Senior H+S Contractor
Employment Type
Contractor
Location
Christchurch
After being in Australia for 22 years, working in occupational health and safety specialising in psychological health, they returned to New Zealand and have worked in government as well as the private sector developing and implementing Health, Safety and Wellbeing strategies, Wellbeing Programs and Critical Risks programs amongst other initiatives.
About Me
What is your approach to getting people engaged with H+S?
I have always had an interest in how people work and the relationship between wellbeing and productivity. Three core values I work with are: authenticity, integrity and humility. Working through these values helps me to do things differently, be honest with others and myself, have courageous conversations with employees and leaders that they can resonate with. I have an ability to connect with people and work collaboratively to empower leaders and employees.
I love working with organisations to identify ways to shift from a ‘reactive’ to a ‘proactive’ safety culture. A positive and safe workplace culture encourages people to speak up and be a part of improving the way work is done, keeping it simple and creating solutions. The pandemic experience helped us to recognise the holistic focus on ‘the person as a whole’ including mental health, wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion so people to thrive at work.
What is something that you are particularly proud of achieving in your H+S career?
I am proud of the clients’ achievements I have worked have made in improving their health, safety and wellbeing culture in workplaces.
I 2019, I recently worked with a Peak Body CEO in Australia who is passionate about preventing occupational violence and aggression in their sector. We worked tirelessly together for 18 months to receive funding from the Victorian government to support their occupational violence safety prevention program in 2020.
In 2018, I worked for a global entertainment client in the UK who had undertaken a staff engagement survey and their results confirmed a culture of fear, gender-based violence and work capacity issues relating to psychological safety. Tackling these issues required top leadership support. Multiple employee focus groups were held with many courageous conversations at the leadership and employee level. Working with clients who face these types of challenges and overcome them bravely is humbling and wonderful to experience.
On a personal level, my professional achievement that I treasure most is receiving the 2013 team collaboration award at WorkSafe Victoria for my team’s work on the development and implementation of a website dedicated to asbestos prevention, control and safe removal (www.asbestos.gov.au).