18 JunExpress interest to join the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Action Research Project
Ready to champion safety and drive meaningful change in your early childhood service? Want to build a physically and emotionally safe workplace to enhance your staff’s wellbeing and retention?
Expressions of interest are now open for the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Action Research Project, a vital initiative funded by WorkSafe Victoria and spearheaded by ELAA, in partnership with Charles Sturt University. This project offers an exclusive opportunity to collaborate with ECEC colleagues and leading experts to enhance occupational health and safety across the sector.
What is OHS Action Research about?
The Championing Work Safety in Early Learning Project is a collaborative process where participants work with early childhood experts through face-to-face and online consultations over 12 months to investigate service specific challenges and bring about positive change.
With the Victorian government’s commitment to increase kindergarten hours and the projected need for over 11,000 additional employees, ensuring robust, safe workplaces has never been more urgent.
The research will further explore the role that Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) can have in improving workplace safety. It will examine how HSRs are encouraged and supported within services, strategies for their retention, and how their active involvement can lead to better health and safety outcomes across the sector.
What will your service gain?
- Enhance staff wellbeing and retention – strengthen your workplace culture by being proactive about team health and safety, and increase job satisfaction.
- Customised OHS solutions – directly address your service’s unique challenges with expert guidance to implement practical and tailored solutions.
- Lead for change – contribute to evidence-based best practices, be an advocate for workplace safety.
- Access to expert support – collaborate with leading OHS professionals and gain invaluable mentorship with ECEC consultants.
Don’t miss this chance to shape the future of OHS in early childhood. Secure your place by emailing ohs@elaa.org.au with the header “OHS Champion!” by 17 July 2025.
About Championing Work Safety in Early Learning Project
Despite a significant risk of injury in early childhood settings, HSRs are not as widespread as needed. ELAA seeks to bolster the presence and effectiveness of Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) within the ECEC sector and improve overall health and safety outcomes for employers and employees.
With crucial funding from WorkSafe Victoria, this project will employ a multi-faceted approach with four key components:
- a comprehensive literature review of existing research and best practices to inform a rigorous understanding of HSR effectiveness
- an action research project
- a series of health and safety forums
- a toolkit of resources.
This project marks a significant step forward to creating a more robust OHS approach within a rapidly evolving ECEC sector, which will benefit the dedicated workforce and ultimately, the children in our care.
