Humanizing Safety: A Four-Step Approach

The world of safety for professionals can often be unclear. In an industry that divides the safety world into one of two camps, either traditional or contemporary safety, the lack of knowledge continues to propagate through books, publications, podcasts, social media, and conferences, leaving safety professionals feeling more muddled than informed.

Humanising Safety: A Four-Step Approach provides a practical approach to human-centric safety collating the best elements of traditional and contemporary approaches for safety professionals to practise at work. By following this approach, readers will learn to apply humanistic safety principles to any workplace where safety is valued. This book explores the realm of human-centric safety and its intricacies, unpacking topics such as the contradictions and dilemmas of workplace safety, the psychology of safety, the human condition and its contribution to the safety of work, and how safety leaders can synthesise the collective knowledge, skills, expertise, and lived experiences of the people who make up an organisation. Featuring micro-projects for readers to refer to and work through within their organisations, this book allows the reader to navigate the vast sea of information surrounding the opportunities and pitfalls of traditional and contemporary safety approaches through a lens of human-centric safety.

This is an easy-to-read book that will appeal to professionals at all career levels where safety is critical to their role, including those in construction, utilities, manufacturing, mining, civil, aviation, and maritime sectors.

Tim D’Ath is a senior safety executive and people leader in Melbourne, Australia. He has more than 15 years of experience leading high-performing teams in both corporate and high-risk operational environments. Prior to this, Tim spent ten years as a construction worker, mobile plant operator, offshore oil rig roustabout, deckhand, and trade assistant. His experience in frontline worker roles has directly shaped his approach to working as a safety professional, acknowledging the skills, experience, and perspectives of frontline workers in the development of safety programs. He specialises in the psychology of safety with extensive experience implementing contemporary safety approaches and psychosocial well-being strategies, and developing health and safety governance frameworks across complex matrix structures. He has worked in diverse industries including construction, maritime, aviation, and utilities, applying humanistic safety approaches in highly regulated work environments.