Lauren was nominated for a Best and Fairest Award in 2022 by her peers for her enormous contribution to our Health Working Groups - both east and west. She is a very active member of both Working Groups and provides excellent input at meetings. Lauren is reliable and steps up when tasks need to be actioned.
1. Describe the Project for which you won your ‘Best & Fairest’ Award, and your feelings about being recognised for your efforts?
To be honest I was completely surprised to win the best and fairest award, as there are so many wonderful contributors. I sit on both the Queensland and WA/NT working group - thank god for teams as I am based in our corporate office in Adelaide! I was a key participant in the implementation of the Fatigue Workshop that was run by the WA/NT health working group. Fatigue was identified as a significant contributing factor to mental health risk in the AMMA National Industry survey, with the workshop designed to focus on personal factors for fatigue including sleep, alcohol and mental health which were also key findings in the survey.
2. In your sphere, what Safer Together product or program do you think contributes the most improving to safety outcomes in our industry, and why?
From my perspective I was involved in the back end of the Fitness to Work Medical Assessment Guideline from when I started with Santos in 2021, so from a completely biased perspective the amount of work and effort that went into that was phenomenal, and it will really help to set the standard for pre-employment and periodic medical examinations moving forwards and provide a consistent approach across the industry.
3. On a personal note, if you could live anywhere for a year, where would you live, and why?
Great question! In all honesty I love where I live in Adelaide, we are so lucky with proximity to the city and the beach (it really is the 20-minute city). Once my kids are grown up, I would love to spend some more time in the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The most stunning place I have every had the luxury of visiting, and let’s be serious who doesn’t want to eat Italian food for a year.
4. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
For anyone who is interested in being part of this group, do it! There are an amazing bunch of people on both the Queensland and WA/NT Health Working Groups, and the connections you make are invaluable.