National Strategy General Stakeholder
Workshop in Hobart, Tasmania
Date
Wednesday
1 June 2011
Hosted by
Mr Roy Ormerod
General Manager, Workplace
Standards Tasmania
Location
Hobart
Facilitator
Professor David Caple
1
2
Contents
Page and Content
4. History of National Strategy
5. Safe Work Australia and the National Strategy
6. National Work Health and Safety Strategy Consultation and Development
7. Welcome
8. Workshop Introduction
9. Workshop participants profile
10. Session Scopes
11. Session 1: Group discussion on work health and safety in the next ten years
14. Session 2: Social/Economic/Emerging Issues in the workforce, business and technology
20. Session 3: Work Health & Safety Systems in safe design, supply chain, safety leadership & organisational culture
26. Session 4: Enhancing the capacity of workplaces to respond to disease, injury and psychological injury causing hazards
32. Closing Remarks
33. Evaluation Comments
Disclaimer: The views of participants expressed in this document are not necessarily the views of Safe Work Australia.
3
History of National Strategy
The 10 year National Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Improvement Framework (NIF) was in
place in the 1990s providing Australia with a nationally coordinated “roadmap” for improving workplace
health and safety. The NIF signalled the commitment to OHS improvement in Australia by the
Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC), the National Occupational Health and Safety
Commission (NOHSC) and NOHSC members. It set out to improve prevention, share knowledge,
foster partnerships and collaborations, and compare performance among the key OHS stakeholders in
Australia.
The National OHS Strategy (National Strategy) was endorsed in May 2002 with the vision of Australian
workplaces free from death, injury and disease. This was a tripartite initiative of NOHSC and
unanimously endorsed by Federal, State and Territory Ministers. The 10 year timeframe was chosen to
span political terms and provide the time to develop evidence based policies and programs. The
Workplace Relations Ministers’ noted the successes of the National Road Strategy and its associated
targets, and believed the inclusion of targets in a new document would help sharpen the national focus
and efforts to improve Australia’s OHS performance.
The National Strategy set out the basis for nationally strategic interventions that were intended to
foster sustainably safe and healthy work environments, and to reduce significantly the numbers of
people hurt or killed at work. Five national priorities and nine areas that required national action were
agreed. These collectively aimed to bring about short and long-term improvements in OHS, as well as
longer-term cultural change. Reports on progress to achieve the objectives of the National Strategy
were provided annually to WRMC.
NOHSC provided the original leadership and took carriage of the National Strategy until it was
replaced by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council in 2005.
4
Safe Work Australia and the National Strategy
In 2009 Safe Work Australia – an
independent Australian Government
statutory body - was established. It has
primary responsibility for improving work
health and safety and workers’
compensation arrangements across
Australia.
Safe Work Australia represents a genuine
partnership between governments, unions
and industry working together towards the
goal of reducing death, injury and disease
in workplaces.
The current and future National Strategy
are key documents to guide the work of
Safe Work Australia and others to achieve
this goal. The current historic commitment
to work health and safety is illustrated by
the joint funding by the Commonwealth,
state and territory governments of Safe
Work Australia, facilitated through an
intergovernmental agreement signed in
July 2008.
Safe Work Australia members:
Back left to right:
Mr Mark Goodsell Australian Industry Group; Mr Brian Bradley Western Australia;
Ms Michele Patterson South Australia; Ms Michelle Baxter Commonwealth; Mr Rex Hoy Chief
Executive Officer; Mr Peter Tighe Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
Front left to right: Ms Anne Bellamy Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
Mr John Watson New South Wales; Mr Tom Phillips AM Chair; Mr Michael Borowick (ACTU)
Absent: Mr Greg Tweedly Victoria; Mr Barry Leahy Queensland; Ms Liesl Centenera ACT;
Mr Roy Ormerod Tasmania; and Ms Laurene Hull Northern Territory
5
National Work Health and Safety Strategy
Consultation and Development
Safe Work Australia is now developing a new
National Work Health and Safety Strategy to
supersede the previous Strategy that expires
in June 2012.
To inform the development process,
workshops are being held in all capital cities
and a number of regional centres. These will
seek ideas and comments from invited
participants including employers, employees,
regulators, work health and safety
professionals, academics and interested
community members.
Safe Work Australia will also continue to
consult with key stakeholders through a range
of other mechanisms including ongoing
bilateral consultations and by commissioning
topic papers from experts on selected issues.
These consultations will allow Safe Work
Australia Members to decide on priority
areas, targets and the Strategy’s duration.
