The annual awards were presented by His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia at an event held at Say.Kitchen on Monday, 12 October 2020.

The two projects successful in receiving grants will be testing the effectiveness of VR-based training for forklift operation and if they can be applied in a practical workplace setting; and an initiative to engage with high school students in co-designing workshops in work health safety to address risks faced by young people.

About Augusta Zadow Awards

Each year, SafeWork SA funds projects that will improve the work health and safety of working women and young people.

The awards commemorate Augusta Zadow, who was an advocate for women’s rights in the workplace – particularly in clothing factories – and became South Australia’s “First Lady Inspector of Factories” in 1895.

SafeWork SA awards grants annually to projects that address a work health and safety issue faced by women and young people at work or seek to significantly improve health and safety for women and young people at work through research or education.

Martyn Campbell, Executive Director SafeWork SA said, “We were delighted with the number of applications in this year’s Augusta Zadow Awards and would like to congratulate the very worthy initiatives."

"It is an honour to continue the legacy of Augusta Zadow and fund projects that provide outcome-based solutions to improve the health and safety for young people and women in the workplace.

While we have made great strides forward since the time of Augusta Zadow, the recent workplace fatalities over the last few weeks in South Australia, remind us that we still have a lot more than we can do to improve.

Young workers are at risk in the workplace as they often have no to limited work experience and knowledge. These two initiatives are positive steps forward to provide training and guidance to work towards improving the number of work-related incidents involving young people”, said Mr Campbell.

2020 Augusta Zadow Award recipients

Dr Seungjun Ahn and Dr Ancret Szpak, University of South Australia - $14,500

Project title: Testing the effectiveness of virtual reality-based training for forklift operation safety skills among young people

Virtual reality has demonstrated to be effective in training complex cognitive skills and situational awareness. This project aims to test the effectiveness of VR-based training for forklift operation with a focus on young workers.

Both of these skills are highly relevant in mobile plant operation and provide a promising avenue for safety in many industries where forklifts are used. The training will provide training on unsafe situations in a safe environment

The project will prove the effectiveness of VR training by demonstrating that the skills learnt in VR can be applied to a real-world situation.

Larry Waller and Steve Sverchek, Youth Opportunities - $10,500

Project title: Young people in the workforce: a pathway to safety and success

Young workers are at risk in the workplace, due to their lack of experience and knowledge of work health and safety risks and responsibilities.

The initiative seeks to address this risk by upskilling our future workforce to have a greater understanding of work health safety by delivering quality workshops developed, designed and delivered in partnership with students.

Youth Opportunities’ core program is run across South Australia and will enhance the understanding of approximately 300 students annually.

This year’s award recipients honour Augusta’s legacy in positively impacting young worker’s safety at work, as well as benefiting the wider community, said Martyn Campbell.

“I congratulate both the winners and look forward to seeing their projects completed and helping to improve the work health and safety of working women and young workers.”

Read more about previous winners and details of their projects.