From summer heat to hazardous noise, electrical risks and young worker safety, the Think Safe Be Safe programme ran monthly campaigns through 2024, capped by live height-safety demonstrations at Brisbane Airport.
Watching a weighted dummy drop on a lanyard teaches more about fall protection in ten seconds than a poster manages in a year. That principle, seeing safety rather than just reading it, ran through the 2024 Think Safe Be Safe programme.
The campaign year opened in January with Beat the Heat, encouraging everyone to top up sunscreen regularly, protect their eyes while working outside and take a break in the shade whenever they felt unwell. The message was direct and included a focus on fatigue, dizziness and nausea in summer heat lead to careless mistakes, and taking a break could save a life on site.
May turned to hazardous noise and how to control the risks, recognising that noise damage destroys not only hearing but also the ability to catch the instructions and warning signals that keep a site safe. Appropriate PPE and training in noise control support the campaign on every project.
September’s focus was electrical safety. In particular, keeping a safe distance from power lines, maintaining equipment and managing power boards. October addressed young or inexperienced workers, promoting an open culture where everyone feels confident asking questions and applying the tell me, show me, watch me approach of clear explanation, demonstration and monitored feedback.
October also delivered the year’s most memorable sessions. 3M visited a Brisbane industrial project to run a live drop test comparing two types of lanyard shock packs, giving workers direct insight into how fall protection equipment behaves under load. Height Dynamics followed with a recovery demonstration at the Brisbane Airport sites, showcasing the Rollgliss R550 rescue kit and controlled-descent rescue from elevated work platforms.
Every campaign lands the same way: briefed at pre-starts, reinforced in toolbox talks and practised on site, keeping Think Safe Be Safe a daily habit rather than a slogan.
