Leighton News, October 2005 - Leighton Holdings

Leighton News
October 2005

CONTENTS
4 Impressive history and an exciting future
6 Partnership achieves spectacular finish
for Westlink M7
10 Innovation drives solutions to
constant challenges
12 Strengthened management for
Leighton Contractors Group
14 Transitway installing innovative
communications system
16 Focus on safety and health
Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd
ABN 098 000 893 667
472 Pacific Highway
St Leonards NSW 2065
www.leightoncontractors.com.au
Alex Bowen
Manager, Corporate Communications
alex.bowen@leicon.com.au
+61 2 9925 6151
Editorial, design and production
by Abrahams.

IN BRIEF
Cover: The intersection of the M7
and M4 motorways in Sydney.
Above: The tunnel boring machine
being assembled for the New
MetroRail project in Perth.
Challenges being
addressed on new
building project
Site contamination and railcommuter
safety loom large
as issues being confronted
by the project team
responsible for constructing
a new commercial
development in Sydney’s
inner-city Pyrmont district,
which has been undergoing
rapid rejuvenation over the
past decade.
The new building is being
‘delivered’ by Broad
Construction Services
for developer Winten
Property under a $27.8
million design and
construct contract.
Under this contract, Broad
has the responsibility
for obtaining many of
the necessary approvals
and permits required
to undertake the work.
Apart from the normal
construction authorities,
they include negotiations
with the operator of the
light rail system which
runs past the site and with
the State Rail Authority;
resulting in Broad creating
a new public access to the
station, which is adjacent
to the new building.
Project manager Shaun
McMahon said that the
nine-level development
would comprise largely of
strata title offices. Broad’s
project management
responsibilities even
extended to drawing up the
documentation for their
sale, he said.
The site in Miller Street
was vacant for many years
and had housed various
industrial works.
Careful analysis of the soil
layers over existing bedrock
has been necessary to
ensure any contaminated
material is isolated and
removed to suitable waste
handling facilities.
$180 million in new
coal mining contracts
The BHP Billiton Mitsubishi
Alliance (BMA) – Australia’s
largest coal producer and
exporter – has awarded
major new and extended
contracts to Leighton
Contractors at its Peak
Downs and Saraji coal mines
in Central Queensland.
The new agreements flow
from BMA’s decision to
increase production from its
Bowen Basin operations.
They comprise:
• a new $70 million
agreement at Saraji; and
• a $110 million extension
of current pre-stripping
at Peak Downs.
Laurie Voyer (Leighton
Contractors’ executive
general manager,
construction and mining)
said the new Saraji contract
was built on a very
successful four-year
relationship with BMA
at Peak Downs.
“Together with BMA, we
have worked intensively
over the past six months,
looking closely at the
operational synergies that
can be achieved and
investing heavily in new
equipment. Anticipating
this new work, we ordered
$20 million of new fleet
earlier this year and have
recruited an additional
30 site staff,” he said.
Brisbane seawall project
wins fifth award
The FPE Seawall Alliance
in Brisbane has won the
prestigious Queensland
Case Earth Construction
Excellence Award
(Construction category)
for 2005 for its work on
the Brisbane port seawall
project.
This is the seawall project’s
fifth significant award.
The win now makes the
Alliance an automatic
entrant in the national
awards, which will be
judged in Sydney later
this year.
Leighton News 3

IMPRESSIVE
history and an exciting future
With over 50 years
of history, Leighton
Contractors is
one of Australia’s
most successful
construction, mining,
services and
telecommunications
groups.
In creating many
of Australia’s iconic
landmark projects,
the company
has pioneered a
large number of
innovative construction,
engineering and
project management
techniques.
In recent years, Leighton
Contractors has expanded
and become even more
diverse, providing vital
services to industry and
governments across the
nation. Today, the Leighton
Contractors group includes:
Mining and
Construction Division
• This Division is the
solid base on which the
company’s ongoing success
has been founded. It has
been involved in some of
Australia’s largest and most
complex construction
projects and also acts as a
contract miner for many of
the nation’s most prominent
mining organisations.
Broad Construction Services
• A company that has carved
a distinctive niche in the
building industry over the
past two decades.
Services Division
• Visionstream: The
developers of high-tech
communications services
to Australia’s major
telecommunications
suppliers and other
organisations that require
major installations.
• Nextgen Networks:
Owners and operators of
Australia’s newest and
most sophisticated highspeed
broadband network.
• LSE: Designing,
manufacturing and
commissioning
telecommunications
equipment used in
tunnels and by toll road
operators, by broadcasters
and emergency services.
• Metlabs: One of Australia’s
leaders in non-destructive
testing and metallurgy
services.
• Mayfield Engineering:
Having a strong history
in the power, water and
industrial sectors, providing
design and construction,
maintenance and operational
services across Australia
and New Zealand.
Each of these businesses is
a leader in its field and has
carved a respected name for
the quality of its services.
However, achieving their
envied position has not been
a matter of chance.
In each case, it has been
the result of dedicated
teams of people who have
set out to achieve their
goals, backed by a clear
vision and careful planning.
4 Leighton News

