Still from a WorkSafe Victoria video of Sara Jorgensen (R) with Sally Collier-Clarke
ANMF (Vic Branch) is saddened to hear news of the recent death of Job Rep and Health and Safety Rep Sara Jorgensen.
A Bendigo midwife, Sara was a co-recipient of the 2018 ANMF Health and Safety Rep of the Year award with colleague Sally Collier-Clarke for their successful advocacy around night shift staffing.
At the time their employer, Bendigo Health, proposed to increase staffing for day and evening shifts at the expense of night shift. Sara and Sally methodically identified the multiple OHS risks, including fatigue, workload, stress and potential clinical impacts associated with lower staffing levels. After unsuccessfully raising their concerns with Bendigo Health, they were forced to issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN), which proved successful.
‘Staff were stressed and fatigued’, Sara recalled.
Their advocacy also resulted in being awarded 2019 WorkSafe Victoria Health and Safety Representative of the Year. They became known as a model example of HSRs and a reminder of the importance of consulting with workers for proposed workplace change as 2022 WorkSafe Health and Safety Month Ambassadors.
Sara saw herself as one of the voices for her colleagues. It’s thanks to her (and Sally) for never giving up, even when they were unable to reach a resolution, that members won an extra nurse on night duty. Her tenacity and drive will be missed.
The Branch posthumously thanks Sara for her service and commitments to health and safety. We send our condolences to her family, friends and loved ones.
