Fostering conversations about safety between Local Government and Transport for NSW.

Client

Transport for NSW

Challenge

LKB was engaged by Transport for NSW (Transport) to deliver a series of nine Regional Safety Summits (Summits) across NSW to explore how they can work together with councils to achieve a common understanding of Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations through training, education and discussion.

Following the Summits, LKB were engaged to deliver a two-day Executive Safety Leadership Summit (Executive Summit) for council and Transport executives in October 2023. The Executive Summit was aimed at council executives including Mayors, General Managers, and Directors. The purpose of the Executive Summit was to host the 93 regional NSW councils and come together with Transport to finalise and endorse a Common Commitment to safety. The Summits and Executive Summit were delivered to meet the requirements of an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) that Transport had entered into with SafeWork NSW following a road maintenance fatality in 2018.

Strategy

LKB worked with Transport to develop an interactive format for the Summits to engage councils and share knowledge about WHS best practice. The one-day Summits informed operational council leaders of the systems and processes that can be applied throughout their organisations to embed a solid safety culture. The summits provided an environment where they could speak freely and share constructive feedback to improve work practices on road projects.

LKB then delivered a two-day Executive Summit that facilitated engagement between council and Transport leaders. The Executive Summit needed to enable a rich strategic safety discussion between attendees that has not been held before at this level and needed to provide a space for executive leaders to design and endorse a Common Commitment to safety together.

Speakers and content included a mix of WHS leaders, motivational speakers, case studies, information on risk management, WHS Act 2011, prosecutions and real-life stories to drive home the messages about the importance of safety leadership. LKB managed all promotion and registrations; developed event collateral and content including presentations and speaking notes; management of speakers, venues and suppliers; on the day delivery of the Summits and Executive Summit; and evaluation.