NTA (New Zealand Trucking Association Inc) and NRC (National Road Carriers Inc), in partnership with AutoSense Ltd, Fatigue Management Fit for Duty Ltd, and Success Formula Ltd (NTI), will be working together to create a set of tools, information, resources, and training material tailored to the needs of the transport industry. The HARMfree Transport programme will focus on improving workplace safety and worker wellbeing and includes the implementation of consistent processes, procedures and policies that can be adopted as a roadmap to achieving a risk-free workplace.

The programme has been created through crucial seed funding from the ACC Workplace Injury Prevention Grant. The grant programme funds organisations or individuals striving to solve workplace health and safety challenges. The grants are designed as a vehicle through which impactful health and safety improvements can be created. The initiative will include implementing a good work design approach to address psychosocial risks of workers in the transport sector to reduce injury.

As an industry organisation, we are closely connected to our members. Their health and safety and HR staff often tell us it’s difficult to connect across different companies. They want to learn and solve issues to create a safer workplace for their team, but it can be really challenging connecting with their peers to seek support, discuss issues and create better processes.

Creating a programme that is industry-designed, industry-led, and supported by the ACC, means that the programme will be designed in a language and style practical for transport. With the right systems and processes in place, workplace health and safety incidents will reduce, creating a safer work environment that results in fewer ACC claims.

HARMfree Transport will not only deliver the tools and resources required to create safer workplaces, but also provide an environment that encourages health and safety and HR experts to reach out for support from their counterparts across the transport industry. The programme is being created to foster the sharing of knowledge via an industry network that discusses and solves problems to create a safer workplace environment.

It follows on that a key outcome of a safer workplace environment is safer roads. With stronger health and safety systems and processes in place, hazards and risks are reduced and this flows through to safer drivers and trucks travelling on our roads.

The programme is ‘human-centred’ in its design. It’s about creating a sea of transport-industry safety champions who share their knowledge of what works and what doesn’t on a shared mission to create safer workplaces.

While the funding is for three years, this programme will be built to be sustainable way past that time. Until now, there has not been a platform or opportunity to connect, collaborate or share knowledge. A new programme manager has been appointed and will begin mid-October. While much planning needs to happen, we expect to pilot the programme in 2023. There is huge opportunity for industry suppliers to partner with the programme, especially if they have solutions. If you or your company would like to be involved in the planning, piloting or if you have key people you would like to connect with other champions who are doing similar roles, please let us know. We plan to hold our first focus group meeting in Christchurch, followed by one in Auckland later in the year. It’s been a wonderful journey so far working with the collaborative team of Kelly McLuckie (Success Formula NTI), Rachel Lehen (Fit for Duty), Charles Dawson (Autosense), James Smith (NRC), Justin Tighe-Umbers (NRC), and our team Carol McGeady, Rebecca Dinmore and David Boyce.