Teamwork, innovation and partnership were all key factors in the current $1.5 billion Westlink M7 project.
A vision for
sustained
leadership
and
achievement
With a team of more than
3000 very professional and
highly motivated people, and
a track record of success,
Leighton Contractors is on the
threshold of yet another era of
growth and development.
Over recent months, the
Leighton Contractors
leadership team has been
working to define a new
future for the group, with a
vision to become –
‘Leaders in
partnership and
performance’
“Having a clear vision is
extremely important,” said
Peter McMorrow, Leighton
Contractors’ managing
director. “It drives everything
we do. Not just how we
conduct our business, but
who we employ, how we
reward our staff, what
projects we choose to
undertake and who we choose
to work with.”
“When we talk about being
leaders, we are not only
talking about superior
returns, but about adding
greater value for our
customers and creating
a safe, exciting and
challenging business
for our people.
“By partnership, we
mean developing
strong relationships
with our clients, suppliers,
subcontractors and other
players in our industry.
We need to learn from
our partners, think about
how we can be stronger
together and take advantage
of the opportunities that
are presented.
“Performance means leading
our industry in more than
just a financial sense. It
encompasses all areas of
performance including safety,
sustainability, environmental
impact, quality, on-time
delivery, managing risk
and so on.
“We have developed a threehorizon
strategy to achieve
this vision. The first phase
includes a business
improvement program –
Project Focus. The output of
Project Focus will form the
foundation on which our
future is based”, he said.
Shared values
guide ‘the things
that matter’
“Underpinning this vision are
Leighton Contractors’ shared
values, which guide not just
what we do, but how we do it.
Safety, teamwork, innovation,
our business relationships
and our respect for
the community and the
environment – these are
the things that matter.
“In developing these shared
values, our desire is to build
on the Group’s existing
strengths to make Leighton
Contractors a place that
challenges and rewards,
encourages teamwork and
thrives on creating innovative
solutions to any situation,”
Peter McMorrow recently told
staff throughout Australia.
He also said that it was time
for everyone in the company
to think about ways the team
could become even stronger
by partnering with and
learning from others in the
Leighton Contractors’ Group.
“We have a unique
competitive advantage if we
draw on the strength that
exists across this highly
skilled and successful group
of businesses. Our size and
diversity provide us with many
distinct advantages,” he said.
Peter McMorrow – Managing director, Leighton Contractors Group.
Leighton News 5

PARTNERSHIP
will achieve a spectacular finish for Westlink M7
To finish a new
40-kilometre-long
highway eight months
ahead of an already
tight timetable will
be a spectacular
achievement for the
joint venture partners
designing and
constructing Sydney’s
Westlink M7 motorway.
The Westlink M7 is
a new route that
cuts through much
of Sydney’s outer
metropolitan areas,
linking several major
arterial roads and
three other heavily
used motorways; the
M2, M4 and M5.
It was originally scheduled to
be completed in July next
year. The NSW Roads and
Traffic Authority was hopeful
it would be finished by Easter
2006. However, project
director Tony Spink now
confidently predicts it will be
“opened in December”.
The project was unique in
Australia even before work
started on site. The $1.5-
billion contract was awarded
by Westlink Motorway to a
joint venture of Abigroup and
Leighton Contractors (the
ALJV) – two companies
which normally compete
fiercely against each other for
major construction projects.
However, each recognised
that the Westlink M7 project
required some specific skills
held by the other. Bringing
these attributes together on
this project proved to be a
key to success.
“The two companies each
put their ‘A’ teams onto the
job and they complemented
each other extremely well,”
said Tony. “We had a
strong core group of senior
managers, supervisors and
engineers coming from the
two JV partners and they
quickly created a seamless
partnership.”
Another innovative factor was
the decision to build a
precast concrete segment
production plant – the largest
in Australia – just for this
project. The tender had been
submitted to the Roads and
Traffic Authority by the ALJV
with its 150 or so bridges
having conventional ‘straight
through’ girders and
longitudinal beams. However,
detailed planning questioned
whether the pre-cast industry
in New South Wales could
maintain the required rate
of delivery.
So, the planning team
decided to take matters into
its own hands and build a
precasting factory. For speed
and simplicity, it also
decided to switch to
‘matched precast concrete
segments’ rather than
prestressed beams. The
change meant that more
than half of the bridges
along the route had to be
totally redesigned.
A large percentage of the
segments were used to build
the dramatic balancedcantilever
bridges, which
have become such a feature
of the project – sometimes
appearing almost overnight
and looming over motorists
near or through the worksites.
Balanced-cantilever bridges
do not require support
structures during construction
– allowing daytime traffic to
keep moving under the
worksite and reducing the
number of detours required.
The precasting factory was
constructed on a greenfield
site near the mid-point of the
route, conveniently close to
the project headquarters at
Eastern Creek. Much of the
casting equipment had to be
imported. At the end of the
project, the entire plant will
be demolished and the site
restored to its pre-existing
condition. By then, more
than 3000 segments –
ranging from 40 to 100
tonnes – and several hundred
architectural panels will have
been cast there, each of
them then trucked at night
along public roads to their
ultimate destination.
Despite the massive output
from the precasting plant,
the remaining bridges still
had to be constructed with
longitudinal beams, creating
a heavy workload for the local
prestressing industry.
Additionally, three major
producers of aggregate and
concrete, and the prestressed
steel manufacturer OneSteel,
were major beneficiaries
of Westlink M7 supply
contracts. OneSteel was
fortunate to have an existing
plant at Rooty Hill, adjacent
to the Westlink M7 route,
and was in a prime position
to produce and deliver
the massive tonnages of
reinforcing steel required for
the bridge columns and
carriageway construction.
continued over >
6 Leighton News

