Downer Infrastructure Services

Who is Downer Infrastructure Services?

Downer Infrastructure Services (DIS) business is made up of Road Services, Utilities and Infrastructure Projects divisions. DIS provides maintenance, operating, manufacturing, construction and project management services to transport and roads, rail track and services, utilities (electricity, gas and water), renewable energy and civil construction. DIS is also a supplier of bituminous products and logistics nationally.

Downer Infrastructure Services (DIS) operates, nationally, a fleet of 800 Light Vehicles, 1,020 Heavy Vehicles (light & heavy trucks, buses etc.) and 580 items of specialised mobile plant.

The Road Services vehicles and plant operate on roads and other pavement assets.  This work includes the national and urban road networks and other critical pavement assets including those at ports and airports. Road Services also manufactures and delivers asphalt products nationally.

The Utilities vehicles and plant operate on the national and urban road network corridors servicing other infrastructure assets including those associated with gas, electricity, telecommunications, water and drainage.

The Infrastructure Projects vehicles and plant operate on civil construction sites and the rail network (where specialist Hi-Rail vehicles and plant are required to perform track and rail services work).

To complete the wide variety of infrastructure construction and maintenance work undertaken, the DIS businesses also use and operate a significant number of other minor and supplementary plant and equipment. In addition they also utilise a large number of subcontractors who provide transport, construction and specialist services under DIS operational control.

The DIS Fleet and Plant is managed nationally by Downer personnel with specific responsibilities for transport & logistics and plant & vehicle operations and maintenance.

What does road safety mean to Downer Infrastructure Services?

Downer Infrastructure Services has identified reversing, both on worksites and roads, and the loss of control of vehicles, either on the road or parked, as our most frequently occurring high potential incident types.  We have been working over the past 5 years to develop solutions to address the underlying causes of these incidents.  Current initiatives include:

• The establishment of expanded Exclusion and No-Go Zones to separate operating vehicles and mobile plant from all pedestrians.
• Investigation of pedestrian detection systems to identify workers and other pedestrians in proximity to worksite traffic and mobile plant.
• Driver training and competency assessment.
• Vehicle Load/Unload training to ensure vehicles are loaded/unloaded correctly and loads effectively restrained.
• Specification of standard safety features for fleet vehicles including the highest vehicle safety rating.
• Handbrake alarms to prevent vehicle roll-aways.
• Engaging with our contractors to achieve uniform vehicle safety standards and driving competencies on our worksites and public roads.
• Spotter training to control vehicle movements at our worksites.
• Practical Safety Initiatives e.g. the national Near Miss Hotline.
• Safety Days
• Critical Risk programme and management involvement.