5 Questions with...Mark Wareham

Drawing on his frontline experience, IMPAC trainer Mark Wareham, shares his honest views on where organisations fall short - from gaps in collaborative risk assessment to the difference between being trained and truly competent. His perspective offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to strengthen safety and performance in their workplace.

From frontline operations to training – what’s the biggest skills gap you consistently see in today’s workforce when it comes to managing risk?

I would have to say that there is lack of understanding of the reason to collaborate in assessing risk. There are so many contractors that are expected to know about the plant. The principal or owner of the project sometimes leaves it all up to the contractor/sub-contractor and unfortunately the risk assessment is lacking in content. The job risks are assessed adequately but the processes and area hazards are missing or are poorly identified.

You’ve worked across high-risk environments like emergency response, aviation, and manufacturing – what skills do you think are non-negotiable for people operating in these settings today?

I would have to say the skill of communication, listening and confirmation. There is access to so many electronic tools including the use of cell phones and radios. I wouldn't say over-reliance, the skill of communication is not as good as it once was. The passing of critical information can easily be misunderstood and unfortunately without the English language, the body language and confirming back what was said, we can miss critical words and meanings easily.

In your experience, what’s the difference between someone who’s been “trained” and someone who is genuinely competent on the job?

I have had close hand experience in both trained workers, competent workers and untrained workers. There is sometimes an expectation that when a PCBU sends a worker somewhere to be trained, the worker is trained and therefore competent.

The training organisation has only completed one part, or sometimes two parts of a difficult puzzle. The frequency of the 'doing' and the attitude of the worker play a vital role. Some workers have real difficulty in a foreign environment such as a classroom. But, in the familiar environment of the workplace, the worker 'shines' and demonstrates high levels of competency. The skill is recognising the difference between a trained worker because we have to 'tick the box' and a worker showing confidence because they are knowledgeable, competent, and can share with others this new skill.

You’ve issued permits, worked alongside contractors, and been a Health and Safety Representative. How important is upskilling for those in these roles, and where do you see people getting it wrong?

Upskilling is a very broad statement. I see it not just as upskilling but proving you are retaining the skills and can apply them in a real workplace. There has to be some form of evidence collected proving you are doing this in the field, demonstrating the appropriate level of commitment to the role. The need to upskill may allow a worker to gain more confidence in a role. The worker may not have had the opportunity or chance to put their new skills to the test. This leads back to competency. Frequency of applying these skills is very important. I have trained or upskilled workers that have never issued a permit to work, or the last time they did, was on the original course.

The PCBU must give the workers opportunities to use and apply these new skills, after all, the PCBU has outlaid a lot of money and time for a worker to gain new knowledge in upskilling. It would be a shame if the worker isn't given the chance to apply these new skills in real situations.

For organisations looking to lift capability across their teams, what’s one practical step they can take right now to improve how they approach training and upskilling?

See where the gaps are, discuss with the workers and ask what workers want in the form of training and the content of the training. So often the feedback identifies these gaps, but the PCBU goes through the motions of training because they see it as a chore, a sacrifice to production, and the delivery of training has not adapted to the worker's needs. Because of this, the opportunity to learn can sometimes be missed, and workers themselves do not enjoy training or upskilling.

The skill of the PTE, trainers, consultants and co-ordinators is to find out the 'what' we require and most importantly, how can we make this 'relevant' to what we do and how we do it. There has to be flexibility in the delivery, the capturing of skills and proving workers have these skills.

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