Safety First - a shout out for a job well done

Tasmanian Irrigation Construction Supervisor Dean Anyon was recently heading to work on a cold, wet morning when he noticed a car stopped on the road ahead.

Dean slowed down and as he approached, he realised there had been a head on collision between two vehicles.

Dean pulled up on the side of the road, put his hazard lights on and got out of his vehicle. Shortly after, a contractor engineer, also working on the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme, pulled up behind Dean.

Dean and the engineer approached the vehicles, and Dean ensured that both vehicles had the ignition switched off. The engineer realised that one of the drivers was a coworker and stayed with him to monitor him.

Dean found the other driver standing in the middle of the road trying to call emergency services. He asked Dean to call an ambulance because his phone wouldn’t work.

While Dean was on the phone, a traffic management contractor pulled up and he asked the contractor to set up traffic management to ensure everyone was kept safe.

Approximately 15 minutes later, help arrived in the form of paramedics and police. Both drivers were assessed by a paramedic and transported to hospital.

Luckily, both drivers escaped the incident without serious injury.

Dean said the key take outs from the incident were:

• Always drive to the conditions;
• If you come across an accident, prepare yourself for the worst but hope for the best;
• Ensure you don’t put yourself in danger;
• Check to see if there are any hazards that pose a risk - such as vehicles with the ignition on, which could cause a fire;
• Assess injured people to ensure they are not seriously injured or unconscious;
• Ring 000 ASAP;
• Make the site as safe as possible;
• Support the injured until help arrives; and
• Hand the incident scene over to police when they arrive.