Once a draft National Work Health and Safety Strategy
has been agreed by Safe Work Australia Members this
will be released for public comment early in 2012. The
comments will be analysed and used to further inform the
development of the new Strategy.
6
Welcome to participants
Mr Roy Ormerod, General Manager of Workplace Standards ,Tasmania, welcomes participants to
the Hobart workshop.
7
Workshop Introduction
Mr Tom Phillips AM, the Chair of Safe Work Australia
gave an introduction to the workshop. He noted that the
National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 provides a basis for
developing sustainable, safe and healthy work
environments and for reducing the number of people
hurt or killed at work.
He noted that the current Strategy set very clear and
ambitious goals for work heath and safety, and was a
key initiative to improve Australia's work health and
safety performance from 2002–12.
He thanked participants for attending and indicated that
the workshops are an important part of the extensive
stakeholder consultation process for the development of
the New National Strategy. Mr Phillips invited
participants to stay engaged and review the
development progress reports on the new Strategy on
the Safe Work Australia website as they are released.
Mr Phillips provided data on the progress and limitations
of the current Strategy and lessons learnt.
Mr Phillips’ presentation slides are available on
the Safe Work Australia website.
Participant comments on the workshops and
new National Strategy themes can be sent to
nationalstrategy@safeworkaustralia.gov.au
He also noted the public comment period for the new
Strategy early next year and welcomed participants’
comments at that time.
8
Hobart Workshop Participants’ Profile
01 June 2011
Number
Academic/Specialist/policy
3
Community based organisation
1
Company/General
11
Employer Association
3
OHS professional
9
Regulator
3
Union
2
Total
32
9
Session Scopes
To assist participants all tables were given an outline of the meaning of the key discussion topics:
•
Social/Economic/Emerging Issues in the Workforce, Business and Technology
–
–
–
•
Work Health and Safety Systems – Challenges and Solutions in Safe Design and Work Systems, the
Supply Chain, and in Safety Leadership and Organisational Systems
–
–
–
•
The Workforce - Changing worker demographics such as ageing, young workers, casualisation, contractor work, shift work, and
individual needs such as literacy, disability, mental health
Business: How business is changing to meet emerging challenges and to remain viable and competitive, such as outsourcing,
subcontracting, casualisation, etc
Technology: Innovations in the workplace that have already or may have a future impact on Work Health and Safety , such as
nanotechnology, green technology, innovations in genetics, electronics and IT systems.
Safe Design and Organisational Systems - the systems and principles that facilitate the elimination of hazards at the design or
modification stage of products, buildings, structures and work processes
Supply Chain: the tools or processes that influence the best safety outcomes within the supply chain that moves a product or a service
from the supplier to the customer
Safety Leadership and Organisation Culture: Safety leadership generates organisational cultures that view safety and productivity of
equally importance, validated by the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values of the workforce.
Hazards - Enhancing the capacity of workplaces to respond to:
–
–
–
Disease-Causing Hazards - includes noise, hazardous substances, chemicals and asbestos
Injury-Causing Hazards - includes work practices, manual tasks, slips trips and falls
Psychological Injury-Causing Hazards - includes the design, management and organisation of work and work systems to achieve
resilient productive and safe psychological working environments.
10
Session One: What will success look like in 10 years?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There are no workplace deaths and there are less injuries
and occupational diseases.
Work health and safety is a core value that is embedded
into workplace cultures and engenders ownership of safety
for all.
Work health and safety shuns self-interest and goes
beyond compliance or rules and regulations and reduces
paper-based compliance.
Seamless administration ensures collaborative approaches
and practices from regulators and inspectorates, and
common codes, guidance material, compliance
requirements on business.
National consistency between management systems,
benchmark data, communications, licensing and
competencies (particularly the construction “white card”
and first aid).
A register of work health and safety expertise for
jurisdictions to share and “buy-in” skills and education.
There is greater participation of workers in work health and
safety issues.
Improved focus on long-term illness.
Injured workers return early and safely to the workplace.
The positives of good work health and safety are effectively
sold, with investment in skilled workers .
•
•
•
•
COAG pursues a reduction in workplace
injuries as a national priority
Work health and safety successfully
integrates Australia’s multiculturally diverse
workforce, values and languages (using
translators), including seasonal and migrant
workers.
Safety and ergonomics designed into
workplaces.
Risks from sham contracting and out sourcing are controlled, and sole traders and
subcontractors hold workers’ compensation
insurance.
