I am a psychologist with a master’s degree in organisational psychology and twenty-years in safety consulting and advisory roles. For the past eight years, I have been attending critical incidents in the Oil and Gas industry on behalf of an Employee Assistance Provider (EAP). All too often, a late-night call has me packing a bag for the earliest morning flight. I lose a little sleep, readying myself to coach leaders and counsel crew in the acceptance of the new reality when the worst credible outcome has leapt out of the risk assessment matrix and into their lives. And all too often, I find myself in a room siting and waiting; without the information I need to be most effective.
In the life span of a critical incident, every decision counts. Short of prevention, mitigation of risk is the primary goal. The same is true of early intervention in trauma. In today’s discussion, I will share a simple framework that can be used by Emergency Management Teams to triage psychological harm and channel the most impacted crew members towards help during critical incidents. Ways to prevent exposure to scenes of horror and mitigate the risk of vicarious trauma. How peer supporters can apply an evidence-based model of psychological first aid. And how Operators can collaborate with EAPs to ensure that impacted crew members receive trauma informed care.

In 2018, the Australian Human Rights Commission identified that in in 40% of sexual harassment cases at least one other person witnessed the incident, and that in the majority of those incidents (69%), bystanders did not intervene. The oil and gas sector has normalised stop work and intervene as a workplace health and safety practice. What if, as an industry, our workforce was as confident and capable in intervening in harassment as they are when witnessing risks to physical safety?
At MATE, we believe that change starts with the individual. Our training is based on the idea that not only do we have an opportunity to do the important work around raising the bar on acceptable behaviour, we have a responsibility. It is the work we do at an individual level with our peers that has a ripple effect on the people within our sphere of influence and ultimately makes the difference. This is the philosophy that underpins our approach to creating respectful workplaces. We help to develop effective leaders who have the tools to action change within our workplaces and our greater community.
Since 2022, TechnipFMC Australia’s STRIVE team has been working closely with MATE to roll out a training package to its workforce, building an understanding of the role of the bystander in creating a safe and respectful workplace. The content will explore the benefits of active bystander behaviour, why TechnipFMC sees value in investing in the program, and the impact of the program post-session.

The oil and gas sector has made progress towards becoming safer and more respectful for all employees. However, recent public reports, including the Western Australian Parliament’s ‘Enough is Enough’, and increasing engagement from NOPSEMA, continue to demonstrate that sexual harassment remains pervasive across the industry - 32% of people still experience sexual harassment in their workplace.
The social, physical, psychological, and financial costs of sexual harassment are devastating, both to individuals and employers. The damage can carry long-term business and reputational consequences (via Respect@Work).
All Australian employers are under a new, legally enforceable positive duty to take ‘reasonable and proportionate measures’ to prevent sexual harassment. It requires proactive steps to ensure sexual harassment is prevented from happening in the first place. Vicarious liability provisions have been expanded so that employers can now be held accountable - even if no complaints are lodged.
This article will provide employers with a framework to ensure they are meeting their positive duty obligations. In doing so, this article will focus on three key areas that can enable the oil and gas sector to strategically leverage their compliance activities, maximising benefits for their business and for their people. These key areas include:
1. Capability and engagement of leaders and management
2. Understanding the risk factors and drivers of sexual harassment for the industry, and for individual organisations
3. Understanding employee experiences of psychological safety, culture and behaviours.

In recent years the benefits of inclusion and diversity have become increasingly clear. Australian and international studies have demonstrated the significant improvements in innovation, productivity and growth that can be achieved when teams are both inclusive and diverse. However, meaningful progress requires moving beyond traditional diversity initiatives. This paper highlights the potential of behavioural science to address cognitive biases and systemic barriers to diversity and inclusion and how scientific methodologies can be applied to measure impact and return on investment (ROI).
Behavioural science involves the observation, hypothesis, experiment and analysis of human behaviour to draw conclusions. It is now the dominant school of thought at the world's top research and learning organisations. This paper argues that measuring outcomes of diversity and inclusion interventions, organisations can make informed decisions, identify areas of improvement, and refine their strategies to improve ROI. This approach not only ensures that resources are invested effectively but also fosters a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, leading to sustainable and meaningful progress for all employees and stakeholders.
Drawing on international case studies and empirical research, this paper will showcase successful applications of behavioural science in transforming organisational cultures, lifting innovation and redefining leadership.
Ideas for quantitative and qualitative measurements are proposed for application in the upstream energy industry with a particular focus on operational people and performance.