A message to the health and safety community: Business continuity and the work of the Institute

Dear Colleagues,

I first want to begin with a personal message to everyone as you deal with the growing concern to your own health and safety and that of your families and friends during these times. We understand many, if not all of you, are also dealing with managing the health and safety of others in workplaces across the nation. Please take the best care you can of your own health so that we can together help to flatten the curve. 

As the numbers of confirmed cases increase each day, so do community stress levels. There is much uncertainty for businesses and workers. All this at a time when our nation was still trying to recover from years of drought and then the devastating bushfires. If you feel like you’re not coping, please turn to those around you for support; call a friend, chat with a colleague, speak with an EAP counsellor or phone Lifeline (13 11 14). 

The Institute and our current focus:

I want to be open and honest with you about how we are feeling at the Institute. Like many other businesses we’ll be under pressure for quite a while. This situation will change the way we operate in the coming days, weeks and months, in a few different ways. While this change is necessary in the current environment, we are also looking at this in a positive light as we start to prioritise the delivery of innovative online services and products.

As you can imagine this change will take time as we all adjust our traditional approach to connecting, collaborating and learning in both professional and social settings with more modern, technological means. During this transition-stage, as we navigate massive operational changes there will be hiccups, but we hope you will stick with us in any way you can. Whether its retaining membership; or coming on board as new member; or engaging in the new learning events we are building; or joining our virtual networks.  

Our current focus has two parts, (1) the health and safety of our staff, and (2) business continuity. At present our staff and their families have not been affected and we are doing what we can in the national office to prevent a workplace exposure. This week we are testing our business continuity plan with staff working remotely to test our systems in the event of an office closure. So far disruption has been minimal, but we do ask for your patience if you’re calling the institute as we are diverting phone lines. E-Mail is a great way to make an enquiry.

Changes in the weeks ahead

All the solutions aren’t going to happen right now when everyone is heavily stressed and trying to re-adjust their lives. In the weeks to come, connecting with people online is going to become the standard way to have meetings and connections – so let’s get through this tough, scary period and then when some open space happens, we can begin to build new ways to learn - with and from each other. Everyone’s creativity will help, so when you feel ready, let your ideas flow. Our profession doesn’t have to be constrained by the way things have been done before. 

So in the coming weeks, we’re staying on the job, and as fast as the world comes at us, we're still thinking forward. We’re working on creating new online information and events for the months ahead – so please stay connected as we communicate changes to existing planned events and new opportunities to learn and network.    

#Safetyscape

We have been working hard in the background to understand how we can deliver our most significant annual event, #SAFETYSCAPE. Of course, we’re not going ahead with a face to face event. While this is disappointing, it is necessary.  But as I alluded to earlier, we’re innovating our approach and here’s what we have in mind:

• The national conference is planned to go ahead as a virtual event. We are working on bringing this to you in a professional manner to make this an enjoyable and valuable professional development experience. We’ll be announcing how it all works in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled. Those who were registered for the conference are being contacted by our staff to discuss their ticketing options. If you have registered for the conference and have not been contacted yet, please give us time due to the large number of calls we are making. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] for more information or to arrange a call.
• The Australian Workplace Health and Safety Awards dinner will not go ahead but the awards will. Planning is underway to stream these awards, keeping our commitment to recognizing excellence, showcasing programs and acknowledging people.  More to come in the coming weeks.
• The Workplace Health and Safety Show. The exhibition will be delayed until next year and we’re working on solutions to that now. The many corporate partners who play a role within industries are going to be struggling. They’re a critical part of our health and safety community, and we’re going to support and engage with them as best we can. Once we have an alternative solution, we will let you know.

State conferences in September - November

No matter what rate the virus treads its path through our community, we don’t think that September through to November will be a time for big gatherings. As part of our Business Continuity Plan, we are working with all of our branch chairs and event coordinators to re-think how we might provide a new kind of experience for our individual states and territories.  If you want to share your ideas, no matter who you are, let us know and we’ll connect you with other health and safety people to share and run with ideas. That's what our branches are about, and that's how health and safety people run their Institute.

Summary

With all the uncertainty, now is a good time to lean on friends, colleagues and care for family (as long as you stay 1.5 m from them!). It’s an important time to remember what’s important in life.

Workplace Health and Safety will be there waiting for us at the end of this crisis, and I think humanity will have a whole new perspective.  If we’re lucky, maybe some long-standing walls and silos will come down and we will find power and strength in greater co-operation, because we really are all in the same boat. We’ll see about that – but for now, let’s stick together and do what we can to Flatten the Curve and stay connected.

Kindest regards

Dave Clarke