MTC Publications and Reports

This toolkit has been developed to increase employer awareness and assist them in managing the risks associated with COVID-19 in the workplace.

This toolkit has been developed to increase your awareness and assist you to manage the risks associated with COVID-19 in your workplace.

There are numerous benefits of a mentally healthy workplace for both the team members and the organisation as a whole. A few of the benefits include employee retention, improved productivity,

decreased sick leave and enhanced employee engagement.

This InMotion is your WI Premium Renewal Cheat Sheet: with hints and tips on how to help your business navigate the process to your best advantage and useful links for more information.

A Return to Work (RTW) Coordinator is a critical and essential role for the effective and efficient management of workplace injuries and illnesses. In this edition of InMotion we consider why outsourcing the RTW Coordinator role may be a good option for your business.

Following on from Issue 4 | July 2020 | Return to Work Coordinator Role, this edition of InMotion explores Return to Work (RTW) Programs as a requirement of all employers in NSW, focussing on the RTW obligations of the employer and what is needed for the workplace.

Traditionally organisations have a reactive approach to WHS Management, which means that most commonly there is only action taken following a safety incident or injury. Applying a WHS framework and finding a balance across the elements to effective WHS Management is key to a successful proactive management approach.

The promptness to your response to an injury in the workplace impacts the experience of the injured employee, and ultimately the recovery at work outcome. In Part One of this three part series we explore why prompt injury reporting is important and the benefits of early treatment.

The promptness to your response to an injury in the workplace impacts the experience of the injured employee and their ability to recover effectively at work. In Part Two, we explore the benefits of engaging a preferred injury treatment provider.

When an employee sustains a workplace injury or illness, it often impacts their ability to perform their job, especially in roles that are more labour intensive and inherently high risk. Since it is in everyone’s best interest to see them return to work in some capacity while they are recovering, the ability to provide suitable work becomes an important step in the recovery process.

Motor vehicle service and repair workshops have many hazards that need to be managed to minimise the risk of incidents and injuries. In this edition of InMotion we discuss how you can address three of the highest priority hazards in your workshops. 

There are many benefits to managing hazardous substances and dangerous goods in a safe, efficient, and effective manner. Regulatory compliance and good practice management ensures team members, contractors, visitors, customers, and the environment are safeguarded from their potentially harmful effects.

In this edition of InMotion we will explore the basics of Hazardous Substances management and what risk management controls can help you to maintain a safe and healthy workplace.

Our auditory system (hearing) allows us to hear sounds that travel to our brains to be analysed in order for us to generate a response. In the workplace our hearing helps us to be aware of our surroundings and stay safe. Work related noise-induced (occupational noise) hearing loss is a preventable but irreversible condition that can affect people’s quality of life.

Managing exposure to hazardous noise, vibration and ototoxins and the risk of injury or illness to our team members or other persons in the workplace is part of a business’ Primary Duty of Care under the Work Health and Safety [model] Act 2011 (the Act). The management of all potential sources of risk to hearing loss is important, however, in this InMotion we will be focusing on noise. 

Is your organisation meeting its Duty of Care obligations to provide a safe working environment for employees and other persons as required under Work Health and Safety Laws?

In this InMotion, at a high level, we will cover the definitions and meanings of key terms relating to duty of care and explore the primary duty of care legislative provisions.

A large number of jobs in the automotive industry are labour intensive and involves moderate to high levels of manual handling.

Poor technique, heavy lifting, hazardous manual tasks, and the musculoskeletal degenerative process that occurs with aging are just some of the contributing factors to manual handling injuries and occupational illnesses. 

This InMotion covers manual handling, including what makes it hazardous, musculoskeletal disorders, minimising the risk of injury, manual handling safety tips and good wellbeing to to reduce risk of injury.

Fitness for work means that a person should be in a state which enables them to perform their role competently and in a manner that does not put their health and safety, and that of others at an unacceptable level of risk.

An organisation has a Duty of Care to provide a safe working environment for employees and other persons as far as reasonably practicable. In meeting this Duty an organisation must also consider the possibility of injury or illness which may result from concerns relating to fitness for work and take reasonably practicable steps to protect employees, currently employed or seeking employment, where this risk is, or may, be considered unacceptable.

Fitness for work is a highly emotive subject and can be challenging to manage. In this edition of InMotion we explore fitness for work risks and mitigation strategies as well as the key objectives of a fitness for work policy and procedure.

Workplace injuries and illnesses can have a significant impact on an employee and their organisation. When an employee sustains a workplace injury, it often impacts their ability to perform their normal job, especially in roles that are physically demanding and inherently high risk.

Since it is in everyone’s best interest that injured employees return to work in some capacity while they are recovering, the ability to provide suitable work becomes an important step in the recovery process. Determining what work is suitable and supporting an injured employee recover and return to work can be challenging, and in some cases, it may be beneficial to involve a workplace injury rehabilitation provider (Rehab Provider) to support and facilitate your recovery at and return to work efforts.

