An interview with Marjorie Fitzgerald, Human Resource Systems Officer, Central Coast Council, Tasmania
While it is acknowledged that specific groups within the Local Government workforce face higher risks than others, Marjorie Fitzgerald said safety should be a priority for all areas.
At Central Coast, Council’s philosophy is that all employees are responsible for OH&S, but those with supervisory or management responsibility are accountable to ensure all work is conducted safely.
In her role as Human Resource Systems Officer, Marjorie oversees Council’s OH&S, making sure that the right procedures and policies are in place, and that staff are properly trained to ensure compliance.
She said with the diversity of the Local Government workforce – from outdoor teams, to childcare, administration, recreation and community support areas – training is a key issue.
“The differing council work areas have some very distinct needs, and while some training needs are similar, they may need to be addressed in the specific context of the work,” she said.
“Manual handling is a classic example. The outdoor workforce, childcare and office based staff have very different manual handling tasks, so flexibility must exist within the training package, and the trainer must be able to adapt to these differing needs.”
Marjorie Fitzgerald said there are some instances where training requirements are the same for all staff, such as workplace bullying and harassment, or OH&S legislative training.
“The key issue here is having the right trainer for the job, with the flexibility to both deliver and understand the various groups, their culture and needs,” she said.
“When using external providers, it is crucial to know their strengths and weaknesses and where they best fit in with the organisational culture.
“Boring topics can be made interesting by a good trainer. But for the training to be effective, you need the right trainer for the group or topic.”
Marjorie Fitzgerald said a good trainer will always tailor training to each department’s or organisation’s needs.
“They will have the experience/flexibility to cater for the needs and tasks of the differing groups,” she said. “Where, for example, the training is a national competency, such as backhoe operations, a certified trainer is needed, but the workplace should ‘shop around’.
“This would mean seeking feedback from other users of the training company, checking with other organisations or councils about who they use and who they would or would not recommend.
“The person responsible for managing the training needs to understand who is being trained and what practices are to be covered, as well as the workplace culture.
“They should attend part of a session with a new trainer to get an understanding of how this person ‘trains’.”
Marjorie Fitzgerald said most external trainers ask participants to complete a feedback sheet.
“Council’s should also have their own feedback sheets seeking responses about the training and trainer,” she said. “This will give the training coordinator a good indication of the worth of the trainer.
“At the end of the day, if Council employees are negative about a specific trainer and their presentation technique, the message is very clear that their needs are not being met – no matter how good the trainer is on paper.”
With an ageing workforce set to impact most Australian workplaces, Majorie Fitzgerald said it crucial that councils prepare now.
Some 48 per cent of Central Coast’s total workforce is over 40, with 24 per cent over 55 years.
“While a lot of extreme manual handling for outdoor staff has been eliminated, the issues of repetitiveness, poor posture and the general wear and tear on our bodies as we age, will impact on all employees,” Marjorie Fitzgerald said.
“We are already addressing these with reviews of work procedures, purchasing of plant and equipment – both for outdoor and childcare staff, workstation assessments for administration staff, office layouts and so forth.
“Similarly we are and will continue to encourage staff to report back pain, other musculoskeletal pain or discomfort to enable early intervention. What might be a minor injury can become a complex one as we age.”
Council is also due to issue a workplace cultural survey later this year, to better determine how the different generations – Gen X, Y and the baby boomers learn, and respond to management directions and supervision.