11
Session One: What will success look like in 10 years?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A fit workforce so demographic and lifestyle challenges (ageing, sedentary work) do not lead to
a rise in workers’ compensation claims.
There is greater commitment to safer workplaces by government, CEOs, employers and
workers.
SME staff feel they can speak up about safety, and dangerous work is not acceptable.
Work health and safety integration into school and TAFE curriculums includes work experience,
maximises the value of existing programs, highlights the economic value of safe work, and
allows young workers and apprentices to enter the workforce job-ready.
Training integrates work health and safety, incorporates literacy issues, ensures competent
employers and workers, raises skill levels, and provides better packages for SMEs.
New technology is harnessed, eg phone apps, internet (particularly good for SMEs).
The outcomes of the model legislation are monitored, including statutory compliance aspects,
and simplifications or improvements are made where necessary.
Australian industries learn lessons from inquests and incidents, so these are not repeated.
Work health and safety standards are high despite different ways of doing business, including
working from home.
There is genuine worker/shop floor input, with zero tolerance, a proactive preventative focus,
and no worker is made worse by work, with workers’ compensation claims reducing as a result.
12
Session One: What should Safe Work Australia do to
achieve success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Show leadership, educate, challenge existing attitudes, and
raise the profile of work health and safety.
Set, publish, monitor and report on targets.
Develop a strategy to fund improved, coordinated, and up
to date research and data.
Facilitate a training and competency body that partners with
schools, develops national training programs, distributes
information, addresses literacy issues, targets industry,
develops professional work health and safety
competencies, and educates employers and workers.
Facilitate networking and collaboration between industry
and other sectors, industry and unions, and allow unions
entry to facilitate workplace training.
Harmonise workers’ compensation.
Facilitate the creation of a national Work Health and Safety
and Workers’ Compensation Regulator.
Aid communication between jurisdictional bodies, and
provide expertise and resources to them, including
psychological first aid training.
Encourage flexible work that integrates ageing and a
healthy work-life balance.
Ensure that work health and safety policy addresses the
needs of emergency and health care workers who regularly
face the effects of violence and drugs.
Provide incentives/rewards for safe workplaces (eg tax).
•
•
•
•
•
Integrate work health and safety, environmental and
public health policy.
Facilitate the integration of work health and safety into
business by positively marketing work health and safety
by showing links between safety, profitability and
sustainability.
Engage and benchmark with international bodies.
Engage with the community with particular focus on
contractors and small business.
Review procurement and tender processes to ensure
equity.
13
Session Two: Emerging Issues in the Workforce
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Flexible healthy safe workplaces adjust in response to
changing demographics, seasonal fluctuations, fly-in/
fly-out, contracting, casualisation, and new technologies.
Succession plans and mentoring programs are inclusive
of multicultural workers, and harness the participation of
older workers, those with physical, mental and emotional
disabilities, part-timers, shift workers and home-based
workers to full capacity.
Effective employee assistance programs and open
communication channels address issues of stress,
mental health, violence and potentially whistle-blowers.
Industry-based due diligence obligations and risk
assessments balance the inherent risks of dangerous
work against the obligation to protect workers’ safety.
Guidance material, literacy programs, education and
training or induction is made available or provided for
free, especially for SMEs, new or young employees, and
also to supporting older and existing workers.
Technology is used to target industry-specific needs.
The effectiveness of safety approaches is measured.
14
Session Two: Emerging Issues in the Workforce
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve success?
•
•
•
•
•
Encourage employers to place more
emphasis on health and safety as opposed to
only on profit.
Develop a Safe Work Rebate model (based
on those provided by workers’ compensation
schemes) to provide incentives to meet
targets. Incentives to flow back into health
and safety, not general funding.
Develop a Safe Work Australia Accreditation
scheme for guidance, skills and competency,
and consider subsidising it so that it can be
provided free to SMEs.
Provide accurate data and modelling of health
and safety outcomes for professionals to use
to support cost-benefit and to justify why
spending money on work health and safety
will provide a return on investment.
Strongly promote and emphasise an
improved work-life balance.
15
Session Two: Emerging Issues in Business
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leaders are safety ambassadors.
Simplified accessible guidance for SMEs.
Business is not fearful of regulators, has a no
blame culture, and asks for advice if needed and
therefore knows how to comply.
There is rigour around work health and safety training
with specific learning and development plans for
individuals and growth plans for organisations.
Work health and safety skills become a measure of
competence for CEOs and managers.
Work health and safety is part of being successful in the market and is not viewed as
something we do just because we are required to.
