In my experience, the most effective health and safety professionals aren’t just technically competent, they’re also great communicators. They know how to speak the language of business, not just the language of compliance. They understand that convincing a manager to invest in safety isn’t about quoting regulations; it’s about framing safety as a strategic advantage. It’s about knowing how to coach leaders, so they can coach their teams. That’s not something you learn from a textbook.
What we need is a smarter approach to training, one that recognises the complexity of real workplaces and the diversity of the people within them. That means creating environments where professionals can learn not just from tutors, but from each other. Where they can debate ideas, challenge assumptions, and share stories of what worked, and what didn’t, in their own organisations.
This kind of learning happens best face to face. When people sit around a table and bring their own perspectives to a problem, they broaden each other’s thinking. Someone from a high-risk industry might approach a hazard very differently from someone from a low-risk environment – and both have something valuable to contribute. The dynamic exchange of ideas, the ability to test your thinking in a safe space, and the confidence that comes from being heard – these are the foundations of real learning.
It’s also about building the courage to speak up. Many health and safety professionals are managing risk in real time while they’re studying. They’ve tried things that failed, but also implemented solutions that have succeeded. Sharing those experiences helps others avoid the same pitfalls, and it builds the kind of resilience that’s essential in this field.
Importantly, face-to-face learning helps develop the confidence to manage both up and down. Health and safety professionals often need to challenge senior leaders, and that requires more than technical knowledge – it requires emotional intelligence and strategic communication. You can’t just say, “It’s good for the workers.” You have to make the case in business terms. You have to understand what matters to the decision-makers and speak their language.
This is especially critical in New Zealand, where we tend to tolerate “close enough” in health and safety – something we’d never accept in quality control or customer service. We fix problems after they happen, rather than invest in prevention. That mindset needs to change. And changing it starts with training leaders who understand not just the rules, but the reasons behind them.
That’s why it’s encouraging to see a growing number of professionals committing to deeper learning. This month, the EMA will celebrate a milestone: 100 graduates from our NZ Diploma in Workplace Health and Safety Management (Level 6) programme. It remains the only face-to-face Level 6 qualification for health and safety professionals in New Zealand – and it’s part of a broader suite of EMA health and safety courses that span from Level 2 through to Level 6.
These graduates aren’t just ticking boxes. They’re leading change. They’re applying what they’ve learned to real-world problems, and they’re helping others do the same. They’re building cultures of safety, not just systems of compliance.
If we’re serious about improving our national record, we need more of this. We need to invest in people, not just policies. We need to recognise that health and safety is a leadership challenge, not just a technical one. And we need to create learning environments that reflect that reality.
Because at the end of the day, safety isn’t just about preventing harm. It’s about enabling people to do their best work, in the best possible conditions. And that starts with how we train the people responsible for making it happen.
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