2018 Master Builders Building Excellence Award Winners Work Health & Safety

Downer EDI has an annual contract to spray-seal roads for the ACT government. Each year approximately 1.6 million litres of bitumen is sprayed using a combination of experimental and sustainable surfacing solutions. By using recycled printer toner and suspended fibres in combination with scrap tyre rubber, Downer EDI has significantly reduced the impact on natural resources and minimised the waste taken to landfill. Projects are generally delivered in live site conditions on publicly owned roads and with record low numbers of road closures. Downer has displayed an ability to safely deliver sustainable solutions across the road network while protecting workers and minimising any impact on native flora and fauna.

Imposing structures, Infinity towers sit majestically in the satellite city of Gungahlin. At 20 and 22 storeys, Infinity apartments by Geocon are Canberra’s highest residential buildings. Needless to say a project of this magnitude required a stringent approach to workplace health and safety. Geocon, responded by collaborating with emergency services to produce a range of educational videos to enhance the teams’ preparedness in the event of emergency rescue procedures setting a new benchmark for emergency rescue training. This proactive approach is testament to the value Geocon places on worker health and safety.

Pacific Stone is the largest supplier of natural stone and manufactured stone benchtops in the region. And as there is a potential for airborne respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust to be generated, the company implemented a targeted risk management process to determine the level of dust particulate matter in the workshop air by atmospheric sampling. By monitoring the RCS exposure levels of personnel, Pacific Stone could determine the effectiveness of current dust control methods. As the continued health and safety of employees is of paramount importance, the results will be used to determine if there is a need for further control measures to reduce RCS exposure levels.

A client (ACT Government) endorsed targeted risk management process was undertaken by Canberra Contractors for the Horse Park Drive construction zone. In view of the concentrated daily traffic flow on the major arterial thoroughfare adjacent to the proposed site, there were concerns that workers might be exposed to cancer-causing diesel engine exhaust from vehicle emissions. The risk management process ultimately confirmed a low concentration of Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM), within the Horse Park Drive work zone. The report provided verifiable assurance that the concentration of airborne DPM at or in the vicinity of the workplace did not represent a concern to either government or private project workers.