There is a consistent framework for implementing and measuring work health and safety
practices within a particular industry.
Businesses learn from the tourism industry how to factor in work health and safety to overcome
language and literacy barriers when employing overseas workers (backpackers, seasonal
workers).
Businesses know about licensing and authorisation requirements, how to do risk assessment
etc when buying-in skills and how to manage their responsibilities when outsourcing.
16
Session Two: Emerging Issues in Business
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve this?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Allow an amnesty for model legislation to allow time
to catch up, get things right.
Develop a minimum standard of work health and
safety knowledge required for employers to operate
in business.
Develop national training programs that factor in
literacy and other language issues and are industry
focussed.
Provide or facilitate more regulator training and
growth in competencies to ensure a common
standard across industries and jurisdictions.
•
Ensure that contractors have to factor in work
health and safety in procurement and tender
processes and are not able to opt out of costs, eg •
workers’ compensation.
Provide seed funding for business to pick up work
health and safety initiatives.
Promote guidance and develop a communications •
strategy for regulators to inform businesses on
compliance.
Apply a common enforcement strategy
that supports business to comply, and
applies consistently.
Develop industry-specific information, but
recognising that solutions should be based
on hazards, so common hazards are dealt
with the same way across sectors.
Ensure that national and local industry
peak employer bodies are giving the same
message.
17
Session Two: Emerging Issues in Technology
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
Emerging technology (including the NBN)
allows workers to live and work safely in
Tasmania, and provides a balance between
working from home, social interaction at
work, and a good work-life balance.
•
•
Emerging technology is used to build
connections between remote and rural
workers (including parents at home) so
that they feel less isolated and receive
good work health and safety advice
regardless of regional variations.
Workers have the capacity to walk
away from work if it does not provide a
safe work life balance or well-defined
work hours.
The work health and safety implications
of new technologies are built in from
the start and understood by all policy
makers.
A precautionary approach is in place for
new technologies that allows economic
development and does not stifle
innovation.
There is effective health surveillance for
workers exposed to new technologies.
18
Session Two: Emerging Issues in Technology
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop an accreditation system for the work
health and safety implications of new technologies
(coordinated nationally).
Provide incentives for work health and safety
innovations.
Be viewed as a centre of excellence for
knowledge on work health and safety for
all related policy.
Lead by example with new technologies
Work hand-in-hand with agencies in
checking policy proposals for work
health and safety implications during
budget process.
Promote and facilitate contact with the
Commonwealth Department of
Innovation, Industry, Science and
Research.
Promote the interpreting services
available from the Commonwealth
Department of Immigration and
Citizenship, the Translating and
Interpreting Service (TIS) National, to
help workplaces and individuals from
culturally and linguistically diverse
(CALD) backgrounds to participate fully
in work health and safety.
19
Session Three: Safe Design & Work Systems
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Design specifications are interpreted
and converted into a practical format for
end users.
There are adequate research and
testing facilities for new materials.
There is a level playing field across
industries with regard to applying
standards.
Hazard control (in particular for the
building industry) is built into the design
approval process and approved
independently.
There is a clear and safe approval
process for importing overseas products
– products do not enter Australia if they
have failed an overseas testing process.
Clear labelling and hazard information is
provided to retailers who sell chemicals
and products.
20
Session Three: Safe Design & Work Systems
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provide clarity on who decides what the
priorities are for updating standards (some
are very out of date).
Provide codes and standards cheaper or
for free (some are very expensive).
Make referencing simpler and avoid
numerous standards.
Ensure that standards are equally applied
across an industry.
Research and testing of new products.
Set up a “user group” that provides simpler
referencing and interprets the standards,
thereby providing an “industry roadmap”.
21
Session Three: Supply Chain
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Powerful influencers provide support
for others.
Genuine corporate and social
responsibility is taken for those both
above and below in the supply chain.
Unsafe products sourced overseas are
controlled.
Groups of purchasers use their
collective buying power to influence
manufacturers and end users.
Governments use their collective
procurement power to influence work
health and safety across the gamut of
industries.
Safe design is in place for upstream
consumers.
There is safe manufacturing of
components for downstream
consumers.
•
•
Contractors include safety in their
tenders.
End users are encouraged to make sure /
insist that the products they purchase
were built safely.
22
Session Three: Supply Chain
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provide guidance on the balance needed
between paperwork and safety outcomes,
thereby reducing onerous paperwork and
red tape.
Monitor international work health and safety
practices by drawing on networks with other
Commonwealth Government departments.
