Intensive care nurse named inaugural SafeWork SA HSR of the Year
From more than 200 health and safety representatives (HSRs) across South Australia, senior clinical nurse Fiona Noble has been named the inaugural SafeWork SA HSR of the Year. The announcement was made at the 2025 HSR Forum at Adelaide Pavilion on 2 October — hosted by SafeWork SA in conjunction with SA Unions, the South Australia Business Chamber and ReturnToWorkSA. Across all industries, there are about 5000 HSRs in South Australia.
When Fiona took on the HSR role at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in 2022, she was the only HSR in the ICU and represented 500 nurses. Now into her second three-year term as a HSR, Fiona has helped build a team of seven HSRs and deputy HSRs and still represents 110 nurses in her work group.
“Now we’ve got a really good team and we collaborate really well together. It’s about making things easier rather than harder when issues come up,” Fiona said.
“It can be a high-stress environment and that’s when it can become rewarding — because when people are busy, that’s when mistakes can happen. So it’s just a matter of reminding people to slow it down sometimes and it could be the difference between having an incident and avoiding one.”
Fiona has been nursing for more than 20 years, and has worked at both the old and new RAH since 2015.
The primary role of a HSR is to represent a work group — through ongoing consultation and cooperation between workers and management — on WHS matters. While a voluntary role within a workplace, HSRs and deputy HSRs are entitled to undertake training and perform their functions within work time.
“These are things I never thought I would be doing as a nurse. As a HSR you are using a different form of communication and I have learnt so much,” Fiona said. “It excites me, the broad range of things you do. It’s different in every scenario you deal with and approaching people.
“You can get a lot out of it but you also have to be dedicated — you have to really want to do it,” Fiona added. “It’s rewarding and it’s so special to be able to make a positive difference.”
Presented with the award by SafeWork SA Executive Director Glenn Farrell, Fiona was among nine finalists.
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