– continued from previous page
Teamwork and innovation
have been the hallmark
of this entire project. In
another instance, the ALJV
collaborated with the NSW
Roads and Traffic Authority
to eliminate anchor blocks
from a large number of the
bridges. An enormous
amount of research went
into this variation, also
significant design work
was undertaken for the
ALJV by a former University
of Sydney professor.
Eliminating anchor blocks
saved both money and time,
and also created a seamless
concrete pavement for
vehicles crossing over
the bridge to improve
rideability.
“The technique had only
been used once before –
many years earlier in the
United States,” said Tony
Spink. “Possibly because of
the natural conservatism of
road authorities, engineers
hadn’t considered using it
again. However, with our vast
number of bridges – three or
four to every kilometre – it
was almost imperative to
eliminate the bridge anchors.
As a result, we gained
massive advantages by
running the concrete
paving through.
“Doing so aroused an
enormous amount of interest
internationally and, recently,
our work won the prestigious
Robert G Packard Prize for
‘Best Design of the Year’
at an international
conference on concrete
pavements in Colorado.”
Site and public safety were
major concerns because
about 20 major roads and a
further 20 minor ones
intersect the Westlink M7’s
40-kilometre route and, said
Tony Spink, “… it was a
“constant battle to isolate
ourselves from the public”.
At peak, close to 2000
people were working on site.
Controlling the massive
project was handled by
dividing it into five
construction areas – not
necessarily geographic – each
headed by a construction
manager. They were:
• north and south earthworks
(each 50% of the job);
• paving and finishes over
the entire length;
• local roads; and
• bridges over the whole job.
The Westlink M7 contract is
also significant for the
number of trainees – more
than 50 of them – who
successfully completed their
courses while working on the
project. Most of them
attended a special graduation
ceremony held earlier this
month. A great deal of time
and money was also invested
in other training programs
which enabled people to
become more proficient in
their existing jobs, and to
work in greater safety.
Tony Spink said that a great
deal had been learned from
the project – particularly
that, despite the design
and construction approach
being “more rigorous” than
the normal process, it
produced great gains
through innovation.
“We can certainly use many
of the Westlink M7’s new
and innovative construction
techniques on future major
road building contracts,”
he said.

INNOVATION
drives solutions to constant challenges
Constructing the city section of Perth’s $1.5 billion
New MetroRail must be one of the most challenging
CBD rail projects now being undertaken anywhere in
the world. This largely underground section, which cuts
through the busiest roads in the city, is part of a new
suburban rail line, which runs south to Mandurah.
Preparing to lower a segment of the
massive tunnel boring machine.

