MOUNT Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health will host a three day conference next week that will focus on improving the safety of rural health workers.
Government policy advisors are likely to be among academics attending the Are You Remotely Interested Conference.
The centre’s director Professor Sabina Knight said the conference was held every two years, and had a different theme. This year’s theme was inspired by alarming incidents including the murder of South Australian nurse Gayle Woodford in March.
“This (topic) is about making sure the issue doesn’t slip off the policy agenda,” Professor Knight said.
“(The murder) sparked it but (rural health safety) has been on the agenda a long time.
“It has just been difficult to get people to take it seriously.
What can we learn from other industries? How do we minimise the risk without reduced access to emergency services?"
- Professor Sabina Knight
“Unfortunately it had to have an awful outcome for people to take it seriously. We have had an excellent response for a call for papers.”
Papers submitted for the conference by researchers, practitioners and students will be examined and discussed, therefore enabling further papers and potentially generating change in the rural health workplaces through attending policy makers.
A key speaker in the conference includes associate professor Richard Franklin, who will discuss what other industries have done and the technologies they have used to reduce harm to their employees.
Dr Franklin will also be part of an expert safety panel which will include Glencore chief operating officer Mike Westerman.
“What can we learn from other industries?” Professor Knight asked.
“How do we minimise the risk without reduced access to emergency services?
“If we look at mining as an example, mining had a terrible safety record but invested heavily and tried many approaches to reach the position it’s in now.
“We’re interested in what they had to do to achieve that.”
