Could youth education be the key to driving social change in workplace safety?

admin • January 21, 2025

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Education is a cornerstone of societal development, and when it comes to driving social change, youth education holds unparalleled potential. It is no secret that our young people can motivate social change – one only needs to look to young climate activists for an example here.

By equipping young minds with knowledge, skills, and values, we can foster a generation capable of addressing the challenges of today and shaping a better tomorrow. How can this potential be harnessed in fostering a ‘better tomorrow’ for safety in our workplaces?


First, what does the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 say about education?

1.     Employer Responsibilities: Employers are required to provide necessary information, instruction, training, and supervision to employees to ensure their health and safety at work.

  1. Employee Rights: Employees have the right to receive adequate training to perform their tasks safely. They should be informed about the risks associated with their work and the measures in place to mitigate those risks.
  2. Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs): Elected HSRs are entitled to receive training to effectively represent their colleagues on health and safety matters. This training helps HSRs understand their roles and responsibilities, enabling them to advocate for safer working conditions.

So, if our legislation already requires training, instruction and supervision – then why aren’t we seeing better safety outcomes in our workplaces?

Rules are one thing, but knowledge of the legislation throughout our working community is lacking.

Perhaps we need to lift the baseline OHS literacy throughout the community?

Maybe, we need to harness the greatest driver of social change… knowledge. In particular, within the cohort who will be workers of tomorrow – our young people.


Youth education could serve as a powerful catalyst for social change by:

1. Creating early Awareness and Shaping Habits

Introducing safety education at a young age helps instil important habits and attitudes towards safety. When young people learn about the importance of safety protocols and risk management early on, they carry these lessons into their future workplaces. This early awareness can lead to a generation of workers who are more conscientious about safety and proactive in identifying and mitigating hazards.

2. Empowering Young Workers

Youth education empowers young workers by providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves and their colleagues. When young people enter the workforce with a solid understanding of OHS, they are better equipped to advocate for safe practices and contribute to a culture of safety – both within their workplaces and in society more generally. Furthermore, these young people will be the future leaders in our workplaces, who will lead with OHS at the forefront of their decision making.

3. Promoting a Safety-First Mindset

Education plays a crucial role in promoting a safety-first mindset. By integrating safety education into school curricula and vocational training programs, we can ensure that safety becomes a core value for future workers. This cultural shift is essential for creating workplaces where safety is prioritised and embedded in everyday operations.

4. Encouraging Innovation in Safety Practices

Educated youth are more likely to engage in innovative thinking and problem-solving. By building an OHS knowledge-base, coupled with encouraging creativity and critical thinking, we can inspire young people to develop new safety measures and technologies. This innovation can lead to the adoption of best practices and the implementation of cutting-edge safety solutions, further enhancing workplace safety into the future.

5. Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Youth education promotes a culture of continuous improvement in workplace safety. As a new wave of young people entered the workforce, they would bring with them an unprecedented level of OHS understanding. As a consequence, they would influence the existing workers by bringing with them knowledge of the latest in safety standards and practices. Thus contributing to a process of continuous improvement, ensuring that safety remains a dynamic and evolving aspect of workplace culture.


Youth education is a powerful tool for driving social change, and this could include in the realm of workplace safety. By instilling safety awareness and practices in young people, we could create a future workforce which prioritises health and safety, leading to safer work environments and a culture of prevention.

In time, our youth could become leaders who possess a comprehensive understanding of OHS and the motivation to genuinely prioritise workplace safety. Imagine the culture in a workplace where the workforce had been saturated with OHS knowledge and where the leaders really knew and understood the importance of OHS – something unimaginable in most of today’s workplaces.


Youth OHS education could transform the way future generations approach safety.

