An ongoing commitment to safe workplace standards has resulted in a number of benefits for Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC).
In addition to the financial savings incurred, TRC Finance and Business Strategy Committee portfolio lead Cr Kerry Shine said the organisation had been able to significantly reduce the amount of time lost to injuries from staff.
"First and foremost our priority is for the safety and wellbeing of our people which is why we have a number of strategies in place to prevent injuries from occurring, as well as rehabilitation officers to assist anyone who needs help with recovery," he said.
"Through these strategies we've seen a 13.5 per cent reduction in the number of total worker's compensation claims over the past year compared to the previous year.
"Council has seen a reduction of time lost to injuries from 834 days to 204 in 2021/22 which is a great result, not only from a safety perspective, but it also means we've been able to have more staff available to provide essential services to the community.
"I commend our safety team for doing a remarkable job in this space, educating and putting initiatives in place to promote a safe workplace. I'd also like to thank our entire workforce as it takes a team effort to achieve results like this.
"Where injuries have occurred, there have been substantial efforts made to help our people return to work where possible. This has included gradual return to work programs, alternative duties, retraining and actively seeking temporary redeployment specific to the employee's capabilities.
"While this is a great result for our organisation, it has also resulted in savings of about $700,000, which can then be reinvested into our community.
"When you consider how taxing the past few years have been physically and how mentally challenging it has been, this is a great result."
