Another fatality, no more excuses!

The death of a traffic controller in Victoria’s North East yesterday has sparked outrage, Ben Davis, AWU Victorian Branch Secretary said this was the third death of a traffic controller on the state’s roads in just 2½ years.

“This is a terrible tragedy, Mr Davis said. “Every worker deserves to be safe on the job and return home safely afterwards.”

This tragic incident has again highlighted the need for better regulations and monitoring of safety within the traffic management industry. Principal contractors engage traffic management companies that are the cheapest hire, with no concern on how the operation is run.

Rule of thumb in a lot of these hires is the method of ‘sharpen your pencil’, basically reducing costs on essential elements of traffic management. Reducing equipment and staff is creating a dangerous environment for those working on these projects. The highest cost so far is the three lives lost in 2.5 years.

Safety should not be a cost cutting measure ever. “How much is a life really worth to you? Traffic controllers deserve a safe workplace, enough is enough”  Jade Campbell, AWU Victoria Traffic Organiser said.

Under the OHS Act 2004, it states that ‘employers must so far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to the health of employees and independent contractors and their employees.’

“The traffic industry is competitive, and the regulations are there to protect workers,” Mr Davis said. “But it is a dangerous, difficult, and tough job that requires more government intervention to protect the safety of traffic controllers.”

“Most traffic controllers are casual or labour-hire employees for subcontractors. This makes it a very competitive industry to get daily work in and difficult to get any form of job stability.

“There is also the problem of principal contractors engaged in cost cutting in order to win contracts. This leads to a race to the bottom for safety standards that is costing lives, with workers stuck in a vicious cycle.

“These companies need to be held accountable for under-resourcing and fatigue management as well as maintain not only the safety of their employees but also the general public.”