Start strong: Cultural safety for construction careers

Every person, regardless of background, experience or role, brings something unique and valuable to Australia's construction industry. Whether you have previous construction or engineering experience from overseas or you are starting afresh, there is a pathway forward and support to help you along the way. In this module you will learn the spoken and unspoken practices of the construction workplace, the culture, expectations and how to navigate your first steps confidently. Hi. I'm Sash. I'm the Safety Manager on the Parklife Metro SSTOM project. I’m Hanieh and I’m a senior project engineer. Hi, I'm Flora I'm the return to work coordinator for the Parklife Metro SSTOM project. Hi, I'm Mohamed. I’m a site engineer. You will get a glimpse of real work environments from construction sites to site offices, and hear directly from the people living it everyday.

Construction sites in Australia run on more than concrete, steel and a huge number of plans. They run on teamwork, mutual respect and shared routines. Let's hear from a senior project engineer about what a typical day looks like. My days start quite early. I'm on site by about 6:30, sometimes 7:00, and finish at around 5:00. Sometimes we stay back a bit later to finish we need to do. Our day starts off with pre start, so we come in early with the guys out on the field. The supervisors usually run through what's happening for the day run through the hazards of the day. We then run through any specific risks or things that everybody needs to look out for. So for example, if we're having a lift on that day and there's going to be a crane set up, we'll run through where the exclusion zones will be set up so people know not to go in that area and stay away. We run through the key contacts of the day, supervision, first aiders, and just make sure everybody knows what's going on. From a new team member or someone who's just starting speaking from experience because we've all been the new person, come in with the right attitude. Be keen to learn, be on time, have respect, ask a lot of questions. I personally like to ask questions. You might think it's a silly question, but it's not. Take notes and I think set up a time to meet with your manager. Once you know who everybody is, on the team meet them either daily or weekly, especially when you first started and go through, you know, any questions you might have if you're struggling with anything or if you're unsure. But I think the key thing is, be keen, be keen to learn, show respect, and, just be yourself. I would say that the foundation of the project's success is teamwork, and I guess at the end of the day, teamwork is what makes us actually progress and get things done. Teamwork isn't, you know, you going out and doing everyone else's work, but it's making sure everybody knows what they need to do and they're able to manage their workload. So checking in on each other, making sure each person is equipped with the tools they need to do their tasks, understands the tasks, and that the workload is evenly distributed. At the same time, initiative. I think that's pretty key as well. It's not waiting to be told all the time what to do, but to use your experience and your skillset to speak up and bring about, solutions without being prompted to all the time. We are faced with different challenges almost every day, but things like machinery breaking down, materials haven’t arrived on time, even things like, unexpected finds. So when we're excavating, coming across things that, you know, we weren't expecting to, to have in the ground, heavy rainfall, the site completely shut down. So we'll shut it down, go out, check the site, make sure that everything is safe and where necessary, we will de-water, but we'll make sure that the site is safe again before we get the workforce back. At the beginning I was like, oh, smoko.... Is that connected to a smoking area or like a smoke break? And turns out, yeah, it is that one. Yeah. And it doesn't necessarily mean you have to smoke, kind of like a mini lunch break. Look, it can be challenging being a woman in construction, but from my personal experience and, you know, in the last ten years, I think it's just as rewarding. I think the biggest thing is that work life balance. But in this day and age, I think that applies to both females and males. I feel like I'm actually not treated any different to anybody else on site, get the same level of respect, recognition, treatment. And it's been great. Here at Parklife Metro, I think we're doing quite a great deal for diversity and trying to embrace that within the project we’ve got  things like prayer rooms, separate facilities for both, for males and females. The canteen that caters both halal and vegetarian. We've also got, you know, the ability to have flexible work arrangements, especially for, you know, women who want to be able to enter the workforce and can't make, you know, the same level of commitment as others. We are welcoming regardless of your background, ethnicity or gender. We need more females coming through our universities and into the construction industry. What we do here at Parklife Metro, we run the school tours and STEM programs to try and encourage that a bit more. So, you know, the women are aware of the industry and what opportunities are available to them. And if you've already got a qualification, make sure to get a, membership with Engineers Australia so that your qualification can get recognised. When it comes to banter, and joking around on site, it's make sure you know the person and you've known them long enough or well enough that you know what you're about to say is going to be taken on the right way, and there is a limit to it as well as like if you know that person very well, you can just don't exceed that limit of like joking around and everything so that you don't put these people down a diverse workforce is the only way forward for for success, really. Each individual brings a unique perspective and a different life experience to the way they tackle any problem that they're faced with. If every single person is standing around in a circle looking at it, we're all looking at it from a different angle. The way we've been raised, our culture, our background, work experience, it's shaped the way we have learned and the way we've learned to solve problems. So I think it's, oh, it's definitely the way forward to be able to have project success. I personally grew up in a household where English was a second language, and coming through I had obviously different life experience. I also am able to apply that at work. You know, the way I address problems is different to the way someone else might. Diversity in all regards brings that multitude of perspectives where we're all looking at, you know, problems, and the challenges we're faced from, from a different angle and we're able to address them and solve them together as a team and have the best outcome both for the project and, you know, and grow as individuals as well, learning from each other.

