“All of those studies found that there was a connection between pay, reward systems and safety,” said Prof. In researching links between pay, subcontracting and safety in the trucking industry, he reviewed 20 papers in refereed journals, three PhDs and one refereed conference paper, and of those, 15 papers dealt directly with a connection. Image: Shutterstockįurthermore, between 2003-15, there were 583 work-related fatalities in the road transport industry, with 92 per cent (535) occurring in the road freight transport industry – which has led to road transport being considered a national priority under The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012–2022.

The road transport industry records some of the highest fatality, injury and workers’ compensation rates. It accounts for 2 per cent of the Australian workforce, however, Safe Work Australia has found it accounted for 17 per cent of work-related fatalities in 2015 and 4 per cent of serious workers’ compensation claims in 2014-15 alone. Road transport has the highest incidence of work-related fatal traumas of any industry. He recently spoke as part of an Australian Senate Inquiry examining matters concerning the Road Transport industry’s economic sustainability and presented a submission on the need for more effective preventive measures on the part of the government and regulators as well as the social and economic impact of road-related injury, trauma and death. This research has, with few exceptions (as would be expected), repeatedly pointed to an association between performance-based payment regimes and poor OHS outcomes, including crashes, injuries, drug-use, hazardous behaviour and the like,” said Prof. “There is now published research stretching over 40 years dealing with the relationship between payment systems/levels, subcontracting and an array of OHS outcomes in the road transport industry. The road transport industry consistently records some of the highest fatality, injury and workers’ compensation rates in Australia, and UNSW Business School Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan said it is high time underlying causal issues were addressed. The government must address issues around performance-based payment and subcontracting in the road transport industry if there are to be meaningful safety improvements in the sector

Safety road transport