The Human Side of Safety: Mental Health, Behaviour and EHS

Episode 7 of Rethinking EHS, Season 3 examines psychosocial safety and behaviour-based approaches as part of a broader, people-centred view of workplace risk.

In Australia, Giorgia describes a shift towards consultation with workers and a more active assessment of psychosocial hazards. Dheepak explains how decisions on the shop floor are shaped by systems, habits and leadership, and describes a behavioural science approach that seeks to understand why unsafe actions occur before choosing an intervention. Their examples link workload, fatigue, production targets and the ability to speak up with day-to-day safety outcomes.

The guests challenge the idea that mental health belongs only to HR or can be solved through employee assistance programmes and personal resilience. They discuss how multinationals can hold to common principles of fairness and respect while adapting practices to local contexts. Looking ahead, the conversation turns to leadership behaviour, human factors, leading indicators and a shift from reacting to incidents towards prediction and prevention.

Guest quotes:

Giorgia McGuigan:
“We have to consult our workforce. We have to reflect on the changes. We have to assess the risk and then action the risk.”

Dheepak:
“We have to look at the systems, the culture that we have driven.”

Timestamps:

• 00:00:03 – Introduction: Psychosocial risk and a broader view of EHS
• 00:01:34 – Introducing perspectives from India and Australia
• 00:02:15 – Why psychosocial safety is gaining attention
• 00:03:56 – How human factors influence safe choices
• 00:05:43 – Australia: From compliance to practical risk management
• 00:07:31 – Workplace consultation and preventative support
• 00:08:57 – Balancing immediate help with long-term prevention
• 00:09:17 – Organisations seek guidance on psychosocial risks
• 00:10:26 – Beyond traditional behaviour-based safety
• 00:13:11 – Understanding why unsafe behaviour occurs
• 00:15:31 – Procedures, change and barriers to speaking up
• 00:17:20 – Comparing operational risks across regions
• 00:20:32 – Leadership and common mental health myths
• 00:23:29 – Why mental health is an organisation-wide issue
• 00:25:50 – Global principles and local approaches
• 00:26:21 – Fairness, respect and cultural context
• 00:30:47 – Integrating psychosocial risk into EHS systems
• 00:34:53 – Leadership, culture and frontline safety
• 00:40:28 – From incident response to prediction and prevention
• 00:43:37 – Closing reflections and where to follow the series

Links:

https://Inogenalliance.com/resources

https://Inogenalliance.com/podcast

Charlotte Buffoni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-buffoni-a42b9629/

Giorgia Mcguigan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giorgia-m-2765241a5/

Dheepak Sithra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsdheepak/

Sponsor Copy Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of 70+ companies providing environment, health, safety, and sustainability services, working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally.

Visit inogenalliance.com to learn more.

Produced by https://madcontent.co.nz/