 

 

The Hazelwood Mine Fire

By admin • February 2, 2026
The 9 th February 2014 was the day that The Hazelwood mine caught fire. It was during a period of extreme fire danger that a bushfire started nearby and sent embers into the open cut coal mine. The fire burnt out of control for 45 days and it took another 72 days for the fire to be put out. The impact on the community and on the workers who helped to fight the fire was horrific. The fire was a large scale environmental and health disaster, with ongoing ramifications for those in the vicinity. It would later become the subject of an inquiry, multiple prosecutions and has been the subject of two books by Tom Doig which make very interesting reading. From an OHS perspective, this event makes an interesting case study. The fire was preventable, and the safety failures resulted in workers being exposed to hazardous conditions, with long term effects. Firefighters and mine personnel faced extreme occupational hazards while responding to the event. These included toxic smoke inhalation, fatigue from prolonged shifts, extreme heat exposure and direct contact with burning coal and ash. Also impacted were volunteers and emergency personnel, as well as members of the public. Inadequate PPE, lack of training and inadequate water infrastructure all added to the hazardous conditions. The physical and psychological impacts continue to this day. It was found that there had been systemic failures in Occupational Health and Safety at the site. The mine operator (Hazelwood Power company, co-owned by Engie and Mitsui & Co) was found to have failed to: Adequately assess the risk of fire in the mine, as a result of external sources such as bushfires Adequately maintain vegetation buffers Have sufficient firefighting water infrastructure Have sufficient and adequately skilled staff on site to respond to fire Have an updated fire mitigation plan and to activate it during periods of extreme fire danger In the words of Colin Radford, WorkSafe CEO: "This was an entirely foreseeable event that has led to significant adverse health impacts” The adverse health impacts were felt by workers and by the broader community. The massive smoke plumes which blanketed Morwell and the Latrobe valley for a prolonged period resulted in many suffering acute and chronic health effects. The Hazelwood mine fire exposed issues with crisis management, safety and health governance and emergency response. The operator of the mine, Hazlewood Power Corporation Pty Ltd was eventually prosecuted by WorkSafe and found guilty and fined. The penalty was $1.56 million for breaching sections 21 and 23 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Hazelwood Pacific Pty Ltd, Australian Power Partners B.V, Hazelwood Churchill Pty Ltd and National Power Australia were found guilty of breaching the Environment Protection Act. They each were fined $95,000 for offences relating to pollution, totalling $380,000. There continues to be ongoing environmental concerns regarding the remaining mine pit. The owner of the mine, French owned company Engie, is required to rehabilitate the site of the now closed open-cut pit. The process for determining the appropriate 'rehabilitation' is still ongoing, with concerns regarding the use of the Latrobe River water for this purpose, the instability of the pit and potential toxicity of the water. The hazards associated with this mine continue to cause concern. For those interested in finding out more about the Hazelwood Mine disaster, Tom Doig’s books are highly recommended reading: Hazelwood by Tom Doig - Penguin Books Australia The Coal Face: Penguin Special by Tom Doig - Penguin Books Australia For more information relating to the ongoing Hazelwood concerns, take a look at: Hazelwood Mine Rehabilitation – Update 2025 Hazelwood Rehabilitation Project

Bushfire

By admin • January 27, 2026
Australia is a fire-prone country, and workplaces in many areas are at risk of being impacted by bushfires in some way. The effects of bushfires may include direct exposure to fire, as well as smoke exposure and psychological impacts. As with any workplace hazard, employers have a duty to manage and control the risk of injury. A bushfire risk assessment should therefore be undertaken. Through this process, employers should: Identify whether there is a potential bushfire hazard Assess the risk of bushfires affecting the health and safety of workers, including smoke exposure Identify appropriate control measures Review control measures to ensure they are effective and that no new hazards have been introduced Consultation with workers should occur at each stage of this process. When developing a bushfire risk assessment and policy, employers should consider the following: How will fire danger ratings be monitored throughout the bushfire season? How vulnerable is the workplace location? What actions will be taken on days of extreme or catastrophic fire danger? Are there workers who travel for work or spend significant time on the road? Are there workers who operate alone or in isolated locations? What emergency and evacuation plans are in place? Once a bushfire policy has been developed in consultation with workers, appropriate training must be provided. Employers are legally required to ensure workers receive the necessary information, instruction, and training to remain safe at work, including in relation to bushfire risks. For more information, take a look at: Working outside - Working near bushfires | Safe Work Australia