Many skilled migrants arrive with years of experience but still have to rebuild their careers. Here’s one story of determination, accreditation and success. I came from Syria, which is a bit different from other peoples who I work with as I came from overseas. It's not easy to get into construction jobs. Metro Assist helped me to find my first casual job and with while I was doing this casual job, they told me that I have to go through some TAFE courses and I had to do my White Card, that it is very important to go for construction work and had some qualifications to do, and I had to register on the Engineers Australia. After the casual job, I got into an interview to have a graduate role here in the Parklife Metro, and that's where I had an opportunity to go through and shine on and move forward with my career. After that six and seven months, I got to get another role, which is site engineer. Yeah, there is a lot of difficulties and challenges, especially like some qualifications that has to be recognised. There will be help coming from Metro Assist, and there will be another help coming from Engineers Australia to tells you what you need to do and what not need to do. Get to know the right people. Try to find the best opportunity you can have. And once you get into the small opportunities, because no one start big, you have to start small. That's where you can just jump into any opportunities you can get. When I came to my graduate role, there was like a supervisor with me with the quality team. He helped me a lot to go through and get into the site and get to know so many people and teams. That's where I find myself, like it's going to be an opportunity to go into site. It's very important actually, to have these connections and get to know people more, because the more you know people, the more you have connections. And so it's okay to start small. Don't feel down if it's like, oh, I'm going to start from zero again. Whatever you age, whatever your qualification, you and your experience, you will get into there, but just take the chance and the opportunities to get into it. One year ago, I would I would say to myself, oh, maybe getting into construction is something impossible, but any a small chance that can get you into it, it will let you have more as a leap of faith, they call it. Just take it. My background is in the civil engineering and overseas, but when I went into Parklife Metro, it was in another scope of work. I listened to my mind and said, oh, this is a small chance for me to jump into this project and then go up. That's where I found, like when they told me about this role as the site engineer and I was like, yeah, that's my chance. And I took it.

Safety isn't just a policy. It's part of the culture. We teach that it's everyone's responsibility. Every worker has the right to go home safe. Here's what you need to know about working safely on an Australian construction site. So at Parklife Metro, we are committed to everyone's well-being. We expect everyone to go home, either in the same position as they were when they came in, or even better. Our organisation does a lot to help prevent accidents from occurring. We have pre start meetings, safety inductions onto every site, and we conduct a lot of training. Some of the hazards that we come across
include slips, trips and falls falls from height. One that's not talked about a lot is psychological safety and psychosocial hazards. One very important one is people and plant separation. So we have designated walking areas, designated zones for, machinery and for people. So follow those. Follow the signs they need to ensure that they're wearing the correct personal protective equipment. Which starts with your hard
hat, glasses, hearing protection. Also, they need to be wearing reflective
strips on their, clothing on their shirts. And ‘X’ specifically for rail projects. Also, long pants also lace up, safety boots and gloves will be task specific. So depending on what tasks you do might require you to wear gloves. Safety is everyone's responsibility. So if you do see a problem we obviously encourage people to report it. If you see something, you say something. So we don't want workers to walk past a hazard. We have a good reporting culture and, encourage everyone to report any hazards that they see on site. Speak to your supervisor. Raise it with your manager or even your safety team. Everybody, no matter their position, whether senior or junior,
they all have the right to speak up. So everyone has a right to say they don't feel safe. So every new person that comes to the site
has to go through an induction process. So the important part of induction is that that people understand in an emergency what they need to do, where the nearest exits are, where your muster point is, who your key site contacts are, who the chief warden is and who the wardens are and follow their directions. in an emergency situation, we have dedicated radio channels that the workers, will need to use. And then that way they can get their message clear across to everyone on site, and everyone understands what they need to do. So we have a zero tolerance on drugs and alcohol. And then we also do random, drug and alcohol testing blood alcohol concentration, known as BAC. And also we do swab tests. Everything is zero. So zero policy means zero drugs and alcohol. Look, it's unsafe to have people on site that are probably affected by it. So we we don't tolerate it at all. It's important that people feel safe and that they that they can come to work and say something and then not feel like they're going to be targeted. But also from my perspective, I've got a young family and, you know, I think everyone has the right to come to work and go home the same way.

After watching the previous segments, you might be asking, what can I do to pursue my career in the construction and engineering fields here in Australia? Okay, let's break it down. Start by checking if your qualifications need to be recognised by a professional or industry body. This can be essential for many skilled jobs. For example, organisations such as Engineering Australia provide skills assessment. They also provide membership for engineers to be connected with networking events and career development opportunities. If needed, consider further education or training like a bridging course or relevant certification to meet local standards in your profession, courses at UTS or TAFE may assist in bridging that training gap. Join industry associations or professional groups in construction and engineering. They often run events, share job leads, and help you build valuable connections. Keep your LinkedIn profile updated. Connect with professionals and industry groups and follow companies in engineering and construction to stay in the know about jobs and trends. Take your time to improve your job search techniques. Brush up your resume, practice your interview skills and learn how to tender applications for Australian employers. Don't overlook community organisations. Many support migrants and refugees with employment and settlement services. Organisations such as Metro Assist provide valuable support for skilled migrants and refugees during their job searching. As an Employment Support Coordinator at Metro Assist I've seen the positive impact our support and programs have in helping clients find meaningful employment, so it may be helpful to look into community organisations for services that support your pathway to employment. Look into mentoring programs where professionals in your field can guide you through job searching and career development. Be proactive by seeking internships, volunteering, apprenticeship, pre-employment programs, graduate programs, or traineeships to build local skills, experience and references. For example, look into large organisations and company programs offering such opportunities. With the right steps and support, you can find meaningful work in the construction industry. Look into mentoring programs where professionals in your field can guide you through job search and career development. Be proactive by seeking internal shape, volunteering, apprenticeship, pre-employment backgrounds, graduate programs or traineeships to build local skills, experience and references. For example, looking to large an organisations and companies programs offering opportunities with the right steps and support you can find meaningful work in the construction industry.