Although employees trained in first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation are commonplace in workplaces, the concept of first responders for mental health crises is still very much in its infancy, even though millions of workers take sick leave or paid time off each year due to mental illness.

Despite growing awareness about the importance of safe work practices, the construction sector in Australia is falling short in its efforts to reduce accidents on job sites, a leading safety consultant says. Emma Bentton, founder of mobile application safety systems provider Systems on a Shoestring, said practices had improved throughout the building sector in a number of areas but that gains in outcomes over recent years had not matched those delivered in other areas of the economy.