Pacific Pines SHS HSRs: Leading in WHS excellence
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 131 No 3, 22 May 2026, page no.20
The Pacific Pines State High School health and safety representative (HSR) team won the Most Active and Effective Workplace Committee title at this year's Labour Day Awards — a testament to its leadership, collaboration, and commitment to a safer workplace.
Pacific Pines SHS is a large and rapidly expanding secondary school on the northern Gold Coast, now exceeding 2,170 enrolments. The school has long been known for its strong union culture, with active involvement from the QTU, the United Workers Union (UWU), and Together Queensland.
Inspired by the potential of empowered HSRs to drive meaningful safety improvements, QTU Lead Union Representative Nicole Richardson initiated a schoolwide campaign to strengthen existing WHS structures. Her vision was clear: to ensure every work group had democratically elected, welltrained HSRs capable of exercising their powers confidently and effectively.
The campaign was comprehensive and strategic. It included:
- bringing all three unions together to coordinate action
- mapping the entire workforce to establish clear, functional work groups
- calling for democratic HSR elections across all areas of the school
- organising onsite HSR training to ensure HSRs were equipped to use their statutory powers.
The result was the recruitment and training of nine HSRs, one of the largest and most active HSR teams in any Queensland state school. Their work has already delivered significant improvements through:
- strategic and confident use of HSR powers
- data-driven WHS advocacy
- strong cross-union collaboration
- constructive engagement with school leadership and regional office.
The success of the Pacific Pines SHS HSR initiative was built on deep and genuine staff engagement. Members contributed by:
- participating in work group meetings to identify hazards and elect HSRs
- attending onsite HSR training and follow-up workshops
- reporting hazards promptly
- providing detailed evidence — photos, temperature logs, incident reports — to strengthen WHS cases
- supporting colleagues to raise WHS concerns
- assisting in the development of WHS communication materials.
This high level of involvement fostered a strong sense of collective ownership and reinforced a powerful message: WHS is everyone’s responsibility, and everyone has a role to play in creating a safe and supportive workplace.