The Habits We Hand Down

Every young worker who walks onto a site for the first time brings something we often forget: no bad habits yet.

They haven't learned to skip the pre-start check because the job's running late. They haven't been told to just step over the barrier because "that's how we've always done it." They arrive with fresh eyes and a genuine willingness to learn.

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The question is, what are we teaching them?

A few years back, I was on a construction site when a new apprentice asked his supervisor why they weren't using the designated access point. The supervisor laughed it off and said, "We only do that when the safety person’s around."

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That apprentice had been on site for less than a week. He filed that away like every other piece of on-the-job knowledge he'd picked up. From that day on, safety became something you practised only when someone was watching.

Right there, in that moment, a habit was formed. Not a safe one. A shortcut. And the lesson wasn't in any induction manual.

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This is the part we don't talk about enough. The formal training is usually fine. The inductions get done. The paperwork gets signed. But what happens in the first week on the job, the real stuff, the day-to-day behaviour they see from the experienced people around them, that'swhat sticks.

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Young workers are watching everything. They absorb the culture around them faster than any toolbox talk or online module can deliver.

So if we want the next generation to work safely, we must be honest about what we're modelling. Are we cutting corners in front of them? Are we dismissing their questions? Are we treating compliance as something that only matters when someone's watching?

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They will become what we show them.

I've seen this done well, too. A rigger with thirty years of experience who stopped mid-job to show a young offsider exactly how to inspect his harness. Not because it was required, but because he genuinely didn't want that kid going home hurt. He explained what to look for, why it mattered, and what could go wrong if it was missed. That young worker still talks about him. That's mentorship. That's how a career-long standard gets set.

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The good news is this works both ways. When experienced workers demonstrate genuine care, stop and explain the why, and treat safety as a professional standard rather than a burden, young workers carry that with them for the rest of their careers.

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The habits we hand them today are the culture we'll live with tomorrow.

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Kris Cotter

Founder: Regional Safety Expo Australia

Director: Synergy Safety Solutions

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