In the 1800s Augusta Zadow fought for the work health and safety rights of women and young workers that today we take for granted. Find out more about the pioneering work of Augusta Zadow.
In recognition of her work, SafeWork SA established the Augusta Zadow Awards to support initiatives, research or further education that improves health and safety for women and young workers in South Australia.
Application process
Applications for the 2021 awards are now closed.
Assessment process
All applicants will have their submissions reviewed by a panel with short-listed candidates invited to present to the panel in September 2021.
Grant recipients
Grant recipients were announced at a function at Government House on 15 October 2021.
Recipients will be required to:
- sign a contract
- provide a progress report
- provide a final report on the outcomes of the project
- make a commitment to promote the outcomes of the project.
Final project reports are due 30 October 2022.
Contact us
For further information or questions about submitting an application, please email us or call us on 8204 9430.
2021 winners
ACT for Ag - $15,000
Stephanie Schmidt
Project title: ‘ACT for Ag – Building resilient farmers, farming businesses and farming families’.
ACT for Ag is a program developed with the aim of building psychological flexibility and wellbeing of farmers. Based on evidence-based workplace training programs utilising acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), ACT has been shown to improve mental health in the workplace.
ACT for Ag will implement a pilot of the program where participants can learn simple tools they can introduce to their partner, families and farming businesses to cause a ripple effect, leading to healthier individuals, relationships and farming businesses.
While the emphasis for this program is on farming and rural communities, this can be easily adaptable to a range of workplaces and industries.
Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Appleton Institute and SA Ambulance Service - $10,000
- Dr Amy Reynolds
- Associate Professor Anjum Naweed
- Brandon Brown
- Sian Wanstall, and
- Dr Tim Rayner
Project title: ‘I wish I knew ..”: Drawing on the lived experiences of shift work, sleep loss and fatigue in Australian paramedics to proactively develop education, training and support materials for young workers’.
A research project focusing on young paramedic workers to develop a strong evidence base related to shift work and sleep problems in early-career paramedics, which can, in turn, inform sleep health interventions, education and support for our paramedic workforce.
Young paramedic workers are among the most understudied workforce, and this needs to change if we are to support their wellbeing and facilitate sustainable careers.
Other industries and work groups are highly likely to benefit from the findings and subsequent resources we provide, particularly as this work focusses on the impact of shift work, sleep problems and worker strategies. Paramedics are not the only first responders engaged in shift work from the first day of their careers. Other industries (including policing and fire services) could benefit from the overlap in experience related to new exposure to shift work careers.
2020
Stephen Sverchek and Larry Waller
Organisation: Youth Opportunities
Project: Young people in the workforce: A pathway to safety and success
Award: $10,500
Dr Ancret Szpak and Dr Jun Ahn
Organisation: University of South Australia
Project: Testing the effectiveness of virtual reality-based training for forklift operation safety skills among young people
Award: $14,500
2019
Cassandra Deon-Wierda
Project: Responding to client disclosures: Training for hairdressers in recognising and responding to domestic and family violence.
Award: $10,000
Georgia Thain
Project: Work Health and Safety in the sex industry of South Australia: Beyond criminalisation.
Award: $10,000
2018
Alex Thomas
Project: The #PlantASeedForSafety social media awareness campaign with 100 case studies of rural women who have improved safety to engage and inspire others.
Award: $20,000
Sara Howard
Project: To work with VET students to understand the implications of cobots in the workplace, and how this impacts safety for their career going forward.
Award: $15,000
Jaspreet Kaur and Anne Purdy
Project: To develop and translate multilingual fact sheets to support women to better understand the worker’s compensation scheme and navigate the psychological work injury claims process.
Award: $10,000
2017
Michelle Tuckey
Project: Prevention of workplace bullying through risk assessment: final project report.
Award: $10,000
Andie Xu
Project: Understanding the impact of sunlight exposure on hot flush symptoms.
Award: $10,000
2016
Karen Baines
Project: Safety groups for farm women. A farm safety implementation program pilot model for the future delivery of farm safety improvements.
Award: $10,000
Professor Susan Gordon
Project: Preventing and managing aggression in aged care.
