CCF NT UPDATE

CEO Update

During the past week I have met with 4 of our members and 2 potential new members as well as having 9 member interactions.

Issues discussed in my member meetings and interactions have included – Lack of work, registration of civil plant and equipment, contract disputes, traffic management, construction material access, kerosene in bituminous rise and fall, water testing requirements for camp kitchen registrations, local content scoring within tender responses and Safe Work Australia’s upcoming workplace exposure standards for diesel particulate matter within diesel engine emissions.

Most of the items discussed are part of ongoing work being conducted by CCF NT, but the water testing requirements for camp kitchens and the Safe Work Australia’s workplace exposure standards for diesel engine emissions will need further investigation and that has begun.

There is a link to the Safe Work Australia Consultation page in a separate section below.

I attended a CCF NT / TMAA / DIPL Traffic Management Working Group meeting this week with Ian Hinchliffe also in attendance on behalf of the Civil Sector. It is hoped that some of the improvements that we have made to the way traffic management will be handled within NTG contracts will soon be rolled out by DIPL. I did also attend a CAL board meeting, had a meeting with Denys Stedman (Local Industry Advocate) and met with the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) QLD / NT Executive Director Mark Piorkowski.

As mentioned in last week’s update, DIPL have initiated a rolling trainee program that is underpinned by a Cert IV in Civil Construction – Supervision qualification. One of the key components of the traineeships, is a requirement to complete an industry placement as part of the program. We have a current need to find three hosts for the period July to December and there will be ongoing requirements to host moving forward. If you would like to host a DIPL trainee within your workplace for a period of 6 months, please give me a call to discuss this opportunity.

CCF NT will be participating in the Vocational Education & Training (VET) Careers Expo that is being held in Darwin on the 7^th and 8^th of June. The event is targeted at years 9 to 12 (Public and Private). I will be representing all areas of the civil sector, but I will need assistance and I am seeking volunteers. If you have time available on Wednesday the 7^th of June from 8am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 6:30pm or on Thursday the 8^th between 8am and 2:30pm please give me a call.

You will note in the NTG Recently Awarded Tenders section below that this week there are no items listed. This follows a number of very lean weeks in regard to tender awards and this trend needs to change. Business needs a significant lift in confidence and contract certainty is a critical component that is lacking at the moment.

Safe Work Australia is seeking stakeholder feedback on a proposed workplace exposure standard (WES) for the diesel particulate matter (DPM) component of diesel engine emissions (DEE).

The proposed WES for DPM is specified in terms of the respirable elemental carbon (REC) content of the DPM. The proposed WES is an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 15 micrograms of REC per cubic metre (i.e. 15 μg REC/m3).

The purpose of this consultation is to gather feedback and evidence to assist Safe Work Australia Members in their consideration of whether to recommend to WHS ministers that a WES for DPM is introduced in the model WHS Regulations.

Some jurisdictions may already have a WES for DEE or DPM in their mining work health and safety laws. Mining stakeholders are strongly encouraged to seek advice from their mining regulator regarding the relevance of the proposed WES in their jurisdiction before responding to this consultation.

Submissions from all stakeholders with an interest in a WES for DEE are welcome. To assist with making a submission, several targeted questions are provided for stakeholders to consider. There is no requirement to answer all of the consultation questions.

Survey