Safe Work Month puts year-round workplace safety in focus

The Office of Industrial Relations is offering events focused on improving work health and safety, rehabilitation and return to work outcomes. The program includes the Work Well Conference in Brisbane, Work Well Regional Breakfast Forums in Rockhampton and Cairns, and the online Work Well Speaker series.

Safe Work Australia has designated a different safety topic for each week of the month. This year’s themes cover work health and safety fundamentals, psychosocial hazards, risk management fundamentals and musculoskeletal injuries.

The Work Well Conference on 22 October will feature Dr Kirsten Way, Associate Professor and Program Director at The University of Queensland’s Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology, and sleep and fatigue researcher Professor Drew Dawson. Change strategist and Morning Show contributor Michael McQueen will explore the latest developments in artificial intelligence.

Dr Deborah Simmons OAM will speak at the Brisbane conference and the Cairns and Rockhampton events about the post-traumatic stress she experienced after saving miners’ lives following a serious explosion at Moranbah.

The free Work Well Speaker series will address effective worker consultation, mental health conversations with workers and the management of airborne contaminants in workplaces.

Queensland Mental Health Week runs from 5–13 October, with WHSQ’s events focused on mentally healthy workplaces and managing psychosocial risks. The flagship World Mental Health Day breakfast on 10 October will be hosted by Queensland Mental Health Ambassador Hayley Lewis. She will also moderate an expert panel discussion on sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment at work.

Deputy Director General Donna Heelan urged Queenslanders to participate in Safe Work Month and discuss workplace health and safety with their teams, families and colleagues. She said talking about safety and raising its importance makes workers more likely to take a proactive approach, follow safety procedures and manage risks.

“We all have a right to come home safe and healthy at the end of every working day.” Registration and further event details are available through WorkSafe Queensland’s Safe Work Month 2024 information.

How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas that need attention, including consultation and psychosocial hazards. Take the free WHS self-check