education – SafetyAtWorkBlog

If Doctors Need Humanities to Stay Human, What About Safety Professionals?

It is increasingly common in Australia to discuss the issue of moral injury as it relates to the psychological health of medical, emergency, and health sector workers. The obvious controls of work and job design apply, but the training process and eligibility for these professions may also be contributing factors.

One answer may be found in a branch of the Humanities, and a similar approach may help employers and executives better understand occupational health and safety (OHS) and psychological safety.

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The 1970s Never Ended for Some Employers

For the last few years in Australia, occupational health and safety (OHS) laws have required that the prevention of psychosocial hazards be given the same prominence as the prevention of physical hazards. The most effective recommendation for change is the redesign of work, but very few employers seem to be applying this control. Many employers are still asking (their Human Resources officer) what this psychosocial stuff is all about.

Examining organisational culture at one Australian institution that failed to prevent and may have generated psychological harm in the 1970s provides some context for contemporary OHS struggles.

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Honouring OHS Contribution While Agriculture Remains Deadly

Occupational health and safety in Australia continues to have a low political and commercial profile, but that does not deny that we have significant OHS contributors. At a recent awards ceremony, WorkSafe Victoria recognised Tracey Browne (pictured above) for her contribution to OHS.

But other speeches raised other interesting OHS issues, especially regarding farm safety.

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“She simply had too much work to do” – WorkSafe Awards 2025

Psychological safety dominated the 2025 WorkSafe Victoria Awards held in late February 2026. (At somepoint, WorkSafe is going to have to bring the awards back to the Safety Month schedule of October) This is perhaps not surprising, as psychological safety and psychosocial hazards remain hot issues in Victoria, but some other important finalists shone.

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‘I’ll Obey the Laws I Like’: A (Sad) Leadership Masterclass

The President of the United States has always been recognised as a major leader. The morality they display spreads to global corporate leaders, especially those in the United States, and is promoted by these leaders, business institutions and management publications to business leaders and senior executives in Australia. That is why some of President Donald Trump‘s recent comments are so concerning.

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When Certificates Trump Competence: Thoughts from a Career in Safety

I have been humiliated many, many times over my 60+ years, but rarely at work. The last time was when a manager discussed my competence in my occupational health and safety (OHS) adviser’s job in front of my colleagues. I came to a workable relationship with him, but I have never forgotten. It pushed me to complete the most minimal OHS qualification available in Australia, a Certificate IV in OHS. This is my memory of that humiliation and the CertIV experience.

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15 SWA Research Summit Ideas and a Translation

Although I have expressed concerns about the application of AI data analytics at the recent Safe Work Australia (SWA) Research Summit, I think it is important to list the 15 Leading Ideas that the analysis process identified from the summit. Some of these will seem like the bleeding obvious, but these outcomes will inform SWA’s research agenda and strategy.

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