Annual Report 2003-04

Occupational Health and Safety

Defence has continued to focus on the occupational health and safety of its people, our primary capability. Defence is serious about eliminating preventable injuries and work-related illness. It is achieving this through the systematic management of risks, measurable improvement of occupational health and safety performance and appropriate resourcing.

In support of these aims, the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Committee and the Occupational Health, Safety and Compensation Branch focused their attention, during 2003-04, on two key initiatives:

• the completion of the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan; and
• the introduction of the new Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme.

Key initiatives

Complete the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan

Achieved

In April 2004, the Defence Committee endorsed the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan and agreed to fund its implementation over the next ten years. The plan sets out Defence's occupational health and safety policy and establishes priority areas for action and was informed by a wide range of: internal factors, such as the Defence-wide implications of the F-111 Deseal/Reseal Board of Inquiry, and external factors such as the National Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2002-2012.

One of the corporate-level priorities is the development of an occupational health and safety management system (discussed later in this section). Another corporate-level priority is the Hazardous Substances Management Program. This program is well progressed and policy, guidance material, audit tool and audit guidance material have been developed.

The Services and Groups are aligning their occupational health and safety management with the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan.

• The Navy has been reinvigorating and improving its established safety management system and will launch the new Safety Management System - Navy in September 2004.
• The Army has undertaken to improve its occupational health and safety management system in accordance with recommendations of the F-111 Deseal/Reseal Board of Inquiry. The approved system is aligned to both the National Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2002-2012 and the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan. The Chief of Army Advisory Committee will consider this system in December 2004 for incremental delivery from 2005. In addition, the Army Health Implementation Team was formed in December 2003 to facilitate the reduction in preventable injury and enhance the health management of injured soldiers.
• The Air Force launched its new occupational health and safety management system in early 2004 in response to the outcomes of the F-111 Deseal/Reseal Board of Inquiry.
• The Corporate Services and Infrastructure Group has formed a safety review team to design and implement a new occupational health and safety management system which meets legislative requirements, aligns with the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan and ensures the safe and healthy delivery of services and products to customers.
• The Defence Materiel Organisation's newly formed Safety Council is paying particular attention to Priority 7 of the Defence Occupational Health Safety Strategic Plan which focuses on 'improving the identification, elimination and management of hazards at the design and planning stages.' It has also taken steps to implement a program of proactive workplace audits that started in August 2004.
• The Defence Science and Technology Organisation is continuing to focus on Priority 1 'reduction of high risks', Priority 6 'improve staff ability to manage hazards' and Priority 7 'improved management of hazards at the design stage' of the Defence Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Plan by:
  • incorporating safety risk management into the research program;
  • developing a hazard identification, risk control and assessment tool; and
  • introducing a training program specifically designed for research managers.

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Introduce New Military Compensation Scheme

Achieved

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 came into effect on 1 July 2004. The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme, administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs and guided by this legislation, shifts the emphasis towards rehabilitation while providing compensation coverage for ADF members under one scheme for all forms of ADF service from 1 July 2004. ADF members will remain covered under the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 and the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 for service prior to 1 July 2004. These Acts are also administered for ADF members by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Develop the Occupational Health and Safety Management System

Partially achieved

The F-111 Deseal/Reseal Board of Inquiry recognised the need to improve Defence's approach to occupational health through the development of a Defence occupational health and safety management system, integrated across all Groups and Services. System development is occurring in parallel with the implementation of high-priority system elements, through a structured program of projects, which will take several years.

Design of the system will be informed through a behavioural baseline research project, which has surveyed over 12,000 personnel across Defence. Analysis of the results will provide Defence with a better understanding of the drivers of occupational health and safety behaviour and a basis for interventions that will have the greatest impact on health and safety.

The Defence civilian injury prevention and management framework is another high-priority system element. The framework identifies and implements ways in which the incidence of workers' compensation claims, time off work and the workers' compensation premium can be reduced. It also works to improve accountability and responsibility for injury prevention and management.

Notification and Reporting of Incidents

In 2003-04, 9,254 incident reports were received. Advice to Comcare is based on four categories of incidents: dangerous occurrences, incidents resulting in incapacity, in serious personal injury, and in death. Data on incidents over a three-year period is provided in Table 5.24.

Notes

1. An incident report is a record of an event that causes, or has the potential to cause, injury or illness to Defence employees or other people, as the result of a Defence undertaking. These data are not static but change over time. This occurs because incident reports are submitted after the finalisation of Defence Annual Report figures.
2. Comcare reportable deaths.
3. Serious personal injury is defined as an injury or disease in a person caused by work-related employment for which the person needs to be given emergency treatment by a registered medical practitioner, treated in hospital as a casualty, without being admitted to hospital, or admitted to hospital.
4. Incapacity is being unable to perform Defence work for 30 or more days or shifts.
5. A dangerous occurrence is a near miss event that could have, but did not, result in incapacity, serious personal injury, or fatality.

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Investigations by Comcare

Comcare undertakes four categories of investigation into Defence occupational health and safety matters:

• planned investigations;
• targeted investigations (regarding specific occupational health and safety concerns);
• reactive investigations (in response to an accident or incident); and
• whole-of-agency investigations (as part of Comcare's three year rolling plan).

Comcare investigations undertaken for each of these categories over a three-year period are outlined in Table 5.25.

Notices issued to Defence by Comcare Investigators

Comcare investigators are able to issue notices as follows:

• an 'Improvement Notice' based on an incident/occurrence that contravenes the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 or Regulations;
• a 'Prohibition Notice' to remove an immediate threat to the health or safety of personnel; and
• a 'Do Not Disturb' Notice; for a specified period of time to remove a threat to the health or safety of personnel.

Data on Comcare notices issued to Defence over a three-year period are summarised in Table 5.26.

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Compensation and Rehabilitation

Civilian

Data on the compensation claims received from Defence employees in 2002-03 and 2003-04 is shown in Table 5.27.

Military

Military compensation and rehabilitation is addressed by two schemes, both of which are administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs on behalf of Defence.

The Military Compensation Scheme applies to all serving and former ADF members who died or were injured as a result of military service prior to 1 July 2004. The following arrangements apply to this scheme:

• the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, as amended by the Military Compensation Act 1994;
• Chapter 10, Part 5 of the Defence Determination 2003/21 under the Defence Act 1903; and
• the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, as amended by the Military Compensation Act 1994.

Benefits comprise compensation and rehabilitation services and transition management services, to assist ADF members who are being discharged on medical grounds to make a successful transition to civilian life. Performance is reported annually by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The new Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme applies to all ADF members who die or are injured as a result of military service after 1 July 2004. The scheme is administered under the provisions of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, which has a strong focus on rehabilitation and combines the benefits of the arrangements cited above.

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