Safety Officer
Name: Guin Dickie
Career stage: Early career - less than 5 years' experience
Working: On site
High School Subjects: That was a long time ago! Science and English because I liked it, maths because I thought that would be good for uni and sewing because I thought that was a good skill to have
Favourite: I liked creating things in sewing and liked being outside and working with my hands with agriculture
Further study: TAFE
where and what: I tried uni but that wasnt my thing back then... I have so many courses I have done: Advanced Diploma in Government/HR (CIT), Diploma of Project Management (Australian college of project management), Cert 3 population health (CIT), Cert 3 WHS (Asset training), Cert IV small business management (Tafe nsw), Cert IV training and assessment (international teacher and training academy)
"I am excited about moving from just looking at physical safety to psychological safety in the workplace.”
THE INSIDE SCOOP…
What does a Safety Officer actually do? I keep an eye on everyone to keep them safe, make sure that they are qualified for the work that they do (for example I'm not letting you drive a forklift if you don't have a license!), organise training (sometimes developing and running training), assess tasks for safety and make recommendations to make them safer, undertake investigations and look after people when they are injured.
What does a day in your life at work look like? I get to work around 7am and do a site walk to look for hazards and issues, 8am I'll run a toolbox meeting with employees and contractors, generally there is some issue that I need to focus on such as an injury, safety assessment or incident, then it's a meeting with the supervisors about outstanding incidents and corrective actions that they need to put in place. I'll then work on the computer in the air conditioned office during the hottest parts of the day (like updating policies, researching new legislation, booking training and auditing processes).
What's the best part of your job? I love knowing that I am helping people to work safely which means they go home the same way they came to work.
What made you realise construction could be for you? It was actually a friend in recruitment that knew my skillset and contacted me about a role saying that all of my skills were transferable and that my knowledge, experience and attitude were perfectly suited.
Tell us about balancing work with your other interests, or family. I am really lucky that my boss is understanding when it comes to family. When I started I negotiated my hours which means I start early but I finish in time to pick my kids up from school and if needed I am still contactable on the phone after 3pm.
What are you excited about doing in the future, working in construction? I am excited about moving from just looking at physical safety to psychological safety in the workplace.
What's something that surprised you about working in construction? Ok, so this is really silly.... I used to love working in an office and having my outfits and shoes and I thought that having the same steel cap boots and high vis shirt every day would be awful, but it actually makes my morning easier because I don't need to pick what I am going to wear and I save money because I am not spending massive amounts on fancy shoes and skirts!
Guin is open to engaging further via: Speaking at a high school
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