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AMA 'Safe Hours' campaign wins prestigious occupational health and safety award

The AMA Safe Hours campaign for reducing excessive hours worked by junior doctors has won the Blake Dawson Waldron/Inside OHS Competition for 2001.

The prestigious national competition is open to Australian public and private sector organisations that have undertaken innovative programs to improve occupational health and safety (OHS) practice in the workplace.

Judges' comments on the AMA Safe Hours Campaign included:

      "Commended for its high impact across the industry. The project systematically tackled a fundamental and historically resistant feature of work organisation in this sector."

and

"Long overdue and has wide ramifications across the whole community."

Launched in 1996, the Safe Hours campaign includes a National Code of Practice; the design, testing and implementation of a methodology for risk rating the rosters of hospital doctors; and a communications strategy to promote awareness and activate change to work practices in our hospitals.

AMA Director of Workplace Policy, Erich Janssen, who accepted the award on behalf of the AMA, said today the campaign aimed to bring hospital work practices into line with other workplaces and community expectations.

"The intensity of hospital medical work has increased and the demands on our hospital doctors have never been higher," Mr Janssen said.

"The Safe Hours campaign is about re-engineering the medical workplace to reflect best practice rostering and reduce performance impairment from fatigue.

"The doctors benefit from improved work practices. The patients benefit through high quality medical care, as does the whole community.

"It is an honour to have our campaign recognised with this award," Mr Janssen said.

CONTACT: Erich Janssen 0417 402 694

Sarah Crichton (02) 6270 5472 / (0419) 440 076

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