Safety is at the forefront of the FGP and its operations. It underpins every aspect of the project to ensure our team members go home safely. We are committed to providing our team members with a safe working environment and an understanding of what to do when faced with an emergency.
Fire safety
Bushfire season in Central Queensland typically starts in July and runs through to December according to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation. Bushfires remain a significant challenge in Queensland’s ecosystem, with factors such as climate change and natural phenomena like El Niño intensifying the risk.
In response to dry and windy weather, GAWB’s principal contractor MBJV is ramping up its mandatory fire drills and teaming up with local emergency services to undertake vital training on the ground.
On the road
In honour of Queensland Road Safety Week from 26 – 30 August the FGP encouraged safe driving – especially on regional roads.
Driving is a high-risk activity most of us undertake in our daily lives without much thought. GAWB and MBJV recognise that safe driving habits are critical to our workers’ and other motorists’ safety.
To monitor safe driving habits on the FGP, all site vehicles have an In-Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) installed. IVMS is not a new technology, it monitors speed, acceleration and braking habits and fatigue. Reports are generated to help GAWB and MBJV monitor driving trends across the project.
GAWB CEO Darren Barlow said our team use rural and regional roads, including the Bruce Highway.
“The use of IVMS helps keep safe driving habits front of mind for crews while driving in these high-risk environments.”
“Team members have commented that IVMS re-enforces safe driving habits outside of the project site, when they are driving their own private vehicles, which is an added bonus,” Mr Barlow said.
GAWB vehicles also have stickers to let other road users know the vehicles are speed-monitored. These initiatives help encourage all drivers to keep a safe distance between cars and lower the risk of tailgating.
Lifesaving skills
When an emergency strikes, the FGP team know what to do. That’s because the dedicated crews working on the pipeline have been armed with valuable, lifesaving skills including how to correctly use a defibrillator and a stretcher.
These skills were put to the test during a recent emergency drill at the intake facility at Laurel Bank.
In just 13 minutes, crews acted out a simulated “real-life” scenario putting their stretcher skills into action with the task of removing a fellow crew member from a construction area and placing them on a stretcher to be taken to an ambulance pick-up site. The stretcher task involved the responding crews helping and organising to lift and carry the injured person onto a stretcher’s backboard with the log-roll technique – an important skill they learnt through their awareness training. The real-life drills give crews an important insight into what an emergency could look like and how to act in a calm and orderly manner.
There’s more safety training in store, with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services invited to future drills to help make the scenarios realistic and give workers the best training possible. As part of MBJV’s safety training and emergency drills information, one drill will be held every month to ensure safety remains the highest priority on-site. The increased drill frequency goes above and beyond what is required by safety regulators.
