An important factor in achieving safety in your workplace is good work design. Prevent harm before it occurs by designing work tasks, systems and equipment to optimise workplace health and safety, worker performance, worker wellbeing, job satisfaction and business success.

Implementing, improving and developing good work design in the workplace is essential in helping to reduce psychosocial harm, increase productivity and benefit worker wellbeing. Identifying where good work design is required involves considering the systems, processes, physical environment and emotional demands of performing a task. After consultation with workers and experts, put in a system or procedure that applies good work design.

As a PCBU, seeking continuous workplace improvement is important to prevent harm before it occurs. Harm is a hazard that must be managed. If you have staff, it is crucial you understand an employer’s duty-of-care responsibilities and the importance of providing the highest level of protection to workers that is reasonably practicable.

Take the first steps towards achieving and improving good work design by clearly comprehending what it is and what approaches can be taken to accomplish good work design. Here are some examples:

• Assess the work environment by taking a company risk assessment. Evaluate the current state of your company, including job roles and tasks. This assessment will help identify areas that require improvement and set the foundation for achieving good work design.

• Consider the ergonomic design of vehicles and equipment to minimise physical strain and fatigue. For example, vehicle features such as adjustable seats, steering wheel and pedals.

• Use of technology and automation to reduce workload and increase safety. For example, automatic braking, fatigue detection, lane departure warning systems, chain throwing equipment and GPS tracking and telematics systems.

• Identify roles to optimise work processes and improve productivity. Clarify and define objectives and responsibilities clearly.

• Implement workplace best practices. This means providing adequate access, resource, time and active leadership support to develop, implement and monitor health and wellbeing practices.

• Prioritise training programmes/courses to empower workers and ensure they have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their jobs safely and effectively.

• Enhance worker control over their work environment and tasks. Grant workers a degree of autonomy and decision-making authority within their role, which gives them a sense of ownership and promotes job satisfaction.

• Nurture and support the wellbeing of workers by reducing workplace stressors that can contribute to psychosocial harm. For example, promoting work-life balance and redesigning work processes or schedules to reduce overload.

• Provide resources, support and the necessary tools to enable your team to perform tasks effectively and safely.

• Improve the effectiveness of communication channels. For example, regular team meetings, toolbox talks, feedback sessions and transparent communication about organisational changes.

• Continuously evaluate, adapt, monitor and reassess the effectiveness of any good work design procedures or processes that are implemented within your company.

The chain of responsibility (COR) states that everyone who works with heavy vehicles – from the business that employs a driver to the place where goods are delivered – is accountable for safety. That being said, good work design within transport and logistics requires a collaborative approach between employers, leaders, workers and industry experts to identify and implement effective strategies to create safe and productive workplaces. Implementing good work design can help create a more positive workplace culture and an environment that promotes communication, respect and inclusivity, reducing the risk of harassment, bullying and other psychosocial hazards. HARMfree Transport and Logistics can help businesses identify where good work design is required and guide you towards resources and experts to help improve overall operational success within your company. Existing good work design best practice procedures will be available to access and implement, along with hazard and risk assessment and risk identification resources.

The HARMfree Transport and Logistics programme is launching later this year. It will provide transport business owners and health and safety managers with the tools to identify and manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace, including a good work design module. A lot of information is available on these issues, but you must search for it. Bringing all those resources and information into an easy-to-follow programme saves time for employers and is designed with easily implemented practical information.

The programme is shaped by the transport sector’s needs. We listen and learn from transport and logistics leaders who are on the ground, continually improving, expanding and evolving. By meeting people, sharing ideas and collecting information, we are fine-tuning the HARMfree content to meet our industry’s needs.

If you would like to learn more about the HARMfree transport and logistics programme, please contact me at john.sansom@harmfree.nz