort is adopting a consistent approach to engaging with key stakeholders and advocating for improved roadworker safety. “We really want to focus on who’s the most vulnerable and that is our people
working on roadwork sites,” he says. With these priorities comes a focus on establishing a national attitude to health and safety. Piorkowski says that achieving a “harmonious” approach is the main goal. He says that operators who work across multiple states and territories currently face different rules and regulations around workplace safety and working standards. A national approach helps to ensure that safety requirements, innovations and improvements are utilised across the board. “Ultimately the end game is to create the safest work environment regardless of the jurisdiction,” he says. Safety incidents on road worksites are a major concern, which is why a national approach is a priority. “Trying to raise the standard of health and safety across the board is the main objective, through training and programs, as well as policy and advocacy,” he says.
PRIORITY AREAS AfPA’s national priorities cover four main areas: separation of people and plant, safety through the tender box, separation of people and traffic, and keeping communities safe through road management. The first focus area involves ensuring people are trained before they enter a worksite. Piorkowski says that knowing the risks and being prepared for them is critical for work with hot bitumen, large plant and equipment while dealing with moving traffic. “It’s about getting the states and territories to increase their commitment to staff training and ensuring they are confident that their contractors are also adequately resourced for safety,” he says. “Initiatives like the AfPA Flexible Pavements Industry Skills Card provides them with a recognised skills set that are embedded into a traineeship or Apprenticeship qualification, ensuring consistency in the delivery of bituminous materials nationally.”
AfPA is advocating for a national approach to reduce safety incidents occurring on roadwork sites. 56
ROADS MAY 2022
