Flinders Shire Council

150 employees

Hughenden, QLD

Flinders Shire is a place of discovery, opportunity and lifestyle, covering 41,200 square kilometres in North Western Queensland. With a population of 1,569 residents across the communities of Hughenden, Prairie, Torrens Creek and Stamford, the mission of Flinders Shire Council is to promote quality of life through leadership, attitude and respect. Flinders Shire Council was about to undertake two major infrastructure projects; the first being the Hann Highway Upgrade including gravelling and bitumen sealing 16km of road approximately 150km from Hughenden, followed by gravelling and bitumen sealing 27km of the Torrens Creek-Aramac Road.

Flinders Shire Council required a Safety Officer to work from Hughenden, who would conduct site visits, audits and inspections and implement Council’s Integrated Construction Management System effectively on both major projects.

Solution

With specialised talent in remote areas difficult to source, Flinders Shire Council commissioned Harrison Human Resources for the provision of a Safety Officer. Timing was critical to ensure the infrastructure projects did not endure any unnecessary delays. The essential requirements included:

Qualification in OHS (min AQF L6), with a minimum 5 years’ experience on TMR projects from the contractor’s side
Strong understanding of latest OH&S legislation
Experience in implementation of the Federal Safety Accreditation and ISO Accredited safety management system on Road Construction Projects; preferably in the rural working environment
Experience working on road construction projects in the rural environment
Ability to complete the work with limited resources
Time management and task prioritisation capabilities, with an ability to meet deadlines and manage pressure
Excellent communication skills
Ability to manage difficult and complex tasks within the tight time frames
Well-developed interpersonal and conflict resolution skills

Outcome

Harrison Human Resources successfully sourced and contracted a Safety Officer to Flinders Shire Council with the required skill set in time for construction to commence and be completed over an 18 month period. This delivered a number of successful outcomes for Council:

Compliance for the two major infrastructure projects, with a Work Health and Safety system in place
In a location where it is typically difficult to find qualified professionals, our experienced and qualified Safety Officer successfully created and implemented Council’s Integrated Construction Management System
Council continued to receive government funding for major projects
Safety was maintained on-site for all workers for the duration of both major projects

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Flinders Shire Council