A Leighton Kumagai Joint
Venture team is working
on the city section of the
State-funded project.
Another Leighton Contractors’
team is continuing the
route a further 16 kilometres
down the heavily trafficked
Kwinana Freeway,
constructing major bridges
across the Swan River
and the Canning River in
the process.
A deep trench in the heart
of Perth’s central business
district (CBD) indicates
where the Leighton Kumagai
Joint Venture is building
the new William Street
station. Another long and
cavernous opening, curving
towards the Swan River, is
destined to house the new
Esplanade Station. These
two stations are linked and
then connected to Perth’s
existing suburban rail
system by twin tunnels.
Constructing them presents
a number of significant
safety and heritage
challenges for the Leighton
Kumagai Joint Venture.
Tunnelling under the CBD
is a difficult task because
the city is built largely
on sand.
One station had a heritageprotected
façade directly
over a work site. The design
team’s innovative solution
was to support and then
slice the entire façade into
nine segments, then truck
them away for storage and
eventual re-erection.
Nearby, the three storey
brick 1910 Wellington
Building had to remain in
place, despite excavation
going on underneath. The
solution was to provide
temporary support on
micropiles, some going
down 55 metres. Eventually
the load of the building
was transferred from
its foundations to the
1.2-metre-thick roof of
the future William Street
Station.
The Joint Venture has had
to employ cutting edge
technology to monitor any
subsurface and building
movement. Building
movement is monitored by
a complex array of optical
prisms, electrolevels and
other state-of-the-art
instrumentation – with
more than 3000 highly
sensitive devices placed in
strategic locations. The
data from these devices is
downloaded to a computer
at the city project office,
together with other
subsurface inclinometer,
groundwater level and
piezometer pressure
information.
All of the data collected
is interpreted by Leighton
Kumagai’s team of 12
geotechnical, engineering
and surveying experts. “We
are continually measuring
the impact of the project
on our environment,” said
special contracts manager
Matt Williams.
“If movement of the
buildings is detected and
protective grouting is
required, it can be
delivered from a special
worksite located about six
metres below street level.
There, dozens of horizontal
tubes are being drilled
and, if necessary, they
can immediately deliver
grout right under the
buildings to compensate
for any settlement which
may occur.
“This is the first time that
compensation grouting has
been used on this scale in
Australia,” he said.
The massive tunnel-boring
machine (TBM) being used
was manufactured in Japan
especially for this contract.
Tunnelling will start near
the Esplanade Station and
progress through to the
point where the new railway
will connect with the
existing rail network. Then
a start will be made on
the parallel tunnel.
Innovative
thinking
required on
bridges
Further down the
route the other
Leighton Contractors’
team is close to
completing the
incrementally launched
700-metres-long
Mount Henry Bridge.
Work has also started on
construction of a steelgirdered
balanced-cantilever
rail bridge over the
Narrows. This is being
constructed between two
existing road bridges, both
icons of the city. So, using
one of them for rail called
for some innovative thinking
by Leighton Contractors’
design development team.
The new five-metre-wide
southbound railway bridge
is being carefully inserted
into a six-metre-space
between the carriageways –
a task that must be largely
undertaken by crews
working at night and over
weekends using massive
200 and 300-tonne cranes.
Another innovative solution
was required to relocate the
northbound bus bridge at
Canning Highway, close to
the busiest road intersection
in Western Australia. To
avoid demolition of the
existing bridge and erection
of a new one nearby, the
Leighton Contractors team
decided to ‘slide’ the old
deck onto a new abutment
about nine metres away.
The entire route is adjacent
to densely populated
suburbs and carries about
160,000 traffic movements
a day. So, ongoing community
information and consultation
has been vital.
Additionally, public safety
and the safety of project
personnel working along
the highways has been
paramount.
Project director Leighton
Kumagai Joint Venture
Rob Wallwork
Project manager Leighton
Contractors ‘Package E’
Damian Ryan
Leighton News 11

