Transcript Changing long accepted work practices to reduce claim

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 Smith
Head, 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
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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
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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
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– 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
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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
Strategy 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%
Discussion
Final Slide
Supplementary Slides
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Data Systems
OHS/Rehab. Policies and Procedures
OHS/Rehab. Programs
Risk and Hazard Management
OHS Training (2 slides)
Compensation and Rehabilitation
Senior Management Endorsement
Charts 1-4
Tables 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
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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
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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
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ABC A-Z of Safety – on line system
Risk Assessment Templates – on line
Safety Checklists – on line
Safety Assessments
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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
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for television production, radio, office based work,
retail safety)
Bushfire awareness
Manual handling
Ergonomics
Single person camera crewing
Fatigue management
OHS Training (cont’d)
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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
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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
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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
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Management Group
Line management support for early intervention and
return to work plans
Chart 1: Current progress against the claims
incidence rate target (T1)
12
Actual Incidence Rate
Target Incidence Rate
Claims per 1000 FTE employees
10
8
6
4
2
0
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
Financial Year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
Chart 2: Current progress against the lost time
incidence rate target (T3)
180
Actual Lost Time Rate
160
Target Lost Time Rate
Weeks lost per 1000 FTE employees
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
Financial Year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
Chart 3: Current progress against the time taken to
rehabilitation intervention target (T4)
18
Avg Wks to RTW Activity
16
Target Wks
Weeks for RTW activity to commence
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
Financial Year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
Chart 4: Incidence of claims that had 5, 30 and 60
days’ incapacity determined in the year (2002–03 to
2006–07)
12
5 days or more incapacity
30 days or more incapacity
60 days or more incapacity
Claims per 1000 FTE employees
10
8
6
4
2
0
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
Financial Year
2005-06
2006-07
Table 1: ABC premium rate (percentage of payroll)
compared to the Australian Government average
200304
200405
200506
200607
200708
ABC
0.64%
0.80%
1.17%
1.07%
change
03-04
to
07-04
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
ABC
Claim frequency
estimated to end May
Av. Lifetime
claim cost
0.46
0.38
0.43
0.38
$26,354
$30,637
$11,098
$11,767
to end Feb.
All Australian Government premium paying agencies
Claim frequency
0.54
0.52
0.44
0.39
Av. 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