Engage community outrage about unsafe
practices.
Introduce a form of “safety branding”, like
the “ticks for wool” and “Made in Australia”
campaigns.
Learn from environmental campaigns, fair
trade etc.
Liaise with and support the International
Council of Societies of Industrial Design
(ICSID) global network, to encourage them
to include ergonomic processes in product
information (noting that there is a risk in
“approving” or recommending an item, if it
subsequently turns out to be dangerous).
23
Session Three: Safety Leadership and Organisational
Culture. What will success look like?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leadership from the top with a framework and
structure in place that establishes safety as a
value, led by leaders (not just government, but
CEOs and other senior managers), and includes
proper competencies and accountability.
Accountability is authentic, and is supported by a
training regime that sheets responsibilities home
throughout the organisation to the individual level
on site, meets statutory obligations, and exhibits
positive attitudes to work health and safety (as
distinct from financial).
Work health and safety is highly visible in senior
management who gather data to measure and
report on it, within a no-blame culture.
Every board meeting starts with a safety report
and there are lead as well as lag indicators for
reporting performance.
Safe work is linked to workers’ compensation but
not to industrial issues.
There is mandatory work health and safety
reporting in annual reports.
•
•
•
Good performance is rewarded by tax offsets.
There are nationally-consistent workers’
compensation systems imposing the same
standards across organisations.
Safety reputation is valued and workers expect a
safe culture.
24
Session Three: Safety Leadership & Organisational
Culture ̶ What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve
success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provide business with tools to put safety leadership cultures in place, raise awareness and
promote it through national campaigns, training, education, as the agenda is broader than just
workplaces.
Learning from campaigns that changed community attitudes (seat belt legislation; drink-driving).
Broadcast the “Safety first, work second” message to business and employees, set common goals
for a cultural change in behaviour across Australia, so that all workers know the risks (not just
those in high risk work areas).
Facilitate increased education including via the national curriculum for schools (“Passport to
safety” program) that focus on safe living, with work as a sub-set of this, seek to instil a risk
assessment approach that develops and builds from traffic or fire safety through school while kids
are young enough to learn (before age 20).
Name and shame poor performers, and publicise and praise what businesses are doing right.
Seize the opportunity provided by model legislation, and promote relevant standards, personally
and in organisations.
Provide safety training and develop training and core competencies in safety leadership that are
mandatory for leaders.
Support creative student training for students from Year 10 up to university that is linked with what
they learn at home, and at future workplace (NB – Young Workers’ Toolkit will launch June 2011).
Share innovation and promote success.
25
Session Four: Responding to Disease-Causing Hazards
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
We no longer have 2 000 people
dying from exposure to long
latency disease-causing hazards.
GPs are aware of what to look for
and we have early detection.
There is raised awareness of
hazards and exposures.
Material Safety Data Sheets are
written in plain language and are
easy to read and interpret - cheat
sheets are provided when
needed.
Technical expertise is provided.
Businesses are not victimised.
26
Session Four: Responding to Disease-Causing Hazards
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve
success?
Enhance the capacity of workplaces to
respond by:
• running targeted campaigns with
support and incentives to aid
implementation of preventative
measures
• implementing mentoring initiatives
that help industry to tackle issues
• monitoring hazard exposures and
trying to eliminate hazards
• raising awareness among younger
generation (eg seatbelt, drinkdriving) to avoid people getting into
bad habits without realising the
danger, and
• where not able to eliminate hazards,
make alternatives known.
27
Session Four: Responding to Injury-Causing Hazards
What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Businesses use up-to-date
mechanical aids to avoid
musculoskeletal disease.
There is a positive attitude
to housekeeping.
Both managers and
employers take ownership
of the workplace and take
responsibility for
cleanliness and safety.
Equipment is used
appropriately and the right
gear is used for the task.
Businesses know the
consequences of injury, the
impact on home, family,
and sporting life.
All CEOs empower their
workers.
28
Session Four: Responding to Injury-Causing Hazards
What should Safe Work Australia do to achieve this?
Enhance the capacity of
workplaces to respond by:
• encouraging the culture of “if
can’t be done safely, it can’t be
done”
• encouraging intervention and
the installation of a culture
where people can pull each
other up for unsafe behaviour,
and
• encouraging 360 degree
feedback where workers are
comfortable to point out
hazards to managers.
29
Session Four: Responding to Psychological InjuryCausing Hazards ̶ What will success look like in 10 years time?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Despite how hard the subject is, psychological injuries
are recognised as valid, are treated like any other
illnesses and all stigma is removed.
