One of Australia’s leading livestock transporters, Frasers Livestock Transport, has won a national award for making it safer to cross-load stock between trailers.

The company last night won the 2014 Safe Work Australia Award for the best solution to an identified workplace health and safety issue.

The Director of Frasers Livestock Transport, Ross Fraser OAM, is a former ATA Chairman. The company has been a member of the ATA’s safety accreditation program, TruckSafe, since 1999.

The Chair of the ATA, Noelene Watson, said the award recognised Frasers’ commitment to safety and its workers.

“By developing a special cross-loading module, Frasers has addressed a long standing safety issue in the livestock transport industry,” Mrs Watson said.

“The module also reduces the time it takes to cross-load stock crates, which shows – once again – that good safety can often be good business as well.

“Right across the trucking industry, businesses are taking inspiration from companies like Frasers and improving their safety. Even one injury or accident is too many, but we are heading in the right direction,” she said.

The citation for the award notes that transferring or cross-loading cattle between trailers is one of the most dangerous activities along the cattle transport supply chain. It exposes drivers to risks like working at heights, confined spaces, poor or no light conditions and unpredictable livestock.

Frasers researched, designed and custom built a cross-loading module that incorporates a series of elevated platforms, over-trailer walkways and sliding gates/barriers to remove many of the risks.