Josephine Taylor hopes one day her job role no longer exists. Find out why Probuild Constructions’ health, safety and environment manager is our latest Secret Star.
Josephine Kate Taylor, HSE Manager NSW, Probuild Constructions NSW
Three words to describe my job… Rewarding, diverse and collaborative.
When I explain my role to people outside the property industry, I say… My role is to support and educate workers and the industry to achieve safe and healthy construction workplaces.
My three daily work essentials are… Personal protective equipment, a positive attitude and a personable approach.
The biggest lesson I’ve learnt in my role… You must listen to what people say – really listen. Engagement with the person is the key to moving safety from onsite ‘white noise’ to front-of-mind focus.
My career motivation is… I love building relationships with people. I love seeing innovation and industry change. I would like to see roles like mine required less and less as safety best practice becomes the normal way of life.
My advice to others considering a career in my field… Every day is different, sometimes more rewarding, sometimes more challenging. Change can be slow and the messaging repetitive – it’s up to us in workplace health and safety to address how we improve that status quo and make cultural change in the industry.
The building or project that embodies what I do… All projects, all buildings, all workers, the contractors, the suppliers, the clients, the stakeholders and the public. With safety there are many benefits – first and foremost it’s about people.
The inspirational quote I live by… “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – Sun Tsu
This year I’ll be… Returning to work after the birth of our fourth child, working with the fantastic teams at Probuild to further our Building Safety Greatness programs.
Who nominated Josephine? Nick Gaudry, Managing Director NSW Probuild
What makes Josephine a Secret Star? Jo has a keen sense of the business mood and an innate ability to catch us before we fall. She is the perfect fit for her role.
A deep connection with staff allows Jo to go to the final frontier of safety – to get into people’s hearts and minds by forcing them to think beyond the immediate task ahead and to the consequences.
Over the last 12 difficult months, Jo has partnered with industry bodies, championed our engagement with the supply chain and led our response to the bushfires and COVID-19.
She initiated a “Probuild Kids” day at our MLC Centre project which allowed families to explore the construction workplace safely. Our “Look a little closer” campaign was recently recognised by Master Builders Australia as the winner of the highest safety award.
Jo loves what she does, and she loves the people she works with. She goes out of her way to ensure people feel valued and appreciated, creating a positive and safe workplace culture for everyone in our business.
Property Council members, do you work with someone who is deserving of recognition? We’re looking for the property industry’ ‘secret stars’. They might have an unusual job, be running an innovative project, have been a team linchpin for decades or a new addition that is shaking things up. Drop us a line to [email protected]