There is clear understanding that stress can be caused
by a single incident (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or
be cumulative, with no single event being the cause.
Management is trained and capable of recognising and
managing psychological injuries.
Affected persons are provided with help in the form of
skills to build their toolbox of coping strategies, and
resilience.
All of the above lead to efficient management of
psychological injuries.
There is a cultural change that accepts, discusses,
recognises, and does not shy away from psychological
injuries.
Targets are set that facilitate an authentic reduction of
injuries, possibly a zero target.
There are adequate resources and support services.
•
•
•
•
•
Resources for appropriate support when there
is a separate compliance model from that of
other injuries.
Psychological first aid training is freely
available in workplaces.
Peer support and programs are available and
where injuries can be handled in-house,
mentors are available.
Controls are in place, and there is sustainable
return to work.
Psychological injury programs are evaluated
for their ongoing efficacy.
30
Session Four: Responding to Psychological InjuryCausing Hazards ̶ What should Safe Work Australia
do to achieve this?
Enhance the capacity of workplaces to respond by:
• ensuring adequate resources and training
• providing guidance material and better
data
• encouraging cultural change
• raising awareness, promoting successful
solutions
• researching and analysing the data and
translating international research into the
Australian context and a useable format
• helping businesses to understand the
data, psychological indicators, and the
process for handling injuries, including workers’
compensation
• helping employers to develop mental health
awareness and indicators
• supporting jurisdictions to provide inspectors
(with specialist skills to recognise bullying), and
• supporting industries to understand their role in
dealing with conditions like depression.
•
Helping employers to understand the
economic drivers of good psychological
injury management, including the link
between socio-economic background, or
other family or social background, and
psychological injury or risk of injury (versus
privacy).
31
Closing Reflections from the Chair
Mr Phillips thanked Mr Roy Ormerod of Workplace Standards Tasmania for opening the workshop,
the facilitator Professor David Caple, and all the workshop participants for their attendance and
contribution. He commented that while this was understandably a much smaller workshop than the
Sydney one, the smaller Hobart group more than made up for that by their enthusiasm and their
impressive contribution to the debate.
Mr Phillips noted some of the key themes which had emerged during the discussion, particularly
the importance that he personally places on safety education and training. Mr Phillips made a
commitment to action to ensure that work health and safety will be included in education from
school age onwards.
Mr Phillips also emphasised the need for leadership, and the importance of an organisation’s
culture in promoting safety. He complimented the Hobart attendees for their passion for work
health and safety and called on them to be “implementation champions” for the new Strategy.
Mr Phillips went on to observe that the workshop themes chosen for exploration were just some of
the many that are under active consideration by Safe Work Australia Members as they develop the
new National Strategy. He closed the workshop by welcoming participants’ ongoing engagement
with the development of the new Strategy and that if they would like to provide further comments
and ideas these may be sent to nationalstrategy@safeworkaustralia.gov.au
32
Evaluation Outcomes
Overall, the feedback from the National Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 workshop which was held in Hobart on 1 June
was very positive.
Both quantitative and qualitative results were collected from 21 evaluation sheets, which reported 100% approval with the length of
the workshop, with 100% and 90% satisfaction respectively on the opportunity to contribute and the format of the day. There was
100% satisfaction with the facilitators, while the room set up, location and food rated between 86-95% levels of satisfaction.
Some found that the facilitators were very good, while others would have liked them to stay on topic. The ample opportunity for input
was commented on favourably and the workshop format allowed for excellent opportunity for discussion and reflection on how we
can all improve our workplace safety practices by influencing change at our workplace. A number of participants (nearly 40%) found
the workshop to be a good networking opportunity.
The opportunity to provide feedback and input at this critical stage of developing the new National Work Health and Safety Strategy
was appreciated, and the fact that all input was respectfully received and many times validated by the presenters was expected to
result in what should be a very positive outcome for all industries .
Many helpful suggestions were made on how to improve the quality of discussion, ranging from perhaps more of a push for
participants to focus on what 2022 would look like. Some of the presentations tended to be about how we are or should manage
issues presently or currently to the need for smaller group discussion based around input from the workers rather than the
managers and experts in these areas.
Whilst most people were satisfied with the pace of the workshop, some requested more time for each topic to discuss and debate
proposals. However, others found it hard to stay focussed for the whole length, and as there was 100% satisfaction with the length
of the workshop, this was taken as a positive measure of participant enthusiasm overall.
Text in italics indicates direct quotes from responders
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