Summits spotlight safety as councils face record road work task
Transport for NSW is holding a series of safety summits for local government in central and western NSW to support frontline teams who are delivering on the huge task of maintaining, repairing and improving the region’s roads.
Bathurst will tomorrow host the first of three regional summits to help equip councils and their teams, such as project engineers, support staff, depot managers and road workers, with the latest requirements and information to ensure a safe working environment.
Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said Transport was partnering with councils to deliver a record number of road and bridge works in the wake of unprecedented wet weather and severe storms.
“With responsibility for more than 85 per cent of the NSW road network, we appreciate and are supporting local government as it faces a huge task,” Mr Lunn said.
“Councils are also contending with issues such as workforce shortages and fatigue among crews.
“Thousands of road workers are working hard to restore and improve roads including fixing potholes, heavy patching and with re-surfacing work.
“Given the nature of their job, road workers work close to traffic, making them vulnerable to unsafe motorist behaviour.
“Sadly, two people were killed and a further 38 injured in road crashes involving roadside workers in NSW between 2017 and 2021.”
Sixty-five per cent of the casualties involving road workers occurred in regional NSW.
Safety for council road crews will be a focus of the summit, first in Bathurst tomorrow and followed by Dubbo on Thursday, 1 June and Bourke on Wednesday, 7 June.
More than 180 council delegates are expected to attend the three summits.
Topics will include managing risks at temporary worksites as well as safe loading, unloading and movement of heavy plant equipment.
The guest speaker will be Patrizia Cassaniti, whose 18-year-old son died in a workplace accident in Sydney in 2019, and has now made it her mission to raise awareness about safety.
“Given the nature of their jobs, roadworkers work close to traffic, making them vulnerable to unsafe motorist behaviour,” Mr Lunn said.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility – we can all help each other.
“Please slow down near worksites, look out for roadside workers, and obey signs from traffic controllers.
“Everyone deserves to get home safely, every day, and through initiatives such as these regional safety summits, Transport is helping build a united and enduring safety culture.”