News from NSW Ambulance

Risk Update- Reduced speed limits at incident sites NSW Ambulance recently backed a move by the State Government to implement 40 kilometre per hour speed restrictions at the scene of motor vehicle collisions. Our support, as part of the wider Emergency Service Organisation Work Health and Safety (WHS) consultative committee, follows the recent introduction of this law in Victoria and South Australia. As with other emergency agencies in NSW, the reliance on red and blue emergency lights, reflective markings and vehicle positioning is often the only control measure available to alert other road users to exercise caution when approaching and passing the scene of an incident. Sentencing in traffic related matters will now consider if there was any obstructions or hazards present on the road when the offence was committed. This includes the presence of emergency services. Hopefully the introduction of this legislation will further support our efforts to provide a safe workplace for all emergency agencies on scene at motor vehicle incidents. The WHS team will continue to advocate on behalf of NSW Ambulance for the introduction of this new legislation.