Case Study: Filming a Passport to Safety

Filming a Passport to Safety, a project supporting ongoing education of youth about the importance of workplace health and safety, was one of a series of community engagement projects that came out of an award-winning partnership between Queensland Arts Council and Thiess. The project was focused on Mackay North State High School students who attended a week of workshops and filming using digital videos to explore the consequences of workplace accidents and how they impact on the community.

The films are a tribute to their peer and fellow student, Joshua Altman who was tragically killed in a workplace accident in 2005. Facilitated by Sunshine Coast film production company Earth Base Productions, the students interviewed Joshua’s friends and family, key workplace health and safety representatives, fellow students, as well as other members of the community as part of the project.

Outcomes from the project included providing students with a creative outlet to help them understand the importance of workplace safety, educating students about their basic rights and responsibilities to ensure their safety at work, and providing a lasting film resource for ongoing use in the Passport to Safety program. The project was also supported locally by Mackay/Whitsunday Safe Community Project and Australian Safe Community Foundation.

Image: Participants from Mackay North State High School film Passport to Safety Photo | Earth-Base Productions