Award: $10,000
2015
Dr Olivia Lockwood and Andy Roberts
Project: Developing strategies to reduce workplace injuries for sonographers.
Award: $10,000
Ms Anne Purdy and Ms Janet Giles
Project: Work health and safety risks associated with social and community services workers who are required to sleepover at their workplaces as part of their job.
Award: $10,000
2014
Gemma Beale
Project: The safety of female casual and seasonal workers during South Australia's 'Mad March'.
Award: $10,000
Renae Fernandez
Project: Identifying occupations performed by women that contribute to an increased risk of impaired fertility.
Award: $10,000
2013
Dr Claire Jones
Project: Biomechanic Evaluation of Spine and Knee Loads in Women performing a novel 'arm-to-thigh' technique for one-handed reaching and lifting tasks.
Award: $10,000
Dr Joy Penman
Project: Mental, psychosocial and emotional-safe environments for female immigrant nurses in rural and regional aged care services : an educational resource manual for new recruits.
Award: $10,000
2012
Dr Moira Jenkins
Project: Developing a group program to help workers who have sustained psychological injury as a result of workplace bullying or harassment, and as a consequence are no longer working, to return to safe work.
Award: $16,900
2011
Kathryn McEwen
Project: Building resilience at an individual and collective level for staff.
Award: $10,000
Sharyn Gaskin
Project: The influence of cosmetics on the skin absorption of chemicals amongst female workers.
Award: $9,150
2010
Nadine Levy and Anne Purdy
Project: Experiences of sexual harassment amongst young women workers: an exploration of power and opportunity.
Award: $10,000
Valerie O'Keeffe
Project: Nurses health and safety decision-making and the role of safety information.
Award: $5,000
Jessica Smith
Project: Raising awareness in the workplace of the potential impact of hazardous substances on fertility and pregnancy.
Award: $5,000
2009
Vicki Hutchinson and Belinda Purvis
Project: Management of aggression/violence in a clinical environment.
Award: $8,000
Kathy Grieve
Project: Menopause & work project: final report
Award: $6,760
2008
Georgina Upton and Bronwyn Knight
Project: Risk management techniques for digital mammography.
Award: $10,000
Susan Mitchell
Project: Minimisation of musculoskeletal sprains and strains in the Early Special Education field.
Award: $7,350
2007
Dr Elspeth McInnes and Christy Ward
Project: Supporting the occupational health and safety needs of Family Day Care providers in South Australia.
Award: $12,000
2006
Sharon Henderson, Alex Neill, John Packer and Craig Brown
Project: The three firms combined to produce a prototype motorised 'comfort chair mover' for residents of aged care homes, as well as motorised trolleys for high use and heavy duties.
The Scholarship will go towards funding a multi-language DVD-based training tool, and research to identify other industries where manual handling tasks may affect the well-being of women and to demonstrate the product to them.
Award: $10,000
2005
Alana Hale
Project: This scholarship was awarded to Alana Hale to undertake a study trip to London to participate in the Health and Safety Representative training for occupational stress and to work with the trainers in the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The focus of this work was to identify what had worked well in minimising the risks of stress - particularly in women.
Award: $10,000
Karen Grogan
Project: The project examined ways of reducing bullying in the Public Sector, a major employer of women and also examined how women's leadership styles were being challenged in traditional patriarchal working environments.
Award: $10,000
Augusta Zadow
27 August 1846 - 7 July 1896
Augusta Zadow was an advocate for women's rights in the workplace and became South Australia's 'First Lady Inspector of Factories' in 1895. She was a woman ahead of her time, with many of the working conditions women enjoy today attributable to her advocacy.
She became an advocate for women working in clothing factories and was a major contributor to the establishment of the Working Women's Trades Union in 1890 and was a delegate to the United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia.
An outspoken supporter of women's suffrage, following the franchise of women in South Australia in 1894 she was appointed as a factory inspector to monitor working conditions for women and children.
Augusta is buried in the West Terrace Cemetery. Her gravestone was built with 1,000 threepenny subscriptions from factory workers.
In recognition of her work, SafeWork SA's Augusta Zadow Awards can help you meet the costs of a work health and safety initiative that benefits working women, research or further education.
Find out more: