The City of Subiaco has recently had great results in transforming their safety culture through the PErforM program.
The purpose of the PErforM (Participative Ergonomics for Manual tasks) program is to involve workers in improving their workplaces to reduce injury and increase productivity. It is:
Participative ergonomics is an approach which uses workers’ knowledge of the tasks they perform by involving them in the process of identifying issues and coming up with solutions – and therefore improving their workplace.
Many studies show the implementation of a participative ergonomics program remains the strongest evidence based method for reducing injuries associated with manual tasks.
Any activity requiring a person to use their musculoskeletal system in performing work. A manual task usually involves:
Injuries from manual tasks can often result in musculoskeletal disorders – injuries of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, or spinal discs – which can result in time away from work and workers’ compensation claims.
Worker participation, management commitment and support, and a site champion are critical to the program’s long term success. Depending on the complexity of the task being assessed, you may also include people such as engineers, suppliers, designers and ergonomists if necessary. It’s important other stakeholders are identified and involved at the outset.
Perhaps the biggest win, however, is that the PErforM program empowers staff to transform their own safety culture, enabling staff to be more open in reporting issues and working together to find solutions. Using the tools learnt through the program, the City has extended it to other locations – with outstanding results.
At its core, LGIS is all about local governments working together to achieve best outcomes for their organisations, people
and community. LGSAG is one such initiative where we have collaborated with member representatives to ensure they can create a safe and healthy work environment for their workforce when it comes into effect sometime next year.
The Workers’ Compensation & Injury Management Bill 2023, currently before Parliament in Western Australia, will enact major changes to WA’s workers’ compensation scheme
when it comes into effect sometime next year.
The importance of employers following internal policies and procedures and keeping accurate records can’t be emphasised enough when effectively managing a worker’s compensation claim. Our first case explores the need to follow one’s own internal polices in the context of a worker’s compensation work related stress claim.
The City of Ryde, in New South Wales, has experienced the following improvement in their musculoskeletal disorders claims history, following the implementation of the PErforM program. The pilot commenced in September 2015 and the first changes were made in January 2016. The program was expanded into all areas of operations in September 2017.
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Risk Matters – Autumn 2020 The City of Subiaco has recently had great results in transforming their safety culture through the PErforM program. The purpose
LGIS is the unifying name for the dedicated suite of risk financing and management services for WA local governments, established by the WA Local Government Association in conjunction with JLT Public Sector (part of the Marsh group of companies). LGIS is managed by JLT Public Sector (ABN 69 009 098 864 AFS Licence 226827).
Risk Matters, via this website, is designed to keep members, their staff and elected members informed on topical risk management and insurance issues and LGIS programs and services.
