Civil Construction Safety Cadet
A day in the life
You may be asking yourself, what does a normal day look like?
- You will begin your day by attending the site pre-start (typically at 7am) delivered by the site manager; this will tell you about the work for the day and any hazards you need to be aware of for the day. On some days, you may contribute to delivering a “toolbox talk” on an important topic or learning which needs to be shared with the workforce;
- You will then likely assist in delivering the safety induction for any new employees or subcontractors starting on the project that day.
- This role will be diverse, and no two days will be the same, which certainly keeps things stimulating; on any one day you may be:
- Participating in a risk workshop, which is part of the planning process for a crane lift;
- Updating the project’s Health and Safety Management Plan;
- Reviewing construction methodologies to look for safety considerations or improvements;
- Undertaking a site emergency drill and testing the first aid and emergency preparedness for the site;
- Induct new items of mobile plant that are brought to site;
- In the unfortunate event an incident has occurred, you will assist in investigating the incident to determine root causes and contributing factors so appropriate preventive actions can be put in place to prevent recurrence,
- Lead regular site inspections to monitor implementation of the company’s safety management system and controls
- Assist in formal auditing of the safety management system.
This role will include a great deal of social interaction as you meet and build relationships
Diversity is an important part of any successful team and so you will meet people from all walks of life. Your outstanding communication skills will be paramount as you provide input into team meetings or liaise with technical staff and other stakeholders as you monitor works being completed by the project team.
Your will environment will change regularly, making each week interesting and diverse. You may be reviewing a 6—ton crane installing bridge beams, and the next thing you know you are involved in a safety systems audit.
While there are a range of benefits you will get from this role, it does come with its challenges
You must be prepared for early starts and varying work locations. Construction days begin at pre-start meetings (compulsory attendance) are often always at 7am. Large works, such as bridge beam lifts often occur over weekends, when traffic is lighter and roads can be closed, so you will have to be flexible in working the odd weekend.
Projects are finite, and so if a project comes to completion during your 2-year employment term, you will be redeployed to the next available project, which will be in a different location. You may be confronted with sudden changes of site locations and planned works, so you must be adaptable and flexible to move without notice between work sites.
Your high-level communication skills will be well utilised and challenged at times by the variety of stakeholders you engage with. You will come across conflicting priorities between various stakeholders and will have to navigate through these situations using negotiation skills, stakeholder management skills and communication skills, while upholding a professional manner.
Being a role where you are constantly on the move, you can also expect to be exposed to the many weather challenges Victoria will throw your way!
Key accountabilities that you will learn about, and do, as part of your cadetship:
- Supporting safety personnel on the project in exercising safety judgement of risk-based site safety
- Reviewing and observing construction activities against project scope and in accordance with relevant legislation, company systems and standards, contract specifications and guidelines. Construction activities may include service relocations, earthworks, pavement installation, drainage, traffic management, mobile plant, structural bridge work.
- Maintaining a positive relationship with all stakeholders and proactively resolving issues as they arise
- Attending and inputting into site meetings
- Assisting in the planning and execution of risk-based safety activities in the practical application of construction and ensuring high quality documentation is maintained
- Providing assistance and advise to field based staff on a range of on-site construction safety activities
- Actively participating in learning and networking with other cadets.
