Author: Kevin Jones

Dr Marilyn Hubner has been a steady presence in Australia’s occupational health and safety (OHS) field. I had the pleasure of spending some time with, and interviewing, her at the World OHS Congress in Singapore a few years ago. Her training work keeps her connected with workers and business owners away from workplace, usually, and allows for a good level of perception on the reality of OHS.

Marilyn says:

Just want to say first up, that humanising OHS is interesting.  Some people think safety is all about humanising, but many others often find themselves thinking numbers and compliance a bit too much.   I’m not your typical safety person.  Most of my work is training related.  Either writing programs, delivering training or evaluating and improving training programs.  Many will see this as outside the safety profession, but I tend to think of myself and my services as a contractor to the profession as well as to organisations.  

How did you get into Health & Safety?

I got into safety in a very common way, through the HSR way.  While working as an educator I was put forward to be the HSR, after the first day of the 5 day training, I knew that this was the way that I could (as everyone wants) ‘save the world’.  After the course I enrolled in the Cert IV, then the Diploma of OHS and then looked for work.  With my defence force and adult education background, safety training and consulting came naturally.

Dr Ciaran McAleenan CEng MICE is the Chair of Institution of Civil Engineers Expert H&S Panel and Lecturer at Ulster University. Ciaran and I have been reading each other for some time and watching many of the same occupational health and safety (OHS) changes. He admitted that some of the questions were challenging, the simplest of questions often are, especially if you have to write down your thoughts.

This series of articles aims to humanise some of the people working in and for OHS. Often we hear or read or, if we are lucky, meet OHS people but rarely get to chat or ask more personal questions. Below are Ciaran’s illuminating answers

How did you get into Health & Safety?

I guess it’s been in my blood from a young age. At 15 I was a qualified life guard and instructor. And since early 20s I have been in civil engineering where I always held that anything I designed should not cause harm. Although initially I probably never thought of things as health and safety. It all just seemed like something that was normal and needed. Later on (maybe early to mid-90s) it became obvious to me that it wasn’t natural and normal for everyone and my inner-educator was released. Since then I have been developing new OHS strategies writing, publishing and teaching. It’s a serious subject but it should also be fun, since the upside to good OHS is enhanced family life and good physical and mental health.