Australia’s Crown Resorts has partnered with Driver Safety Australia (DSA) to develop a 12-month road safety workforce initiative aimed at arming its staff with the knowledge and skills to be safer road users.
Launched this week as a part of National WorkSafe Month and Motorcycle Awareness Month in Victoria and New South Wales, the initiative forms part of Crown’s health, safety and wellbeing vision to have its people bring their best selves to work, thrive and go home safely, the organizations explained in a joint release. Among other methods, a series of online training modules and education materials will be provided to Crown’s 23,000-strong workforce.
Five-time World MotoGP champion Mick Doohan, who is backing the program, said, “The difference between life and death often comes down to the decisions we make as individuals when we’re on the road – whether that’s behind a wheel, atop a motorcycle or pedalling a bicycle.
“On the track, my racing career was bookended by two major crashes, one that almost caused the loss of my right leg and another that ended my professional track time for good.
“I hope hearing my story first-hand will help Crown team members understand that crashes can happen to anyone of any skill level, and in turn foster an even greater attitude and aptitude for road safety.”
Doohan is also lending his professional expertise to the education training and materials that are being created by DSA for all Crown team members across its properties in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
DSA Managing Director Russell White commended Crown Resorts for taking proactive action in protecting its people and for driving positive change across the communities in which they live, work and play.
“Vehicle-related trauma is the number one cause of workplace deaths nationwide, which is why having businesses like Crown raise the standard of training and education in this space needs to be applauded,” White said.
“Most importantly, this program instils critical road safety skills that are transferable beyond the workplace and serve as a driver of positive change for the hundreds of thousands of Australians Crown team members share the road with every day.
“At a time when Australia is experiencing an 8.4% increase in road fatalities, it’s my hope that other organisations are inspired by Crown’s lead and look to replicate this proactive approach,” he said.
Crown Resorts CEO Ciarán Carruthers added, “The welfare of every Crown team member is of paramount importance to us, not just when they’re on the job or travelling to and from work, but in every aspect of their personal lives as well.
“We believe that as an organisation, Crown has a responsibility to go above and beyond in our efforts to protect our team members while also providing a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate.
“Crown recognizes the significant impact organizations can have on helping road safety authorities, police and government in addressing road trauma, which is an issue that affects every single Australian and costs the nation upwards of AU$29 billion every year.
“Equipping our 23,000 team members with the resources and education to make their lives safer is of great benefit to our communities and we are proud to partner with DSA for this campaign.”