1. Industries - Renewable Energies

Every few years there is a new emerging market or industry. 2024 will see continued growth in the renewable energy sector. This expansion brings the introduction of new processes and applications, in particular Hydrogen. By 2030 Hydrogen is expected to fuel one third of heavy industries and long distance transportation. Australia will be producing Hydrogen and will be a leading exporter of Hydrogen to many European Nations. The production and transportation is an extremely high risk activity, with limited legislation and guidance in place. The governance and jurisdictional guidance around this topic will evolve throughout the year. There is also limited safety training around this topic, most of the education and capability building comes from process engineering training. I expect that training organisations will begin to understand the topic in more detail with specific training courses to enter the market in Q3 of 2024 - for now check out the training from Informa Connect. 

In 2023 electric vehicle purchases were almost 3 times higher than 2022. The total number of new electric cars sold represents 8.4% of all new cars sold in Australia - this is a 120.5% increase compared to 2022. In 2024, Australian workplaces will see the introduction of and expansion of electric buses and trucks. The introduction of electric vehicles in the workplaces comes with additional activities such as charging infrastructure, different approaches to maintenance and services and training of employees. For safety professionals, it is important to understand the design of the workplace where charging points will be installed, who will be working on, in and around electric vehicles and what training, instruction and guidance they need. The increasing demand of electric vehicles has also led to an increased purchase of solar panels and storage batteries. Companies such as Equis, Tesla and Tindo are all building infrastructure and giga factories to support the supply of these products. 

Uber released their first autonomous vehicle in late 2023.  As much as I love robotics and automation in the workplace, I don't think Australia will experience autonomous vehicles or food delivery in Australia in 2024. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this comes in mid-early 2025. While robots already exist in many workplaces across the country, these are in more controlled and isolated environments. Upskilling in robotics might be something to add to the list later in 2024, to help better understand the risks and controls.

Links:  Hydrogen , State of Electric Vehicles, Uber Driverless Car, Uber Autonomous Deliveries, Electric Vehicles Training Courses , Hydrogen Fundamental Training Courses

Tip: These industries are very technical and relatively high risks. If you are planning to work in these markets I recommend completing some skill building in electrical batteries/ vehicles, hydrogen processing, and process safety, automation. In Her Boots recently partnered with a public transport company who are converting their diesel buses to electric batteries. Our project involved completing the strategic plan for the project, undertaking risk assessments, and identifying training needs - reach out if you have an electrification projects we would love to share our learnings.

2. Right sizing and safety gig economy

The Wall Street Journal predicts that job cuts around the globe will continue into 2024. Many businesses scaled beyond their needs in COVID and did whatever was needed to remain operational during the COVID years. Now as the world emerges from COVID, businesses are retracting, downsizing, right sizing - whatever buzzword you choose, and with that comes the reduction in workforce. This activity is prompting a re-think of what roles are needed specifically in the business on a full time, part time or contract basis. 

Growing businesses are thinking differently about how they can scale their business without having to grow the number of resources and balance sheets. In 2023, the gig economy approach creeped into professional roles such as cyber security and HR where professionals were offered a service similar to software as a service (SaaS). The “aaS” approach allows employers to allocate a set budget for a professional to undertake a range of tasks over a defined period without having to factor in on costs etc and take on the long term financial liability. While the safety profession typically files roles on a full time and part time basis and then short term contracts, I expect to see more safety as a service approach, particularly in businesses experiencing growth.

Links: Wall Street Journal , Cyber Security As A Service

Tip: Check out In Her Boots Chief Safety Officer As A Service and Melbourne Safety Co #yoursafetymate

3. TECHNOLOGY - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS

The new kid on the block vibe for Artificial Intelligence large language models will suppress by the middle of the year. Business excitement shifting from quick let's implement large language models to WHY do we need them. Businesses will do some critical and strategic thinking, and some serious risk reviews before deploying AI chat bots specifically in the safety arena. As an advocate and an evangelist for technology in the workplace, I still don't think we have worked out the true business cases and the return on investment for large language models in the safety arena - hopefully we can crack this in 2024. You know you are ready to implement large language models in your business when you define the purpose, understand what problem it is solving for or what opportunities are being gained. For those of you that are beyond the why and into the how for AI in your business, check out this read from a good friend of mine Nathan Bell.  

