Requirements of a Safety Professional in Australia

Well seeing as you do not need any tertiary qualifications to become a member, fellow or Chartered fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia, I guess qualifications aren't needed!

So I'll start with the Royal Children's Hospital requirements!

Now working around and with children you will find this disgusting but it's the truth:

• First of all you need to accept that management, especially previous safety managers who are highly respected in the safety profession will need to have pornography on their computers. I was disgusted at all the fat chicks on my computer in skimpy lingerie that I complained and was dissiplined for complaining about pornography. Now management were fully aware as the computer was on the hospital network and yet I was disciplined for it.
• You also need to accept that you are running induction training for contractors on $750 Million rebuilding project of the Children's hospital with a 486 computer and 14 inch monitor for up to 30 participants a day. This I found was pathetic yet the contractors would have been dismissed and in the event of an incident prosecuted for not following procedures, yet there is no way the could see a 14 inch monitor from the back of the room.
• You need to accept and not say anything if you raise your concerns with the main safety body of the hospital becuase the manager was a Safety Institute of Australia and becuase it might show up their lack of knowledge you are told to ignore the situation and they actually raise it with your own management so you can be told off for raising concerns including safety concerns over unloading of 20 - 40 tonne generators over scores of contractors and delivery people.

That's just a start and I wont go on any further about the RCH as they deliver a great service to the children of Australia but someone should at least raise the above, so I'll go onto another charity the St Vincent de Paul Society:

• You need to accept that management will be drinking alcohol on the premisis and if you raise your concerns about drinking on the premisis you will be disciplined as they are management and priests. Managers were also caught driving home from work in work vehicles by the police over the limit.
  
• You need to accept that when ordered to hide coroners reports, and statistics showing the recommendations in the coroners report were spot on as there had been numerous other incidents from the same item of plant, hospitalising staff. You need to act illegally and hide the coroners report or you will be dismissed even though your job description would have you prosecuted if it was ever found out.
• You also need to accept that some managers will have pornography on their computers and may even send you some pics even though it's against all your beliefs.

With Defence, I am critical of the defence department but they also have some of the best systems in place, just when it gets back to the office or training of young personnel the safety rules go out the window. The major thing you need to accept is that if a war starts you will be put in an office, with nothing to do and no funding to carry out your role, you can either resign or become a public servant with nothing to do.

That's enough, you get the picture, all you need to do to be accepted into the Safety Institute of Australia and keep your job in Australia is be dishonest by ommision!

Regards
Daniel