In this InMotion we will summarise why recovery at work is important, and then explore the role of a Rehab Provider, factors that affect recovery and how to recognise flags. We will also look at when you should consider appointing a Rehab Provider, how to engage their services, what your expectations should be, and considering a preferred provider arrangement.

Fitness for work means a person is fit for work when their state of wellbeing (physiological, psychological, and emotional) enables them to perform the physical and cognitive (mental) inherent requirements of their role competently, and in a manner that does not put their health and safety and that of others at an unacceptable level of risk.

An employee’s fitness for work can be compromised temporarily or permanently following an injury / illness that is work or non-work related, or because of a medical condition (pre-existing or gradual onset) that affects their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Drug use, alcohol consumption and fatigue can also impact a person’s fitness for work capacity.

All employees have an obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure that they are fit for work and are not adversely impaired by drugs or alcohol in the workplace that would inhibit them from maintaining safe work practices, performing their duties efficiently or creating a risk to themselves or other persons.

In this InMotion we will explore the risks associated with drug and alcohol as well as key policy and procedure mitigation strategies.

Everyone in the workplace has a duty to make sure fatigue doesn’t create a risk to health and safety. Employers have a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure work related fatigue risk factors are managed to a level as low as reasonably practicable. Employees have a duty to take reasonable care for their own safety and health and that their acts or omissions don’t adversely affect the health or safety of others. This includes managing non-work related fatigue factors such as adequate sleep, rest, and recovery away from work.

In this InMotion we explore work and non-work risk factors, signs, and effects of fatigue as well as key policy and procedure mitigation strategies.

All businesses have hazards associated with their operations and would not be able to provide their services or products without navigating some degree of risk. It would therefore be impractical to suggest that all risks can be eliminated from a workplace, making it very much a risk and reward challenge. Notwithstanding, the main Work Health and Safety (WHS) goal of any businesses should be to prevent all incidents and injuries.

To have the best possible chance of sustaining this goal, a business needs a risk management framework that supports the philosophy of identifying and eliminating hazards, and where this is not plausible, manage associated risks to a level as low as reasonably practicable.

This InMotion discusses the importance of implementing a risk management framework to guide your business’ hazard and risk management processes.

Wellbeing programs and initiatives can help drive and reinforce healthy behaviours, bringing benefits to team members, your business and in some cases the wider community. Promoting healthy lifestyles through wellbeing programs and initiatives can make it easier to make this choice and can significantly improve the health and wellbeing of a workforce, enhancing organisational culture and morale.

Our December 2021 InMotion is a Health and Wellbeing Calendar for 2022. Throughout the year we have called out a number of initiatives that you can consider promoting as Health and Wellbeing initiatives for your business.

The purchasing of goods and services is an integral part of any business’s operations regardless of their industry. It is essential for a business to have an effective internal control framework for selecting and purchasing goods and services from approved and reliable goods suppliers and service providers, to ensure the lowest possible level of risk to the health and safety of employees and other persons.

In this InMotion we will explore how a Primary Duty of Care under the WHS Act [NSW] 2011 applies to purchasing goods and services, consider the risk profile and what a reliable risk mitigation strategy may look like.

Employers play a key role in promoting and raising awareness of the health benefits of good work. This includes implementing healthy workplace practices that support their people which is crucial in driving positive outcomes for employees and the organisation.

In this InMotion we explore the concept of the health benefits of good work and discuss what this means for an employer, why good work should be promoted in the workplace, and some strategies on how this can be achieved.

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 [NSW] outlines the requirements for work health and safety (WHS) consultation in the workplace.

The overall objective of consultation is to draw on the knowledge and experience of workers and other relevant stakeholders to enable informed decisions and the most appropriate actions to be taken to create a safe and healthy workplace. This includes working together to identify hazards, discussing health and safety concerns, sharing knowledge and experience, and collaborating to determine appropriate solutions.

In this InMotion we will explore what the requirements are, when to consult and the different ways in which your business may consult. 

Workplace inspections are an integral part of any business’ operations and risk management framework, regardless of the industry. Workplace inspections should be designed to help identify unsafe conditions and measure compliance with WHS policy, procedure, process and practice.

In this InMotion we discuss what workplace inspections are, why they are important, the various types of inspections that can be implemented and general requirements.

The April 2021 InMotion covered the provisions for Work Health and Safety Duty of Care under the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the WHS Act). The definitions and meanings of key terms relating to duty of care, including a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), Officer, Worker, and Workplace were also explored as well as the meaning of reasonably practicable. In this InMotion duty of care is further explored by looking into the meaning of due diligence, the duties of Officers and how organisations can meet their due diligence requirements.

While all organisations aim to prevent workplace incidents and injuries from occurring, despite their best efforts, incidents and injuries may still happen. Incident and injury information can assist your organisation to identify and mitigate workplace safety risks and prevent similar incidents and injuries from reoccurring.

