The inaugural Safer Together Industry Safety Forum for Western Australia and the Northern Territory was held in Perth on the 13th of September 2018.

More than 130 senior line leaders and frontline workforce representatives from member companies gathered together at the Crown Perth Convention Centre for the first of the bi-annual Forums. It was a chance for members to learn about Safer Together, see what tools and initiatives have already been developed and are in use in Queensland, and to contribute ideas that may underpin work programs for Safer Together in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Niall Myles (Senior Vice President Australia Operating Unit, Woodside Energy) opened the Forum by reminding the assembled delegates that Safer Together is about building a community of safety leaders. “Leaders must lead and must genuinely want to be part of this. Each of you must recognise that safety is a leaders’ primary responsibility and you must take ownership and accountability”.

Mike Grieve (Vice President Non-Operated Ventures, Shell Australia) introduced Safer Together’s online Safety Culture Survey, one of the tools that has been developed specifically to engage people on the frontline in developing workforce led safety improvements. Attendees then conducted an activity on their mobile devices, using the survey tool to share their views on safety culture.

Keynote speaker Les Linklater (Executive Director, Step Change in Safety) shared insights and lessons learned from more than 20 years of industry collaboration in the North Sea, as well as providing an overview of the key programs that Step Change in Safety is currently working on. “My reinforced commitment to cooperative working in the safety space stems fully from my belief that we are safer together.  Without a doubt, it’s only when all stakeholders truly engage and play their part do we can continue to make the changes necessary to ensure that colleagues who work in the major accident hazard industries go home safely to their families every day.”

Ian Grant (Chief Operating Officer, Quadrant Energy) and Zoran Bebic (Executive General Manager Maintenance and Industrial Services, Monadelphous) launched the Safer Together Good to Go Kit and Safer Together website, both of which will help member companies introduce Safer Together into their workplace and easily access the wide range of resources that are already available.

Philp Cave (Executive Vice President Operations Australia & Asia, Clough) introduced each of the 7 Working Groups, and then the assembled delegates had the opportunity to meet and engage directly with Working Group representatives in a series of interactive booth sessions.

The afternoon ended with a panel session facilitated by Mike Grieve of representatives from the industry in both Western Australia / Northern Territory and Queensland, which provided an opportunity for members in the audience to ask questions.    

Next Forum (March 2019)

Our next Forum event for member companies of Safer Together WA/NT will be held in March 2019. We look forward to seeing all member companies represented at the event.

For more information about Safer Together click here.

To find out how your company can become a member of Safer Together click here or address your query to [email protected].