• Peter Bateman
    270
    In the Jan/Feb edition of Safeguard magazine we pose three questions based on stories in the magazine. One of them is this:

    Richard Stringfellow acts as a roving champion for worker engagement in H&S in forestry. How could this model be adapted by other industry sectors?

    Feel free to respond here on the Forum, or privately here via a Survey Monkey form.

    An edited selection of responses will be published in the March/April edition, but with no names attached. One randomly selected person will receive a prize, namely a copy of Amy Edmondson's book The Fearless Organization: creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth.
  • MattD2
    337
    An interesting concept - with the involvement of WorkSafe this may be a way to provide the "education" part of WorkSafe's role without the conflict of the educator also being the enforcer, and enable workers and companies to be more open in discussing risk management with an external person (without the fear of tying their own rope). Having WorkSafe and the relevant industry body on board with this approach is likely a good balance between what we have now (the conflict between WorkSafe's role) and industry self-regulation - Industries groups providing the education with members and worker with WorkSafe to define current industry good practice to assess against, and WorkSafe in a clear role to resource the enforcement of those agreed practices where required.

    Although I am also a little skeptical (but I'm always a pessimist) of just how much an external person can actually influence the real occupational H&S risk control - from the few articles / posts I have read a lot of the focus is on personal wellbeing, rather than lifting the standards of how the industry operates as a whole. However this may just be a case that this is a good in with crews to build a relationship with the Toroawhi to allow better conversations regarding occupational risks as well. But maybe it isn't a role to specifically improve any particular worksite, but one to raise the collective standards across the industry by being that balance between WorkSafe and Businesses (while also keeping the workers at the centre of the conversation).

    I will definitely be watching this space!
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