STRENGTHENED
management for Leighton Contractors Group
Concurrent with
the announcement
of the Leighton
Contractors Group
business strategy,
Peter McMorrow
also announced
a realignment of
Leighton Contractors’
management structure.
• Laurie Voyer will
take up the position
of executive general
manager of the new
Construction and
Mining Division in
April 2006; and
• Phil Cooper has
been appointed
executive general
manager of the new
Services Division.
The new structure
organises Leighton
Contractors’ businesses
in a way that clearly
makes leadership and
teamwork a priority
to support the Group’s
vision of being ‘Leaders
in partnership and
performance’.
Phil Cooper
has
witnessed
exceptional
change
It used to be said that
‘every soldier carries a
general’s baton in his
knapsack’ – suggesting that
there was no limit to how
far a person could advance
his career, if he had the
desire and the ability. By
his own career, Phil Cooper
certainly shows that this
can be achieved at
Leighton Contractors.
Armed with a degree in civil
engineering, Phil joined the
company in 1981 and then
started rising steadily
through the ranks to his
present position.
In the early 1990s,
Leighton Contractors
realised there was an
opportunity to diversify into
the telecommunications
business. Phil was given the
task of achieving this. In
retrospect, he has done this
exceptionally well, because
Leighton Contractors is now
an accepted force in this
specialised field with
Visionstream, Nextgen and
LSE all now occupying key
niche markets in this
burgeoning industry.
Meanwhile, Phil was also
undertaking high-level
strategic business
development activities;
among them developing and
presenting a complete
business plan to Amcor
which has enabled it to gain
a strong foothold in winebottle
manufacturing in
South Australia.
He now manages an
extremely diversified group
of companies. Apart from
the telecommunications
group, they include the
management of toll roads
and specialised service
companies such as Mayfield
Engineering and Metlabs.
“In the past couple of years,
I have seen the pace of
change pick up considerably
as Leighton Contractors
moulds itself to meet the
challenges of today’s
business environment,”
he said.
Clearly, Leighton Contractors
has significantly diversified
its business so that it is
no longer purely reliant
on cyclical earnings
from building and civil
engineering. However, Phil
Cooper sees that there is a
need for the company to
continue broadening its
earnings base using the
core skills already in the
business – management,
organisational and
commercial abilities
among them.
we have all learned from
having to resolve the unique
problems that were
encountered at Spencer
Street Station and on the
Sydney Hilton and we have
moved on, having gained
invaluable knowledge that
will certainly benefit us and
our clients in the future.
“More so, they cannot
colour the enormous
success we have had in
some of our other current
projects.
“These are just some of the
dramatic and exciting
changes that have taken
place in our business in
recent years; making
Leighton Contractors a
vastly different company
from the one that I joined
25 years ago,” he said.
The company can also list
competing giants such
as Telstra, Optus and
Hutchison among its very
impressive ‘telco’ client list.
“We have an exceptionally
strong group of experienced
managers in the business.
In fact, they are really
outstanding. Importantly,
12 Leighton News

Laurie Voyer
says clients
will benefit
from new
national
approach
Traditionally, Leighton
Contractors has managed
its construction and
contract mining projects on
a regional basis. However,
increasingly in the past
year, there have been
moves to develop greater
synergies between the
various business units
across Australia.
Laurie Voyer’s appointment
as executive general
manager Construction and
Mining will both accelerate
the development of a
national management
structure and create
significant commercial
benefits. However, it
does not mean that the
independence or the
capabilities of Leighton
Contractors’ regional
business units will be
eroded in any way.
“We are an innovative
company and are always
finding new and better ways
to achieve the desired
results for our clients. The
national structure will allow
us to more easily transfer
knowledge about the latest
technologies, new
techniques and outstanding
skill sets from one region
to another within the
company. In this way,
everyone benefits,” he said.
“The mining industry is a
prime example of this. We
have large scale contracts
across Australia and,
although every project is
different, being able to
share our deep pool of
knowledge about mining
operations and safety is
critically important to us
and to our clients – many
of whom regard us as their
business partners.
“Being able to create closer
links between our business
units and our Leighton
Contractors’ member
companies is also vital.
For example, a number
of our clients are now
simultaneously contracting
Leighton Contractors’
companies to undertake
mining, construct
infrastructure and provide
specialised services – and
this trend is very likely to
develop further in the
future,” he said.
Laurie said that, although
the company had been
undertaking very much
larger projects in recent
years, there was still an
ongoing need to secure the
smaller value contracts.
“These contracts allow us
to give our younger people
experience in project
management,” he said.
“Based on my own
experience, it is vital that
young graduates joining
Leighton Contractors today
have similar early
opportunities to progress
within the company. Our
smaller projects allow them
to ‘cut their teeth’ as
project managers and to
start gaining the experience
they need to manage the
large-scale construction
and mining contracts that
Leighton Contractors
has today.”
Laurie started his own
career with Leighton
Contractors in 1973 as a
Perth-based cadet engineer.
However, he quickly
recognised the great
opportunities for him in
what was, even then, a
fast-growing organisation.
His recent appointment as
the executive general
manager in charge of the
company’s construction
and mining operations
throughout Australia and
New Zealand, with effect
from April 2006 is further
reward for Laurie’s
exceptional contribution to
the company over 32 years.
Above left – Phil Cooper.
Above right – Laurie Voyer.
Leighton News 13

