Cameron Cox shares his experience implementing a risk-based health and safety strategy on Sydney Metro West, Australia's largest public transport project. Some key challenges included industry not being ready for the strategy and doubts that suppliers would comply. Safety priorities included public safety, rail safety, heavy vehicles, and occupational health with a focus on critical risks. Over 500,000 truck movements were required for construction, so strategies were implemented for safer vehicles, occupational hygiene, and health monitoring. Cox learned to understand change impacts, balance collaboration and accountability, and consult industry and regulators.

1. My personal journey implementing a risk based
health and safety strategy on Australia’s biggest
public transport project
CAMERON COX
DIRECTOR SAFETY
SYDNEY METRO WEST

3. My story

4. Sydney Metro safety priorities
Public safety Rail safety
Heavy
vehicles
Occupational
health
Critical
risk

5. The challenge
“Industry isn’t ready for this”
“We’re not ready for this”
“You can’t put this into a contract
and just expect it happen”
“This can’t be done”
“Our suppliers won’t do it”
“It’s no big deal, we’re already
doing this”
“Thank you for evening up the
playing field”
“This has been the best thing
for our business”

6. Heavy
vehicle
safety
• Fatal and
Serious Injury
Crashes in
Sydney LGA
(2013-2017)
• 78% VRUs

7. • More than 1 million tonnes of construction deliveries (plant, materials &
equipment)
• Removal of 5.8 million tonnes of excavated spoil
• More than 520,000 truck movements to transport spoil alone
• Introduction of significant truck movements in highly congested urban
road network
Construction logistics task

8. • Compliant with ADRs / vehicle standards,
mass, dimension and load requirements
• Frequent heavy vehicle safety
requirements
• Blind spot elimination / minimisation
• Side underrun protection
• Telematics / GPS monitoring
• Nearside and rear warning signage
• Reflective / conspicuity markings
Credit: Michael Holmes – Sydney Metro
Safer vehicles

9. Occupational hygiene

11. • Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH)®
• Health risk assessment & routine (monthly)
monitoring
• Exposure control plans
• Medical requirements
• Ventilation requirements
• Clean shaven policy
• Fit testing requirements
• Reporting occupational exposure data to Sydney
Metro (e.g. silica dust in air results)
• Reporting any over-exposure as a health & safety
incident
• Credit: Kate Cole – Sydney Metro
Occupational health, hygiene & wellbeing
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

12. 1. Understand the impact of change
2. Balance between collaboration and accountability
3. Industry and regulator consultation
What I’ve learned