MHD WOMEN IN INDUSTRY
CHAMPION FOR SAFETY Kristen Stanford took home the Safety Advocacy award at this year’s Women in Industry Awards.
MHD sits down with Kristen Stanford, the winner of the Safety Advocacy Award at this year’s Women in Industry Awards to discuss forklift hazards, culture and how to build better relationships.
K
risten Stanford, Safety Manager at CSR Limited’s followed in her father’s footsteps with regards to her career. “My father always worked in safety, so it’s been a big part of me my entire life,” she says. She recalls seeing her father do a great job in making sure that people went home safely after a day’s work and as far as she can remember wanted to follow his lead. “I can thank my family for my passion for safety. I have always wanted to work with people and ensure that they are as safe as they can be,” she says. Straight out of school, Kristen 68 | MHD SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019
completed a Certification 4 Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Occupational Health & Assessment. “My first job was working in the mines in Western Australia where I learnt a lot about safety in industry,” she says. Kristen is currently Safety Manger for Queensland and Northern Territories at CSR Limited, working at the organisations Coopers Plains Operations and Logistics site main site dealing with manufacturing, logistics and trade of plasterboard. She has introduced a number of different safety initiatives at the site to promote a more open culture around reporting safety incidents. “One of the biggest problems was a lack of reporting, people were scared to report incidents that took place both at work and outside of work,” Kristen says. In her role at CSR, Kristen has introduced weekly hazard walks where upper management, supervisors, OH&S representatives and employees identify hazard areas in each work area. “This has been a really great success for building relationships across the business.
“
Being a Safety Manager is more than a job, it’s a vocation. I have earnt the respect of the people in my team through making my behaviour visible, building strong communication, and maintaining a proactive approach. I am very passionate about what I do, I love my job and I am continually striving for safety excellence.
”
