Women in Safety Podcast

Brief summary of episode:  Alanna chats through her experiences around diversity and inclusion in health and safety and why quotas are not the solution to bringing women into the industry. Alanna talks about the gender pay gap, changing policy and procedures to create tangible change for individuals and removing barriers to entry for women in this industry. Be sure to hit follow on Spotify or the...

Amy Douglas knows how to grab attention in under 5 minutes. Working as a mines inspector she knew that quite often she only got one shot at making an impression and changing the views when it came to psychosocial risks on  mine sites. Amy knew she had to adjust her message for the audience, understand their challenges and be quick to turn them around. These qualities and skills have seen her be we...

Welcome to the Women in Safety podcast, where we connect and collaborate with women in health and safety professions. In this episode, we're thrilled to announce the upcoming 2023 Women in Safety Awards. This event recognizes outstanding individuals in the field and serves as a celebration and inspiration for women in safety nationwide. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Women in Safe...

Alanna Ball and Abby Ford discuss their journeys in the safety industry, emphasising the importance of worker experience, risk management, and values alignment. Discover how they are making a difference in safety practices. Some of the key takeaways from this episode are: How personal experiences shape safety perspectives Why the right worker expertise bridges the gap Why proactive risk management...

Alanna and Chandra discussed an article about collaboration and communication being key to better health and safety performance in the construction industry, but fear can hinder trust and transparency. We work through the article and highlight the need for respect for all parties involved and a common purpose can lead to better outcomes. Transparency and collaboration are important not just within...

Join us for an engaging episode where Alanna and Giselle share their experiences and insights on advocacy in the safety industry. Giselle, the recipient of the Safety Advocacy Award, discusses her responsibility to advocate for safety and offers valuable advice for aspiring professionals. Alanna praises Giselle's advocacy and leadership, highlighting the importance of empowering oneself and fi...

In this compelling episode Chandra and Alanna have a real moment of realisation. The article discusses whether organisations are truly considering drugs and alcohol addiction as a health issue or a moral failing. The article really took the ladies down a great conversation how they have both written policies not considering the addiction element nor treating it as a health issue that as an organis...

When Alanna first connected with Michelle, she just knew she had to bring this conversation to life. Michelle has overcome so many challenges as a woman working in health in safety across the globe. From her parents not approving of her study choices to the hierarchy of her culture impacting how she operates - she has fiercely overcome all of this to be a global health and safety leader. Michelle...

An article released by HSI discusses how companies can boost motivation and engagement in their workers and Chandra and Alanna discuss in depth their views on some of the suggestions made. Chandra and Alanna really took the line of bringing a whole person to work and do the suggestions truly provide a solution to the business or the human that arrives at work that day? Tune in to find out their th...

It has been a long time coming but we finally got the chance to chat with Amy Roosa. Amy is the Founder of The Safety Rack and the Iowa Women in Safety Conference. Amy and Alanna chat through her journey as a professional to finding a gaping hole in the PPE market for women in trades (herself included). We hear Amy talk about her passion project in changing how organisations procure PPE and demand...

Sandra Leigh doesn’t describe herself as a safety professional but a health and wellness professional that saw too many injuries (including one to herself) and knew something had to change.  Sandra now dedicates her career to coach and educate people on creating healthier routines and movement in their day to day life. Sandra works on the fringes of ergonomics, pilates and other wellness practices...

In this episode of Topic Tuesday we chatted about a recent article from the Harvard Business Review how being ‘funny’ can ‘pay off’ for women at work. Albeit we had a bit of a lighthearted conversation Chandra and I discussed just how detrimental this stereotyping can be. We looked beyond the laughs and to competency and capabilities over humour and how sometimes it may not work in our favour. It...

Skye Buatava is a health and safety executive and is driven to create change. With multiple titles and projects, Skye loves throwing herself in the deep end. This episode we chat through Skye’s career to date including her role with Safe Work NSW in both the Centre for Research and the World Congress.  What we love about this conversation is Skye believes in continual learning and every day there...

Chandra and I chat through a research article discussing long commuting times and how they may be linked to poor health outcomes. The article was linking those that worked long hours and then had a long commute really didn't save a lot of time for healthy habits.  Listen in as we discuss the impact on the work week and the hours we work and the commute time to our health. We talk about our own...

Angela Mohr is such an engaging, passionate health and safety leader who has had a varied career with one key theme - being authentic! We chatted all things transferable skills, the concept of ‘safety first’ and educating leaders. When we asked Angela what the next 12 months looks like it was all about simplification and educating all the functions of a business not only for safety but sharing inf...

Chandra and Alanna love a good data set to drive change and this episode is all around how we need to look beyond our organisation to understand and understand risks that may impact us. The World Economic Forum each year develop a global risk report and in this episode we dive in to some of the data in the risk report and how we have seen some of the things that we may never have considered impact...

Danielle Van Velthuizen is a career health and safety recruiter who is dedicated to creating unique and personal recruitment experiences regardless whether you are the candidate or the hiring manager. Danielle talks us through her experience over the years and how she has seen health and safety roles change, adapt and flex to current standards.  I love that Danielle isn't a safety professional...

Topic Tuesday is back and this week we are chatting all things Jacinda Ardern resignation. Not for political reasons but how burnout was a key factor in her resignation. As women, we must support one another and seeing such a great female leader. We chat about how we need to set boundaries as women so that we know what we will and won’t tolerate of others. Juicy conversation that is for sure! We c...

Joanna Mason loved her job, loved the people she worked with but her home life was not great. Jo was the victim of domestic and family violence and her once stable job, home life, relationship all fell apart in quick suggestion. Her employer did not have the tools in place to support her through her personal journey and this inspired Jo to create Workhaven. This episode we chat with Jo on her jour...

“Managers want employees to put in long days, respond to their emails at all hours and willingly donate their off hours” - what a load of rubbish! Chandra and I explore the article with the lens of psychological safety for workers and the accessibility of work at home.  Does long hours truly equal productivity and does our virtual world add pressure? Come and chat with us as we explore the topic!...

A reflection on some lessons learned between a health and safety lawyer and myself as a professional. We talked about three things leading to being and authentic professional 1 - back yourself and know you have all the tools to make your decision 2 - prepare to fail. It is inevitable that it happens at some point! 3 - know your worth and experience - you are where you are because you have utilised...

Chandra and Alanna explore a recent article detailing how our almost de-harmonisation is impacting organisations across Australia. Are we truly thinking of our workers and our transient workforce when our legislation is no longer harmonised? What legislation applies where is going to become more and more complex as we work across jurisdictions, countries and across the globe. Is it the responsibil...

The theme of this podcast is very much curiosity and growth mindset. We chat with Empowered Member Peta Mercieca on her journey to being one of Australia’s leaders in Occupational Violence programs. You will all hear Peta talk about her people based approach and how much she cares for those she works with. Bullet points of what is covered in the podcast: Good leaders or mentors can make such a hug...

Sometimes working in multinational companies you feel your voice can be drowned out. Not Alicia! Join us for a conversation with Alicia on her journey to being a global leader in health and safety. We cover her journey and her tips and tricks. Connect with Alicia https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-jeffery-267a7965/ Be sure to hit follow on Spotify or the + on Apple Podcasts to get the latest episo...

We have heard so much about burnout but let’s break some of that down and let’s bring the imperfection of being human into the workplace. Chandra and I chatted about the complexity and stress of ‘climbing the ladder’ and how we as Women in Safety leaders are allowed to be imperfect leaders, colleagues, parents and friends. Bullet points of key topics Is burnout the new pandemic? Is it ok to be imp...