TRANSITWAY
installing innovative communications systems
One of Australia’s most
sophisticated transport
communications
systems will allow the
monitoring of traffic,
provide information
to waiting bus
passengers and
even detect motorists’
infringements when
Sydney’s latest T-way
(bus expressway) starts
operating next year.
The new 24-kilometre
project, officially known as
the North-West Transitway,
will link the major Sydney
centres of Parramatta
and Blacktown with
Rouse Hill; an expanding
population centre for
Sydney’s north west.
The NSW Roads and Traffic
Authority (RTA) has awarded
Leighton Contractors the
contract to construct the
T-way, which is a key
element of the State
Government’s Strategic
Bus Corridor program for
this rapidly growing region
of Sydney.
When completed, it will
take many hundreds of cars
daily off the area’s overtaxed
roads and provide the
commuters with a new
fast and efficient mass
transport service.
An important element of the
Transitway is an ‘intelligent’
communications system,
which is being designed and
installed by LSE (a Leighton
Contractors’ subsidiary).
Based on optical fibre cable
which runs the length of the
transitway, it is one of very
few in the world to be
totally based on internet
protocol transmission
systems (TCP/IP over
Ethernet) and it also has
an ‘endless bandwidth’
capability to cater for the
needs of the future.
Holding a contract to
support the facility for
the next ten years, LSE is
well placed to undertake
any later expansion of
the network.
The various sub-systems
being installed by LSE will
provide the RTA with the
information and the
resources to manage the
dedicated bus route.
These resources include 36
closed circuit television
(CCTV) cameras, which will
cover the main intersections
with public roads. These
cameras will allow the RTA
to monitor traffic situations
and incidents from its
highly sophisticated control
room at Eveleigh, which
now oversees road situations
from more than 700
remotely controlled cameras
around Sydney.
Another installation, the
traffic enforcement system,
which is part of the strategy
to manage and minimise
unauthorised use of the
transitway, also forms part
of the contract to be
delivered by LSE. The
system photographs number
plates of vehicles which use
the transitway and then
processes these images to
detect potential unauthorised
use for subsequent
infringement processing.
LSE is also installing a
passenger information
system comprising variable
signage which will be
located at four major
transport interchanges. This
will interface with the NSW
Ministry of Transport’s
Infoline service to provide
information on timetables
and other information
relating to services.
Much of the work must be
carried out in and around
heavily trafficked roads, so
occupational health and
safety issues are very much
at the forefront for the
project management team.
Today, this also involves
obtaining permits from
myriad utilities, service
organisations and local
authorities for the work to
be carried out.
Additional issues involve
maintaining the security of
the system, as much of it is
on land which is open to
the public. Therefore, all
of the equipment located
along the transitway is being
housed in special high
security enclosures.
Project director
Aldo Cantori
LSE project manager
Greg Evans
Leighton News 15

FOCUS
on safety and health
Probably since the
erection of the Tower
of Babel, construction
has been an industry
with a less-than-perfect
‘safe working’ record.
However, although
accidents have been
regarded traditionally
as ‘one of the factors’
of the industry,
attitudes have been
changing dramatically
over the past few
decades.
Today, safe-working practices
lie at the heart of all Leighton
Contractors’ projects. They
are the company’s ‘number
one’ priority.
Increasingly, safety is
becoming a key differentiator
for the company’s clients.
For example, in the mining
industry, the company’s
approach to safety has
overridden a client’s initial
intention to make ‘price’
a primary decisionmaking
factor.
Leighton Contractors is
a diversified company,
operating throughout
Australia and New Zealand
and in a wide number of
jurisdictions. Responsibility
for safety management is
devolved to the various
business units, disciplines
and projects. While this
model has achieved
significant results in safety,
health and environment, it
does not readily encourage
the sharing of experiences
or achievements and
provides little opportunity
for networking within
the company.
Today, requirements for
national safety programs and
for sustainability reporting
have created a demand for a
common reporting and
governance platform.
Leighton Contractors’
challenge has been to bring
the various regulatory
regimes under which it
operates and all of the
company’s practices into
alignment on a national basis.
“Individually, the company’s
safety managers and their
teams have a great deal of
experience. One of my
objectives has been to better
coordinate the sharing of
ideas and sharing their
knowledge,” said Martin
Smith, national safety, health
and environment manager of
Leighton Contractors.
“The mining division of the
company is ahead of the
game, principally because
the mining industry’s
regulatory framework has
increased the obligations on
miners and mine owners
which, in turn, has raised
our clients’ expectations.
“Therefore, all mining
operations personnel have a
strong desire to ensure that
our mine sites are as safe as
we can possibly make them.
Additionally, there are strong
commercial reasons for this
to occur, as a company’s
safety record is very
persuasive when mining
companies are assessing
tenders for new contracts. If
a contractor’s safety record is
poor, then the client would
have to think seriously about
whether or not to engage
that contractor.
“Recently, mining giant Rio
Tinto awarded Broad
Construction Services (a
subsidiary of Leighton
Contractors) a contract at
Paraburdoo based on its
safety performance, despite
one part of its bid being
more expensive than that of a
major competitor,” he said.
Non-mining
sectors
In construction, safety
management is becoming a
decisive factor in awarding
contracts; which now often
contain incentives such as
bonuses to maintain or
improve safety on site.
“It’s more than the clients
just maintaining their
corporate image. These days
there is a recognition that
there are legal obligations
and sanctions concerning
the management of the
principal contractor. This
has created an increased
awareness among our clients
of the importance of safety
on site,” Martin said.
“Despite trends over the
past few years, there has
been slow improvement in
safety in the construction
industry in Australia; which
shows that the industry still
has significant cultural
issues to address. This is
why we have introduced the
‘leighton safe’ program to
give safety an even stronger
focus within the company.
“Due to the size and
complexity of civil, building
and mining projects, the
company has focused
considerable effort on
preventing workplace
fatalities and serious
injuries. These efforts are
proving successful.
“Because our performance
data shows that we
continue to have lessserious
injuries, we are now
taking a much broader view
of injury prevention –
widening our outlook to
focus more attention on
preventing low level lost
time injuries and other
injuries requiring treatment.
continued over >
16 Leighton News