Links: World Economic Forum AI adoption industry case study, The how of AI - Nathan Bell

Tip: In 2024 I would like to see a noticeable shift from deploying/implementing a technology solution, to fully embedding it into a business's standard operations processes, demonstrating that the product has made noticeable business improvements. HOT TIP - if you are deploying safety chat bots/ large language models, do lots of pilots and testing, test with a range of roles in your business, and define your use cases before testing and scaling. If you or your organisation is considering deploying technology, have a chat to the team at In Her Boots to discuss your digital road map, change readiness and implementation plan.

4. THE RISE OF THE DATA SCIENTIST

As human beings we naturally want more of anything that is good. A bi-product of technology solutions in the workplace is the capture and collection of a lot of data. As more and more technology solutions are integrated into businesses there is a ton of new data readily available and existing within the business. The lay person or safety person is typically not equipped to analyze and review the sheer volume of data, and if they are, from experience they are likely unable to work at the speed or quality of a trained data scientist. As a result of this, I anticipate that there will be a great demand for safety specific data scientists to digest and analyze the data, which will help inform immediate solutions and long term strategic decisions. 

Link: The benefits of a data scientist 

Tip: If you are fortunate enough to have additional headcount or hiring capacity this year, design a data scientist into your organizational plan. If you don't have head count, think creatively about how you can outsource this skillset, particularly if you have a several technology solutions in your business. If you cannot outsource this, check out some of the many micro learnings on data science, so you can acquire a handful of skills in this area.

5. PSYCHOSOCIAL SAFETY

Psychosocial Safety has been around since workplaces existed. Over the years we have seen a rise and focus on emotional safety rather than physical safety, now there is legislation in place that is requiring workplaces to proactively address and manage this risk. In 2024 we will see many businesses continue to understand what psychosocial safety is, assessing their risks and then navigating their way through monitoring and managing. I predict a decline in the number of workplace wellbeing initiatives and more thought leadership around the design of work and how these principles are used to help drive and improve psychological safety. Psychosocial safety in the workplace is a big elephant we need to tackle one bite at a time. Psychosocial safety is like COVID, it won't just be solved by HR and HSE teams, it is going to require an army of people and industry cross collaboration. The big question I have is how many workplaces will become certified to ISO 45003:2021 Occupational health and safety management Psychological health and safety at work - Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. Will yours? 

Link: SafeWork Australia Psychosocial Hazards, ISO Standard

Tip: If you aren't sure where to start, learn the 14 hazards and identify which ones are most relevant and prevalent in your business. In Her Boots has a specific learning module on psychosocial safety, as well as having the capability to conduct psychosocial gap analysis and risk assessments. We have also developed a psychological safety index which can be integrated into your business operations, to provide a pulse check on each of the hazards. In Her Boots has additional tools to support you and your business with proactively addressing psychosocial safety.

6. HEALTH MONITORING AND RESPONSE

Proud mum moment towards the end of 2023 when Safe Work Australia made the recommendation to prohibit the use of engineered stone to protect workers from silica dust. We then kicked off 2024 with a reduction in the exposure standard for welding fumes from 5mg/m3 to 1 mg/m3. Both of these changes when passed by each State Regulator will prompt a change in the design of work.  My prediction is that this will also be the catalyst for a review of other hazardous materials such as asbestos etc. With the increased focus on exposure and health monitoring new monitoring products have entered the market. These products have enhanced capabilities and have features that can provide live time data on exposure and improved recording keeping ability, which will be useful and insightful for the worker, particularly for tracking lifetime exposure to a hazardous material. 

Links:  Engineered Stone, Welding

Tip: Pre employment medicals, annual health assessments and exit medicals are important assessments to build into the employee life cycle. These assessments help with identifying appropriate tasks employees should be conducting, the effectiveness of controls, and an employee's exposure levels at the end of their employment. There are many organisations that provide specific health assessments for employees who work with hazardous materials. 

