This appendix outlines our work, health and safety (WHS) performance in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).
Table 6.11: WHS performance, 2015–16 and 2016–17
| Indicator | 2015–16 | 2016–17 |
| Incident reporting | ||
| Total incidents reported | 426 | 528 |
| WHS incidents | 177 | 168 |
| Staff | 86 | 85 |
| Contractors | 68 | 51 |
| Tenants and others | 23 | 32 |
| Recordable injury rate | ||
| Total recordable injury frequency rate 1 | 10.27 | 5.86 |
| Audits and office inspections | ||
| Contractor and internal audits conducted | 962 | 511 |
| Desktop | 864 | 415 |
| Onsite | 98 | 96 |
| Safety interaction | 76 | 207 |
| Office inspections conducted | 81 | 79 |
| Workers’ compensation | ||
| Workers’ compensation claims (accepted in financial year) | 10 | 6 |
NOTE
1Number of recordable injuries per million work hours.
Notifiable incidents
As shown in Figure 6.1, the number of all incidents reported continues to increase year-on-year. Importantly, while the number of incidents reported increased by 19 per cent in 2016–17, the percentage of those deemed WHS incidents decreased from 46 per cent to 31 per cent.
Of the 168 incidents deemed as WHS related in 2016–17, eight were notified to an authority in line with the WHS Act due to them being classified as dangerous incidents.
As shown in Figure 6.2, staff were involved in the highest number of WHS incidents (85) in 2016–17, however, this number was consistent with staff incidents in 2015–16 (86).
There were five lost time injuries in 2016–17 which translates to a staff lost time injury frequency rate of 4.18. The total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) was 5.86 based on seven injuries requiring medical treatment. This equates to a 43 per cent reduction in TRIFR from 2015–16 where there were 12 recordable injuries requiring medical treatment.
Of the other 360 incidents reported in 2016–17:
- 18 were security issues and were managed separately
- 342 were not WHS related as there was no link to the work of DHA or our contractors.
Safety audits and inspections
As part of our regular Health, Safety, Environment and Quality monitoring program, we undertook 511 contractor and internal audits and 79 office inspections during 2016–17. A total of 421 corrective actions were raised following these audits. The results of the corrective actions have assisted in various initiatives, including data trend analysis, targeted audit and safety campaigns and local area risk mitigation strategies.
In 2016–17, we were recertified against Australian and international standards for our WHS (Prevention First) and quality management systems. In completing the surveillance audits, the licensor auditors noted our programs as being ‘truly remarkable’. Their comments recognise the continual improvements we have made and recent initiatives implemented such as the Psychosocial Wellbeing Program, the First Response SafeTCard program, first aid training for all staff, defibrillators installed in all offices and mandatory workstation assessments available for all new starters.
Workers’ compensation
Comcare, the Australian Government’s insurer, regulator and scheme manager, accepted six workers’ compensation claims in 2016–17 (including two for injuries that occurred in 2015–16). Of the compensable injuries in 2016–17, one claim was for a medical condition (muscle tension dysphonia) and the remainder were for musculoskeletal injuries. Comcare disallowed four claims.