FOCUS
on safety and health
– continued from previous page
“In the past, we have
investigated all serious
incidents but have not
placed enough emphasis as
a company on those less
serious. We are now formally
investigating all incidents –
no matter what – and learn
from the results we obtain.
We are training our own
incident investigators to
work with the project
management teams.
“As low level incidents can
sometimes be a precursor
to more serious incidents,
monitoring national trends
will allow us to be more
proactive and responsive
with our national safety
programs.”
Martin said that unions
played an important part
in safety on Leighton
Contractors’ sites. “Our
relationships with the unions
are very positive. When it
comes to safety, we all have
the same goal. They are very
supportive of what we are
doing and the direction we
are taking with safety.”
He was referring specifically
to the company’s recently
launched ‘leighton safe’
program, which was
developed to eliminate all
injuries from its projects. To
ensure that the new safety
program had ‘grass roots’
support, Leighton Contractors
ran a competition, open to
all employees within its group
of companies, to design a
logo and slogan that could
be used to represent the
group’s approach to safety,
health and the environment;
and provide the basis to
launch future safety, health
and environment programs
and initiatives. The winning
logo and slogan ‘leighton
safe’ Working Together is
now well established within
the company.
Under the program, the
company has also launched a
major initiative called
‘leighton safe’ Essentials
which aims to eliminate work
place injuries by targeting a
broad range of specific
work-site risks over the next
12 months.
The first of these was the
eye protection program,
which has an important
feature – the mandatory
wearing of protective glasses
on all Leighton Contractors’
worksites.
Subsequent programs are:
• fall prevention (launched
this month);
• mobile plant;
• electrical hazards; and
• manual handling.
“The mandatory eye
protection policy that we
introduced in July, and have
phased in on most of our
projects, is an innovative
development in the
construction industry.
“Industry-wide there has
been some resistance against
the compulsory wearing of
eye protection. In the past,
the industry has generally
taken a ‘risk-based’ approach
to eyewear – but many eyerelated
incidents are due to
environmental conditions,
like strong winds stirring up
dust, which is not always
predictable.
“Nationally, Leighton
Contractors had a significant
number of eye injuries last
year. Many of these were low
level injuries which could
have been more serious; so
we decided as a company
that we needed to do more to
prevent them,” Martin said.
“We recognised that a
mandatory eyewear policy
might be difficult to
implement, but we want to
show that people who work
for us – our employees and
subcontractors – can work
safely in an environment
where they are going to
be protected.
“Eyewear protection has long
been mandatory on our
mining and industrial sites,
and some of our construction
sites. Now, when it comes
to our other sites, the same
rules apply.
“In safety, Leighton
Contractors is raising the
bar,” Martin said.
Safe working practices
are critical in the
mining industry.
Leighton News 19