7. THE WORK FROM HOME BATTLE WILL CONTINUE

This is not a new problem - working parents, mums in particular, have been fighting this for years and certainly before pre covid. This is not a problem for the safety world to solve but it is important to be dialed into the design of work and how this impacts psychosocial safety. I anticipate later in the year we will see an increase in discrimination claims, as employer test new approaches to encourage workers to return to the office such as promotions, bonuses, pay difference and additional leave.  We are already fighting the gender pay gap, with the 2023 gender pay gap at 13%, what will incentives like being paid more to come into the office do to this figure. The world managed to respond to working from home during COVID, let’s leverage the same skills and strategies to brief boards on the transition to hybrid working. 

Tip: The role of the safety professional is important in partnering strongly with cross functional teams such as HR to make sure the risks of individuals are being assessed, and appropriate controls and engagement mechanisms are in place.

8. INCREASED FOCUS ON THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

More so than ever, employees have shown that location and flexibility is just as important, or even more important than money when it comes to their job. We have all seen the LinkedIn posts of the loyal employee leaving for less money and moving to a job with flexibility. 

With multiple working models such as office based, hybrid, or fully remote, employers will need to get creative on how they stay in touch with the employee experience and the workplace culture. This thinking is not just limited to the employee experience. We must stay connected to how the workforce perceives safety at the workplace. For years safety professionals have leveraged the parker hudson and lawrie safety culture model, or dupoint curve to pulse check the safety culture within the business. In 2023, a handful of software providers starter to create safety engagement tools to measure the overall safety maturity of the business. In 2024 we will continue to see new digital safety culture tools enter the market.

Link: Gallup Workplace Trends 2024.

Tip: In Her Boots have created a SeXI - a Safety Experience Index Tool, that measures a an employee over safety experience, and the companies commitment and culture. Reach out, if to learn more.

9. Safety professionals skill building

A few years ago I wrote about the role of the safety professional and how much it has evolved and changed - this is such a great evolution for the industry. In this article I also wrote about, the way in which we learn and train in new topics has evolved. I wrote that article four years ago, and it is now extremely out dated. In 2024 Safety professionals skill building will focus on 1. health related topics such as psychological safety, counseling, 2. technology, in particular automation, robotics, large language models and change management, 3. coaching, change management.

Micro credentials and micro learnings will continue to be the on trend digital learnings. Adaptive learning platforms, while they have been on the market for a few years now, I predict that savvy businesses looking to provide boutique and individual tailored learning experiences will take up this option. Not only is this a ledge edge learning experience, it is also a cost and time effective option for large scale businesses.

Link: Apatite Learning Platform
Tip: if you are are safety professional looking to skill build pick something that you love, as it will come easy, you dont need to skill build on every topic. Be a master in a specific field. Check out in her boots.

10. ESG REPORTING

If we look at the evolution of systems in the workplace, first it was quality, then it was safety, then environment. Over time they have all been the leader and front runner of business thinking, and underpinned the design of work. At the start od 2024 Australian Treasury released the Exposure Draft Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2024: Climate-related financial disclosure (Exposure Draft legislation).  It’s objective is to improve the transparency and comparability of information available to investors regarding Australian entities exposures to climate-related financial risks and opportunities as well as their plans and strategies in response to those exposures. You ask yourself how does this relate to safety?

Businesses will be required to focus on, or increase this focus on social issues. Social issues are just as important as health and safety issues, and we must make sure that the focus remains on both of these issues and not one or the other. In some instances organisations will be surprised to learn that they have processes, resources and frameworks in place to address social issues, which have evolved from workplace health and safety. Workplace health and safety teams should leverage this opportunity with the ESG reporting to bring together social efforts and to also highlight the strategic thinking and mindsets in place.

Link: PWC ESG Reporting

Tip: If you responsible for safety corporate governance reporting, if you haven’t already, start thinking about this reporting and how safety frameworks can be leveraged and replicated in your business.