Welcome to the June Issue <<First Name>>

What Is Neuroscience And How Does It Apply To Safety?

Neuroscience is an evidenced-based approach to understanding how the brain selects new ways of thinking and behaving. It provides clear research that shows that it is possible to shift our hardwired ways of operating and Safety Dimensions is applying this research successfully to many areas of performance within our behavioural and safety leadership programs.

How does Safety Dimensions apply this to safety?
We know that working memory (conscious thought) can easily fatigue. We use easy to recall skills and tools, and provide many powerful, short bursts of new information - we have evidence that these can stick for over 15 years. We work with each individual on their own “hard wired” thoughts, actions and beliefs that may require the development of new neural pathways (or unfreezing), so that new desired ways of thinking and behaving become just “the way we do things around here”. We know repeated attention can reshape the patterns within our brain – so we skill up leaders to be able to do this every day in the workplace to engage employees and to adopt new and safer ways of operating.

So what works? The complexities of safety systems and the huge body of thinking and research can be overwhelming.

Here are things we know for sure:

Setting operational and consistent standards does work.
That stating the desired safety behaviours creates the new pathway that can lead to new positive behaviours.
Effective (and interactive) discussions on proactive risk thinking produce better outcomes than paperwork.
Focusing on noticing daily work practices builds a permanent culture where people at all levels work mindfully.

The results can be seen by people at all levels being able to... click here to continue to full article >>

Safety Dimensions ASEAN Trade Mission

Safety Dimensions CEO Melissa Williams has been invited to join Victorian Premiere Denis Napthine’s Super Trade Mission to South East Asia. The Mission’s objective is to strengthen business and cultural ties that Victorian Education, Higher Education and VET organisations have in the Asian region.

As part of the mission, Melissa has also been invited to address the NAPEI International Skills Conference in Malaysia, addressing senior leaders of educational institutions in Malaysia on the topic “An Australian Perspective - The Safety Leadership Skills needed for the Construction and Building workforce”.

Melissa will share the experience of designing and delivering the nationally accredited Safety Leadership training program, which is based on the Australian Building and Construction Industry CRC framework of 39 safety management tasks that were identified as critical for leaders in the construction industry. Her presentation will also offer insights into how Australian businesses have applied this to build a stronger safety culture.

She will share the Safety Dimensions experience of supporting Australia’s leading organisations to implement the delivery of this Safety Leadership training program to over 6,000 leaders, workers and subcontractors from the construction and building industries, with very positive results and measurable changes in behaviour and safety culture.

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Leaders Must Watch This:
Workplace Safety - What are you accountable for?

Every leader wants their workplace and those in it to be safe. Yet hanging over everyone’s head is the financial, legal, brand and, importantly, the moral/personal impacts that result from an unsafe workplace. So how do you confront risk in your workplace and what are you personally liable for if something does go wrong?

In this new video by Safety Dimensions, you'll find out the questions used to assess if you have undertaken adequate due diligence. We'll also explore the Powerful 6 Questions, which will help you confront any risk your area of control in the workplace. This video was made for our clients to ensure you and your team go home in the same state you came to work in – is there anything more important? Watch video and read more

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Young Workers Target of Graphic Worksafe Campaign

Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips unveiled a graphic and confronting public awareness campaign last Wednesday, developed by WorkCover, that highlights the consequences experienced by two young people who receive terrible injuries at work.

The campaign – ‘If You're Not Sure, Ask’ – comprises television, radio and online advertising and social media content and is aimed at workers aged 15-24 to encourage them to speak up at work if they are unsure of how to safely carry out an activity, use equipment, apply chemicals or handle machinery.

The ads focus on how each young worker’s split-second decision not to speak up leaves them with a serious injury and a lifetime of regret.

“Victoria is acknowledged as having the safest workplaces for young workers in the nation. And yet, almost 15,000 young workers have been seriously injured over the past five years,” Mr Rich-Phillips said. “It’s a tragedy that so many young people at the very start of their working lives are still being injured and our statistics show that there are around 3,000 workers aged under 25 injured each year in Victorian workplaces.

“That is why we believe campaigns like this are really important to help us drive home the message to young workers that it never hurts to ask and demonstrate to them that there can be life-long consequences of not speaking up.”

WorkCover Chief Executive Denise Cosgrove said there were many reasons why young workers were reluctant to speak about up safety. “Our research tells us that many young workers don’t want to appear stupid or incapable in front of colleagues or supervisors, or felt too insecure to ask while others felt overwhelmed in a new and unfamiliar environment, or didn’t want to bother their busy manager,” she said.

“That’s why it’s essential employers and supervisors not only provide appropriate supervision and training but create a workplace where young workers feel comfortable about speaking up.”

The television ads will screen from this Sunday for four weeks, with the campaign being supported by events at universities and TAFEs across the state aimed at encouraging thousands of students to see the commercials and share them on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #notsureask.
To view the campaign videos: www.notsureask.com.au

Article reproduced with permission:

5 Free Safety Webinars Available On Demand

We invite you to explore our series of Safety Dimensions webinars, free and on demand.

Title: Dumb Ways To Die, Clever Ways to Communicate: Keeping the Workplace Safety Message Alive
How do you communicate safety messages within your organisation so you get buy in and measurable behaviour change? Tania Sernia examines some of Australia’s most successful public safety and behavioural change campaigns and breaks it down to 6 elements of communicating behavioural change messages you can apply to your workplace.

Title: Building A Strong Safety Strategy In Tough Economic Times
In these current ‘tough times’ what part of your safety strategy could be negotiable, or done differently without causing harm to your workers' safety?

Title: Sustainable Safety Leadership – Beyond The Training
So, you’ve done some safety leadership training and have begun thinking about new ways of operating and behaving. But how do you keep it alive and form new habits across your organisation that ultimately achieve the results? Louise Quinn explores.

Title: 5 Keys to Managing ‘Risky’ Behaviour
Sue Fricke uncovered 5 key strategies and actions you can take to manage others who seem to choose risky actions over safe actions.

Title: Special Safety Briefing For Councils
Are you comfortable that your council is meeting its legal duty to keep workers, ratepayers and others free from work health and safety (WHS) risks? How do you know…? Australia’s leading experts, Andrew Cardell-Ree and Louise Quinn, explore the specific council landscape.

To read extended descriptions of all webinars, visit: www.safetydimensions.com.au/webinars

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$45m Govt Funding Boost To Connect Skills with Industry

From 1 July, the Government will invest $45 million in a new Skills Connect Fund that will provide industry with a single point of access for skills and workforce development support, removing the need for businesses to negotiate multiple programs and application processes.

"This convenient 'one-stop shop' approach will make it easier for businesses to access Government support to improve their workforce capabilities," the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation Greg Combet said in a media release. "We want to train and develop Australians for the jobs on offer today and tomorrow."

Support will be available for enterprises wishing to up-skill their existing employees, including mature age workers and job-entry training for new employees. Safety Dimensions will bring you more details. More information and draft guidelines available from http://skillsconnect.gov.au

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Contact Safety Dimensions

Safety Dimensions Head Office

Level 1, 37 Langridge Street Collingwood Victoria, Australia 3066

T: +61 3 9510 0477 F: +61 3 9510 2977 E: info@safetydimensions.com.au

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