Safety record for Forests NSW Monaro Region

Forests NSW Monaro Region has reached another significant safety milestone by achieving 250 000 hours and over four years without recording a lost time accident.

The achievement will be celebrated at Bombala on Friday 15 September with awards being presented by Forests NSW acting chief executive officer Alastair Howard.

Regional Manager Gavin Jeffries said this safety record clearly demonstrated the continued commitment by all staff in the region to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

“I commend staff on their outstanding achievement, particularly as it has been achieved in a forest workplace environment that can change daily with varying weather conditions,” Mr Jeffries said.

He said safety was of the highest priority for Forests NSW, and the organisation had recently rolled out a major new safety management system, under the catchcry ‘Think safe, act safe, stay safe’.

“We believe that workplace injuries can be largely eliminated if employees think ‘safety first’.

“Our staff have been extremely vigilant on the job and have shared the responsibility of safety,” Mr Jeffries said.

A key component of Forests NSW safety policy is the recognition of significant safety achievements by both individual staff and regional workplaces.

“Staff deserve to be awarded for reaching a high level of safety performance,” Mr Jeffries said.

Chairman of Monaro Region's Occupational Health and Safety Committee, John Dallimore, said he was extremely proud of the safety record achieved by the region.

"We all want to get home safely each day, and so we make sure we talk about safety in relation to everything we do," he said.

"We talk about the risks, and try to come up with the safest ways of doing jobs. That is why we've been able to achieve this record."

Forests NSW Monaro Region manages more than 33 000 hectares of State-owned pine plantation around Bombala, Queanbeyan and Moss Vale.