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.