Safety Ambassador Carmen ter Rahe
Background information
Carmen currently works within the manufacturing, projects and mining industry as a Safety, Health & Environment Manager for Cement Australia and has reputable experience within the risk management, emergency response and behavioural / cultural safety arenas which she has developed over 10 years in holding key position of responsibility in both front line and management roles with significant mining companies throughout Australia.
More currently Carmen has been involved with a number of key external behavioural analysis projects for a commanding international organisation in facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights.
Why workplace safety is important to me
It’s not particularly safety alone that is important to me but the way in which the engagement of safety is implemented. I believe that while putting in place an appropriate risk management regime is important, getting the right vibe, showing that you are proactive, hearing and encouraging idea’s and providing positive reinforcement is a greater way of achieving not only a better safety standard but also greater productivity.
Safety engagement is about recognising the need for strong leadership and encouraging all at the workplace to work together to build a culture and environment that sees the prevention of injury first and foremost in the minds and displayed behaviours of all.
Who can argue against the fact that a safe workplace generally means a better quality of work / life balance for employees and better morale.
My plans for national Safe Work Australia Week
We have sent out a notification about Safe Work Australia Week and all of our ideas have come from others within our operation and it is from these great ideas that we plan on having conducting a few events during this important week.
Firstly inviting all of our young employees from the age of 25 and below for a morning tea session with managers to sit down and discuss how they see safety at our operations and which areas they think need improvement. Further to this we plan on taking our operations Safety, Health & Environment Committee to another local industry where they will hold their monthly committee meeting and will also be given the opportunity to meet other Employee Safety Representatives and take a tour of the facility where they can carry out some safety observation tasks, gain idea’s and hopefully bring them back to their own work areas.
Why I accepted the role as a national Safe Work Australia Week Safety Ambassador
I accepted this role because I firmly believe in passing on the positive message when it comes to safety in industry.
I acknowledge how safety engagement has been performed throughout my career and how the positive and negative experiences have shaped the way in which I manage now. I believe that it is important how we communicate, educate and connect our workers to ensure that they are able to understand the risks and hazards involved in their work / day life so that these can be reduced to not just a manageable level but an acceptable one and if through me accepting this position the significance of safety engagement can be passed on to a broader audience then this is a positive step.
Page last updated: 18/10/2009