It has been my intention for many years to establish a conversational podcast with a workplace safety lawyer. The opportunity to pitch the idea occurred earlier this year and the first episode of Cabbage Salad and Safety is now available.
Siobhan Flores-Walsh of Corrs Chambers Westgarth (pictured right with the author) was the lucky lawyer and she has been enormously supportive also providing the recording equipment, personnel and opportunity.
Episode 1 is not as polished as other safety-related podcasts (the few that exist) but it was important that the conversation was not scripted so that the respect and camaraderie was genuine. Our focus was on the provision of interesting and engaging content more than a slick production quality and after a minute or two, one begins to listen to the words rather than the timbre of the speech. Production quality will improve. The podcast is expected to be part of a series but their frequency will depend on availability of Siobhan and myself.
This episode touches on the role of resilience training in the reduction of workplace psychological harm. Siobhan and I believe that the significance of this type of training as an effective control measure is dubious. Both of us have written about this already.
We are also advocates of the Canadian workplace psychological Standard which we think offers a very good structure for the assessment of existing workplace mental health and wellness programs and from which a psychologically health workplace can be built.
As I mention in the podcast I think that the mix of a workplace safety lawyer who likes structure and clarity with an occupational health and safety professional who has a broad application of OHS principles is an engaging combination of perspectives.
I hope you enjoy the first episode of Cabbage Salad and Safety and look forward to your comments and feedback below or by emailing me HERE.
Thanks Kevin and Siobhan for an interesting podcast. One size definitely doesn’t fit all. In resolving an issues finding the root causes is an important step in finding the appropriate control measures.
Psychological injury is complex and management strategies need to be thought through carefully as they could exacerbate the condition.
PS: I like the idea of “Cabbage Salad and Safety”.
Looking for ward to future podcasts.
Thought provoking. Thanks Kevin and Siobhan.
I think the highlight and takeaway point is that there is no single fix-it all solution.
When workplace issues, such as individual control, work patterns and all those related aspects, affect each person differently according to various ‘human differences’ characteristics it is definitely a difficult workplace aspect to manage.
I wrote a paper some years ago indicating how work factors (stressors) can contribute to manual handling (MSDS) injuries (available here in 5 parts – http://safetyconcepts.com.au/tag/msds/ ).
If nothing else it illustrates that some workplace risks (including psychosocial factors) that affect people differently due to human differences are not easily managed. But that doesn’t excuse us from trying. And we need to be cautious about simple fix solutions, especially in complex workplace settings.
Hmm, training as a solution to managing an OHS risk that is one of the biggest challenges in modern workplaces. Where does that stand in the HOC?
I have already had one question about whether the podcast will be on iTunes. Shared ownership of a podcast makes this sort of complicated as the terms and conditions must be thoroughly investigated and each party has their own social media policies to satisfy.
The podcast is hosted on Podbean.com, if that’s any help
My intention is to get the podcast of as many platforms as possible.