AWARD WINNING
safety, health and environment initiatives
Leighton Contractors’
new national safety
program includes the
‘leighton safe’ Awards,
which recognise
individuals and
projects for excellence
in safety, health and
the environment.
This year’s awards, the first
to be held, were presented
recently at a major event in
Sydney. More than 50
entries were received from
throughout Australia and
New Zealand.
The winners were:
THE SAFETY AND HEALTH
INITIATIVE AWARD
Recognising initiatives that
have made a contribution to
the improved safety and
health of employees in their
locations or regions.
Winner
Project 5 – Visionstream,
LSE and Nextgen
Project 5 is a broad-based
cultural change program
designed to eliminate
injuries in the workplace.
It encompasses strategies
to address leadership,
communication,
consultation and cultural
change. Over the last 12
months the program has
resulted in a 74 per cent
improvement in ‘loss time
injury’ frequency rate and a
56 per cent improvement in
average lost time rate.
Merit Award certificate
Dual Pinning system
concept and design –
Western Region
The dual pinning system
was designed to avoid
injuries when changing
the bucket teeth on
earthmoving machinery.
Due to the harsh nature of
the environment the bucket
teeth must be removed
every eight hours.
Removing each bucket
tooth required two men and
a 14-pound sledgehammer,
which exposed the men to
manual handling injuries
and eye injuries from
metal projectiles.
The dual pinning system
has made it easier to
remove the retaining pins
by using a small two-kilo
hammer, in turn reducing
injury risks.
THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT
EXCELLENCE AWARD
Recognising excellence
in safety, health and
environment on Leighton
Contractors’ projects.
Winner
Wivenhoe Alliance –
Northern Region
Through a carefully
cultivated culture that
prioritises safety, health
and the environment, the
Wivenhoe Alliance has
delivered a $70 million
dam upgrade project
with no lost time injuries
to date.
This outstanding record
has been achieved through
a strong safety culture and
innovative design and
construction methods,
along with environmental
initiatives that have
created lasting benefits
for local communities.
THE MANAGING
DIRECTOR’S AWARD
Recognises the most
outstanding contribution
to safety, health and/or
the environment from
across the Leighton
Contractors’ group.
Winner Safety performance
and culture –
Northern Region
The Northern Region
operates across mining,
building and civil sectors,
which have unique industrybased
safety cultures. The
Region has worked hard to
have a consistent culture
across all disciplines.
Its impressive safety record
is a result of strong
leadership and a committed
workforce, as well as the
willingness to explore
innovative solutions to
injury prevention and
environmental management.
Merit Award certificate
Safety Newsletter –
Southern Region
The quarterly safety
newsletter for all Southern
Region employees keeps
people up-to-date with the
latest information, training,
project and safety news.
It was established by Rocky
Vitacca and the Graphic’s
team and demonstrates how
an individual’s contribution
can make a difference. The
newsletter has received
excellent reviews from
WorkSafe in Victoria.
UVEX TEAM EYE
PROTECTION AWARD
Recognises team application
of the mandatory eye
protection policy.
Winners
• North West T-Ways project
• Windsor Road Alliance
The Awards night at Rydges
Hotel in Sydney.
20 Leighton News

CONTACTS
CONSTRUCTION
AND MINING
NSW/ACT Business Unit
Level 10
12 Help Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
T 02 9414 3333
F 02 9415 2510
Northern Region
QLD/NT
Level 3
143 Coronation Drive
Milton QLD 4066
T 07 3215 4400
F 07 3215 4480
Western Region
WA
1 Altona Street
West Perth WA 6005
T 08 9324 1166
F 08 9481 2449
Southern Region
VIC/TAS/SA/NZ
5 Queens Road
Melbourne VIC 3004
T 03 9228 7700
F 03 9228 3000
LEIGHTON SERVICES
Transport Services
Level 8
12 Help Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
T 02 9414 6300
F 02 9414 6366
LSE Technology
Level 6
486 Pacific Highway
St Leonards NSW 2065
T 02 9434 3444
F 02 9434 3499
Mayfield Engineering
43-69 Sturt Street
Adelaide SA 5000
T 08 8238 5000
F 08 8238 5002
Metlabs
43 Wittenberg Drive
Canning Vale WA 6155
T 08 9455 5770
F 08 9455 5880
Nextgen Networks
Level 3
22-36 Walsh Street
West Melbourne VIC 8010
T 03 8327 2339
F 03 8327 2388
Visionstream
236 East Boundary Road
2 North Drive
Virginia Park
Bentleigh East VIC 3165
T 03 9258 5700
F 03 9563 7481
BROAD CONSTRUCTION
SERVICES
WA
Level 1
144 Stirling Street
Perth WA 6004
T 08 9228 7777
F 08 9228 7700
SA
Level 1
201 Greenhill Road
Eastwood SA 5063
T 08 8271 3210
F 08 8271 4682
QLD
Level 1
27 Mayneview Street
Milton QLD 4064
T 07 3514 6100
F 07 3367 3612
NSW/VIC
Level 8
12 Help Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
T 02 9414 6300
F 02 9414 6366
LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS
Corporate Services
Level 4
472 Pacific Highway
St Leonards NSW 2065
T 02 9925 6666
F 02 9925 6004
The ‘leighton safe’ Essentials program targets key risk areas in the workplace.
Photography in this issue:
Kraig Carlstrom, Cover
Kevin Scott, Corporate Photographers, Inside front cover, page 10
Rob Parsons, ‘Through the Looking Glass Photography’, pages 4, 7, 8, 17, 18, 22
Karl Schwerdtfeger, portrait page 4
Kim Hunter ‘Shot by a Hunter’, pages 13, 21
Justin Mackintosh, page 14