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From delivering rail networks to major construction projects, the Office of Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery (OMTID) keeps Western Australia moving.
And the safety of their people is paramount.
Responsible for key infrastructure projects such as the recent METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line and Boorloo Bridge, OMTID comprises staff from two major government departments: the Public Transport Authority and Main Roads Western Australia.
Their Perth office is the former Sunday Times warehouse and spans multiple floors. The building also accommodates the Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery (OMID), bringing together teams responsible for planning and delivering major government infrastructure projects under one roof.
With hundreds of staff from multiple organisations working across two floors, the team at OMTID wanted to ensure its emergency management and first aid systems were not only compliant, but best practice.
The scope
Miles Holloway oversees crisis and emergency management, as well as incident investigations, at OMTID.
When their building was purchased, Miles took over the emergency management of the office. This included reviewing the first aid equipment and processes in place and ensuring they were up to scratch.
“The scope of the project was basically to look at what we currently had in place and whether or not it was meeting our needs,” Miles said.
“It was also to look at both emergency management, first aid management, and mental health first aid, too.”
“We really wanted to make sure that we were not only meeting but exceeding our legislative requirements.”
Location was another key factor in deciding on the best approach for OMTID.
Despite the office being so close to Royal Perth Hospital, Miles and the team knew they could not be complacent when it came to the safety and wellbeing of OMTID’s staff and other staff at the Perth building.
The assessment
St John Safe stepped in to conduct a comprehensive assessment and make recommendations for OMTID.
Leon Grey, St John WA’s Growth and Innovation Manager, manages the ongoing relationship between St John WA and OMTID.
“Miles had completed a review of his building and wanted one of our first aid specialists to come through and review as well,” Leon said.
"Our specialist walked through the building, understood the high-traffic areas and wanted to ensure that equipment was accessible when it needed to be.”
They identified the need for a broader and more visible first aid offering across all floors of the building, including increased signage, as well as up-to-date kits and automatic external defibrillators.
Partly due to the sheer size of the workforce, increasing consistency in first aid training and improving compliance monitoring were also key outcomes of the assessment process.
The outcome
Two thorough assessments from the St John team across two weeks gave OMTID a way forward.
They have now implemented:
- An ongoing contract with St John for staff first aid training with automated reminders to ensure ongoing compliance and easy onboarding for new staff.
- A regular program of kit servicing and supply across their office as well as department vehicles.
“St John has been able to set up a training program for us to access, and we've got a portal where we can manage our qualifications,” Miles said.
“The training is able to be done in the building, which allows us to integrate with our staff and various departments so they're able to fit in best with their schedules."
We're pleased to see government agencies like OMTID taking emergency response and first aid seriously.
“When I first met OMTID and Miles, it was clear that they wanted the safety of their people to be a priority,” Leon said.
“It wasn’t a tick-box exercise, he really cared and wanted to make sure everyone was safe.
“And we wanted to make sure everything was compliant for him – it was a true collaboration.”
By partnering with St John Safe, the Office for Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery has put the safety of its teams firmly on track.