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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (26 November) . . Page.. 4642 ..

MS MacDONALD (continuing):

The best OH&S training program category was won by the Oz Help Foundation for its suicide prevention and resilience building program and high commendation went to Bovis Lend Lease for its incident and injury free innovation. Stay Upright Training Techniques won the best workplace health and safety initiative in the small business category for its completion of health and safety tool kit and the Rolfe motor group was commended for its 10 steps to safety management system innovation.

Two government departments were highly commended under the best occupational health and safety management system category-the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services for the management of cleaning products used in Disability ACT individual accommodation support houses, and the Department of Urban Services for its OH&S management system.

Category 7, the best design group, was won jointly by two organisations-Wanniassa High School for its fixed workshop machinery guarding and emergency stops, and Powdersafe for the Powdersafe contaminated mail isolation system. Both showed great initiative with their designs, which have been recognised as improving health and safety in the workplace. Mr Speaker, I hope that we will not have to experience the Powdersafe system in this place.

Category 8, the best return to work program, was won by CityScape for its return to work initiatives, which were recognised for addressing the nature of an employee's injury and the circumstances of the injured worker's employment. The final category-the best health and safety month initiative-recognised successful events or activities conducted during May. The Australian National University won the category for the best health and safety month initiative. Two organisations received high commendation-the Oz Help Foundation for its response to the Canberra airport hangar collapse and Project Coordination for a health and safety month initiative.

All winners and those who were highly commended deserve recognition and thanks, none more so than the overall 2003 occupational health and safety award winner, Oz Help Foundation. The Oz Help Foundation counsels workers in the construction industry on coping with the stresses of modern life and its activities stem from a spate of suicides that took place among building apprentices a few years ago, which you would know about, Mr Speaker. Since its establishment 15 months ago, the Oz Help program has been teaching resilience and life skills and is already accredited with saving 10 young men from suicide. That is an incredible achievement and I think that all our congratulations and recognition would go to Oz Help's executive director, Keith Todd, and the Oz Help Foundation team.

Mr Speaker, these businesses and organisations should be congratulated not only for their innovations and solutions in relation to occupational health and safety, but also for providing leadership to ACT businesses and organisations and showing how we can all make workplaces healthier and safer. These businesses and the many others that were nominated have set an example that all Canberra businesses and organisations can follow. Their leadership and the implementation of their innovations in other workplaces could further assist in the reduction of workplace-related injuries.

ACT WorkCover recognises the importance of leadership in the OH&S field and has addressed the need to encourage leadership within its strategic plan. WorkCover has

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