Impact of Health and Safety Representative Training On Concepts of Accident Causation and Prevention

By J. Culvenor, S. Cowley and J. Harvey

In South Australia, health and safety representatives (HSRs) may undertake three levels of training, commencing at basic level, then progressing through advanced level to continuing level.

A survey of 1200 HSRs in SA was conducted to assess their beliefs about accident causation and accident prevention.

In regard to accident causation, the survey found that HSRs showed a tendency to favour behavioural causation over workplace environment or systems-type causation. In regard to accident prevention, HSRs at all levels of training had a preference for low-order controls. However there appears to be some shift in thinking by the time HSRs have completed all levels of training), though the thinking of most remains distinctly safe-worker in orientation.

(Journal of Occupation Health and Safety - Australia and New Zealand. vol. 19, no. 3