Best individual contribution to workplace health and safety
WINNER - Peer Lehwess - Presbyterian Aged Care
When Peer Lehwess joined Presbyterian Aged Care as a maintenance officer, he was charged with addressing a vexing work health and safety issue to which no internal solution had previously been found. The issue was safe handling and transport of waste bags through the aged care home to an external skip.
Peer designed a waste chute from the first storey of the home to bins on the ground, eliminating the infection control issue and the need for staff first to lift full waste bags from bins, then carry the bags through the grounds of the home the lift them again for dumping. With the external skip no longer required, the home has also reduced its waste management costs.
WINNER - Peter Rogers - Jeff Hort Engineering Pty Ltd
Peter initially joined this regional company on the manufacturing production line but soon became a leading hand. He distinguished himself by taking on development and implementation of a quality management system which, two years later, was certified against international standard AS/NZS 9001:2008. Peter later assisted the WHS superintendant with the documentation for accreditation of a WHS management system, assuming increased responsibility when the superintendant resigned. Jeff Hort received their accreditation in June 2011.
Peter, who has completed a number of WHS qualifications to increase his skills, will next take on the challenge of designing and implementing an environmental management system to ISO 14001:2004 by mid 2013. To equip himself better for the role, he intends to study a Certificate IV in environmental management.
