Hail Creek Mine comes first in road safety

Hail Creek Mine has driven home its commitment to community safety, winning the 2008 Queensland Road Safety Awards, announced at Parliament House in Brisbane today.

The mine's "Road Safe September" programme beat 14 other finalists, and was one of three entries shortlisted for this year's award that recognises outstanding initiatives, inventions and innovations designed to improve road safety in our state.

Hail Creek Mine general manager operations Andrew Woodley said safety was a core value at the mine, and one that he felt was important to extend to the community.

"Our key priority is that our employees return home safely at the end of each day," Mr Woodley said.

"This means we aim for zero harm both on site and when travelling on the roads.

"It's a credit to the Hail Creek team and a demonstration of their commitment to safety that we were able to kick-start an initiative that has sustainable safety benefits not just for our people, but for the broader community.

"The Road Safe September programme was a way for us to pass our safety message onto the broader Mackay Whitsunday community and keep people safe during the busy and notoriously dangerous September school holiday period."

The programme, run in partnership with the Nebo Community Development Group and the Road Accident Action Group, was made up of three components:

• The Nebo 'Road Safe Rest Stop', where drivers could take a break, have refreshments and were provided with important safety messages
• Internal communications to Hail Creek Mine employees and their families, contractors and visitors, including subsidised defensive driver training to employees' children
• Road Safe September radio and newspaper advertising in local media.

Hail Creek Mine Community Relations specialist and coordinator of the Road Safe September programme, Anna Benson said the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community has provided the impetus to run the programme again this year.

"Comments in our visitors' book at the Nebo "Road Safe Rest Stop" were invariably positive, which made us realise the Road Safe September programme need not be a one-off," Ms Benson said.

Media Enquiries:
Alison Smith
07 3361 4223 / 0438 787 038

Media release - Hail Creek Mine comes first in road safety [PDF: 32 KB]