An incident is any unplanned event resulting in injury/illness to a person or, damage or loss to the environment, assets, or facilities. In this InMotion we explore the importance of reporting, recording, and investigating all incidents and injuries. We also recap on notifiable incidents, cover an organisation’s requirements to keep a register of injuries and include the key steps involved in investigating an incident.

Providing work health and safety (WHS) information, training and instruction to employees is an important way to ensure that they all have the necessary material, technical skills, and competency to perform their roles safely.

To effectively implement a training program in your business there needs to be a planned approach, from identifying suitable training to delivering the training sessions.

In this InMotion we cover, requirements for providing WHS education and training, identifying training needs, training delivery methods, training delivery schedules, and competency assessment.

A Safety Brand affects the way employees perceive safety, influences their behaviours, and guides the choices they make including how they interact with their colleagues, and react to safety messages, campaigns, and initiatives. A key component to a safe workplace and employee wellbeing is setting clear expectations about the actions and behaviours that drive a good safety culture.

A safety brand sets the benchmark for a good safety culture.

In this InMotion we explore the concept of a Safety Brand, key components to include when developing a safety brand, tips about a safety brand implementation process and we take a look at the safety Philosophy, Mission, Beliefs, and Principles of our customer J.T. Fossey Cars & Trucks as an example of what a Safety Brand can look like for a business.

In this InMotion we discuss why communicating about safety is important. We will also explore what needs to be considered when communicating about WHS and a few tips to delivering effective safety communications.

PPE may be considered as a supplementary risk control measure where it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate a hazard and is necessary to support other higher level mitigation controls to reduce associated risks to a level as low as reasonably practicable.

In this InMotion, we discuss PPE as the lowest order risk control measure, some of the common types used in the automotive industry and what to consider when selecting and using PPE. We further look at how to store, maintain, dispose, and replace PPE, including the requirement to provide training and education.

It is a legal requirement that all workplaces are prepared for an emergency and have a plan in place to respond if an event was to take place.

There is no way to predict when an emergency is going to occur. An emergency could be a significant event such as fire, explosion, natural disaster, chemical spill or be a serious injury, illness, or medical trauma, therefore, ensuring your business has a pre-prepared emergency plan in place is the best way to respond. The aim is to make sure you are prepared in the event of an emergency.

In this InMotion, we will explore the general concepts of emergency preparedness and response.

Our InMotion publications are one of many solutions created by our team of professionals with the objective of sharing information that can enhance the level of WHS knowledge, understanding and expertise across all sectors of the automotive industry. Since the first edition in April 2020, we have published over 30 InMotions which have been shared electronically with our subscription audience with over 100 thousand successful email deliveries.

We recognise that for some, this may be the first InMotion you may have had the opportunity to read or are familiar with them but may have missed some of our earlier editions overtime. Either way, there are some insightful topics and content that you may find helpful, therefore we thought for the final InMotion of the year we would look back at what we covered over 2022 with a short overview of each month's topic and a convenient link to the publication.

The injury recovery and return to work journey can be challenging as there are many factors that can influence the desired outcome. Having a better understanding of these factors and the barriers they may present can help employers navigate these challenges with greater success.

In this edition of InMotion we will use a case study to explore some of the issues that impact injury recovery and provide some invaluable insights into navigating the barriers to successful RTW outcomes.

Health monitoring is essential to determine whether exposure to certain workplace hazards may be affecting the health and wellbeing of your team members.

This InMotion discusses how to determine whether your team members require health monitoring and if so, what is involved in monitoring their health.

This InMotion explores how to identify the potential hazards and risks involving asbestos-containing automotive components and defines the exposure risk to this material and possible controls to assist safe practice in Automotive Industry workplaces. We will also touch on Health Monitoring requirements that should be adhered to where an asbestos exposure is identified. This publication does not address asbestos materials used in building structures and facilities.

In this edition of InMotion, supported by Safe Work Australia statistics pertaining to workplace fatalities, injuries/diseases, we will explore the common types of injuries and body parts affected and consider some key injury prevention practices.

In this InMotion we expand on our 2021 edition revisiting the concept of manual handling and when it becomes hazardous, consider related injury statistics, the impact of manual handling injuries on the musculoskeletal system and risk management.

Revisiting our February 2023 case study, this InMotion will explore, potential barriers to successful recovery and RTW, strategies to overcome these barriers and creating an action plan to ensure good RTW outcomes and minimising business impact.

The long-term impact of a well-managed asset lifecycle extends beyond immediate operational considerations, contributing to overall resilience, efficiency, and the fulfillment of WHS Duty of Care responsibilities.

In this InMotion, we explore the key aspects of Asset Lifecycle Management.

A workplace psychosocial hazard refers to any element within the work environment capable of jeopardising a worker’s mental health or wellbeing. Psychological injuries resulting from these hazards can be particularly challenging to address, given their predominantly internal nature and the variability in how they affect individuals.