The NHVR has entered into a new partnership with the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds (HHTS) Foundation to improve psychological safety and physical health in the industry.
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the partnership showed the importance the regulator placed on mental and physical health when it comes to heavy vehicle safety and ensuring drivers and logistics workers have access to the best possible information, resources and support.
“The NHVR will contribute $150,000 over the next three years to progress key initiatives that the NHVR sees as critical to supporting mental and physical health,” Petroccitto said.
“This is in addition to the work the NHVR does in promoting mental and physical health through our existing channels.
“The HHTS project is one of the first mental health initiatives that is directly co-driven with industry, customers and others across the complete supply chain at all levels.”
Petroccitto formalised the partnership on Friday by signing off on a set of guiding principles which outline a clear and mutual commitment to the heavy vehicle transport and logistics industries to do its part to improve mental health and physical wellbeing.
HHTS is a registered not-for-profit charitable foundation that exists for the benefit of the broader supply chain and is open to all operators regardless of size or scale.
CEO Naomi Frauenfelder said that support from road transport operators and customers was vital to tackling issues relating to driver psychological safety and physical health.
According to Superfriend, the transport, logistics and postal sector is currently ranked as the worst sector nationally for mental health.
“HHTS is working to build a healthier and more thriving industry, by promoting prevention and understanding of mental health issues in truck drivers and logistics workers,” Frauenfelder said.
“This includes equipping them with the skills and confidence to support their colleagues through life’s ups and downs, as well as monitoring their own mental health and seeking help when needed.
“We look forward to working with the NHVR to ensure that mental and physical health are a key component of their safety agenda moving forward.”
Frauenfelder said the $150,000 will help go towards raising awareness of the support services that are available to everyone in the industry, initially through the soon-to-launch new website at the end of March.
At the same time HHTS also plans to release a single health strategy for the transport and logistics industry, and underneath that will sit guidelines that organisations of all sizes can take on.
HHTS also received $600,000 in funding from the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, supported by the Federal Government, at its launch last year. For more information visit www.healthyheads.org.au.
Frauenfelder said that money is helping launch the HHTS membership campaign.
“We’re looking at an offering of around the $100 mark and that’s for the owner-operators to get access to the suite of everything that we’re developing.”