1. RHONDA MUGFORD
FK GARDNER AND SONS
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
Rhonda is an individual committed to
the achievement of a safe and enduring
construction industry and acts with a
drive and energy that is rarely found
in modern workplaces. In her role as
Safety Advisor for FK Gardner and Sons,
Rhonda is truly a dedicated patron for the
safety and construction industries and is
committed to not only ensuring her work
sites are safe, but also to educating and
coaching others to create a true safety
culture.
Working for close to 13 years in a safety
role with Queensland National Parks,
Rhonda found herself exposed to safety
from a variety of aspects and approaches,
and gained invaluable experience across
a broad range of sectors and projects.
With the opportunity to work closely with
the site teams, Rhonda was especially
interested in the minor construction and
infrastructure projects she was a part of,
overseeing the building of items such as
walking tracks and look out platforms in
the National Park.
The decision to pursue her career in the
construction industry and join mid tier
commercial and civil construction firm
FK Gardner and Sons (FKG) 18 months
ago was driven by Rhonda’s excitement
and passion for creating a safe work
environment and her desire to seek
a new challenge. In this role, she has
successfully developed her already strong
knowledge and understanding of the
safety field to apply to the commercial
and civil construction industries and the
ever changing and evolving safety and
environmental aspects that come with
this progressive field. Rhonda’s knowledge
of both safety, environmental and quality
legislation and regulations, and her
ability to deliver core results under FKG’s
Third Party Certified and FSC Accredited
systems make her a definite asset to the
FKG team.
Rhonda’s current role with FKG has
given her the opportunity to expand
her knowledge of the safety and
construction industries by working with
and advising not only FKG staff but also
the subcontractors she works with on
varying construction projects.Typically,
her regular duties include, but are not
limited to:
The management, auditing and
maintenance of workplace health
and safety at site level
Incident investigation, report
development and the provision
of feedback and improvement
recommendations to all levels of
management
Consultation with Project Managers
and Foremen to assist in Hazard
Identification, Risk Assessment and
Control Implementation
Monitoring of assigned sites to
ensureWHS requirements are
adhered to at all times
The development and
implementation of system
documentation includingWork
Method Statements and Standard
Operating Procedures
One thing that working in the
construction industry has helped Rhonda
recognise is how often and quickly the
industry can change and how important
it is to keep abreast of these changes
and ensure an up-to-date knowledge
of all safety aspects. A true believer in
continuous growth and development,
Rhonda enrolled in a Bachelor of
Occupational Health and Science through
CQU that she worked to complete whilst
holding down full time work and family
commitments as mum to her two
QUALIFCATIONS
Bachelor of Occupational Health
and Safety
Certificate IV in Occupational
Health and Safety
Biosafety Advisor Certificate
Construction White Card
Occupational Health and Safety
Auditors Course
Provisional Auditor in the OHS
Auditors Scheme
Rehabilitation and Return to Work
Coordinator
Traffic Management Level 2
First Aid Certificate
IF THERE WAS EVER ONE WORD THAT COULD BE USED TO DESCRIBE RHONDA
MUGFORD AND HER APPROACH TO SAFETY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, IT
WOULD BE PASSIONATE.

2. RHONDA MUGFORD
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
Matt and Emilia (now 14 and 12
respectively). Demonstrating her personal
resilience and unrelenting passion for
learning, Rhonda successfully completed
her course late in 2012, graduating with
Distinction and receiving the Frank
Evans Memorial Prize for the highest
GPA amongst graduates, a fantastic
achievement. After a well deserved break
from full time study, Rhonda intends
on furthering her academic prowess by
pursuing post-graduate studies with
a view of focusing on the relationship
between environmental management
and safety.
Rhonda has been instrumental in the
achievement of a near perfect safety
record on FKG’s largest ever development
site, theWitmack Road Industrial Park.
Her ability to communicate the safety
requirements for the project to both staff
and subcontractors in a way that is easily
understood and more importantly, in a
way that changes safety behaviour, is well
regarded by her peers and supervisors.
Project Manager Rodney Butler largely
attributes the success of the project to
Rhonda’s calm and guiding approach
to the site teams, and her passion and
commitment to not just showing but to
educating her fellow team members.
‘Rhonda truly leads by example
and has been integral in changing
the safety culture amongst a site
crew that previously didn’t see the
merit in worrying about safety. She
leads and mentors others to achieve
excellence and does so with a kind
and compassionate approach that is
valued by everyone on site, including
myself.’ (Rodney Butler).
Off site, Rhonda doesn’t generally have
much down time, enjoying spending
time with her family camping and
exploring the national parks throughout
Queensland. An avid reader, piano player
and a general advocate for the outdoors,
it’s not surprising Rhonda’s career led her
to work in an environment where she
experiences the best of working outside
in a role that supports her team.
When asked what she believes her biggest
challenge has been as a woman working
in the construction industry, Rhonda is
quick to admit her experiences have been
largely positive and her team members
supportive.While she admits there still
exists some perception that coenstruction
is a‘man’s domain’, she personally
strives to prove this belief incorrect by
maintaining a constant presence on
site, involving herself in relevant site
conversations, and genuinely promoting
health, safety and the environment with
passion and a firm understanding.
Rhonda Mugford is not only a role model
for women in construction but also for
all individuals working in the industry
that need to go home safe. Her non-
confronting, well reasoned approach to
her role has made her a well respected
and relied upon team member and a
true demonstration of what women in
construction can achieve.