Rethinking EHS: Global Goals. Local Delivery.

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

Episode Summary

Episode summary: In this episode, host Charlotte Buffoni is joined by Dheepak from Chola MS Risk in India and Giorgia McGuigan from Peter J Ramsay and Associates in Australia to explore how psychosocial risk, mental health and human behaviour are reshaping EHS practice. They discuss why fatigue, production pressure, impractical procedures and fear of speaking up can affect both wellbeing and physical safety. The guests compare approaches in India and Australia, including workforce consultation, behavioural science and the role of frontline leaders in creating safer choices. The conversation makes the case for looking beyond individual resilience or counselling alone. Organisations need to understand the conditions people work in, address risks across EHS, HR and operations, and adapt shared principles to local cultures and requirements.

Episode Notes

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/