27 years on: what's changed in workplace health and safety, and what still needs to

BLMC turns 27 this month, which feels like a good moment to stop and look back.

I started the business in 1999, after six months working and travelling in Europe. I came home wanting to stay in Albury Wodonga, so I set up on my own. That first year was a lesson in how to be self-employed, and in how easy it is to tip from working too much into burnout.

The work was there, though. Within six months I needed an office and admin support. Within twelve months we had our first consultant.

Then it grew fast. At one point there were nine of us, and I was buying a server and trying to connect everyone in the days of dial-up modems. The technology wasn't the stressful part. It was making sure nine wages were paid, and that every person enjoyed their work and felt part of the team.

What got me through was the team. I loved them, and we enjoyed each other's company. They were professional, kind and caring, and they wanted the business to succeed as much as I did. I invested in the culture, and they were always my priority.

We didn't talk about mental health

Back then, workplaces didn't really talk about mental health. It wasn't part of health and safety, apart from rehabilitation and injury management in the workers compensation space.

EAP was the only language we had, and hardly anyone used it. It was reactive, something that came out after a fatality or a serious injury.

We know better now. The Aussie attitude of "she'll be right" should not be accepted when it comes to our mental health. In 2026 it should be a non-negotiable that health and safety in Australian workplaces supports both physical and psychological health.

And prevention is better than cure. Always has been, always should be. The businesses that get this see the benefits, and they're generally the ones that are thriving.

If I could teach every manager one thing

It would be neuroscience. How our brains work, for ourselves and for leading people.

Seriously, once you learn how people process, communicate and handle stress, and how to keep your composure and reasoning under pressure, everything else is simple problem solving and innovation.

The number of people I come across who can't read the room, and who respond inappropriately because of it, is still way too high.

Where we still have work to do

Psychological safety is the big one, along with understanding how much high resilience matters to health, safety and performance in teams.

On the more traditional WHS side, we need to move away from complicated, legalistic documents and systems. We should not be overwhelming people with overly complex requirements to be healthy and safe.

And we shouldn't lose human connection. In a world that has gone online, nothing beats the brain and body response of being in a safe place, learning and connecting with others. I've missed that since COVID changed face-to-face events and training.

What 27 years comes down to

One moment has stayed with me. I was preparing for a Mental Health First Aid course at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, in their training room overlooking the circus training floor. It struck me that they were one of my first clients, and 26 years later we are still working together. I felt blessed and truly happy.

Be kind, factual and brave, and bring a high care factor for yourself and others. It goes a long way to having your people working well.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of BLMC so far. The work is still the same: helping regional organisations create safer, healthier and more resilient workplaces.