CSG Posts
We tried something new this year by holding our annual networking lunch at the Angliss Conference Centre in La Trobe Street and what a successful event it was! A great venue where we had the large room all to ourselves, making it very relaxed and easy to mingle. The food was abundant and delicious - buffet style, so no-one went hungry - and the service was excellent.
On Wednesday the 10th December 2025 Central Safety Group welcomed almost 30 guests, comprising mostly financial members and the CSG committee. It was wonderful to meet up face-to-face, especially with those we had only seen on Zoom previously.
Our President, Nan Austin, gave a short speech in which she confirmed that she will not be re-nominating for the role of President in 2026. On behalf of the Committee, Vice-President Christina Rennick, spoke about Nan's many contributions to CSG and presented her with a Poynton's gift voucher, as Nan is a keen gardener.
It is thanks to our Financial members and Corporate members that we are able to host this important networking event each year.
We received a lot of positive feedback about the 2025 event, so we are planning to return to the Angliss Conference Centre this year. Make sure you don't miss out!
Log in to view the Photo Gallery and re-live this special event.
Happy New Year and welcome to another great year of presentations by expert speakers!
Before they kick off in February, we have a gift for everyone on our mailing list. Enjoy free access to the video of one of our 2025 highlights: David Caple’s presentation about new manual handling initiatives.
Simple safety solutions can make a huge difference for those working in important community settings. Retail, childcare and library workplaces are the focus of this very watchable and thought-provoking talk by highly respected and renowned OHS expert David Caple AM.
You can view it on the CSG YouTube channel
All monthly presentations are free for financial members, and available for a small fee for others to attend or view later online. Last year’s offerings included:
Dr Tristan Casey: The rights and wrongs of safety comms
Rob Dival: Leveraging OHS power & influence
Jane Skillen: Fatigue management in a high-risk environment
Join today to ensure you don’t miss out on any of this year’s events. Meanwhile, please enjoy this taste of the high-calibre presentations on offer and we look forward to seeing you during 2026.
Canada’s Institute for Work & Health has released Work & Health 2040, outlining seven forces reshaping work: collapsing trust in institutions; demographic change; climate disruption; algorithmic management; social isolation; rising hostility, and the expansion of precarious work. None of these trends is new, but together they signal an OHS system facing deep structural strain.
The report calls for rebuilding trust, strengthening protections, embedding equity, preparing for technological disruption, supporting mental health, securing digital systems and protecting precarious workers. The challenge is that most of these levers sit outside the control of individual employers. They require political will, economic investment and cultural change—conditions that are far from guaranteed.
Global instability complicates the picture. The United States, under President Trump, continues to disrupt international norms that countries like Australia have long relied on. Economic constraints limit investment in prevention and climate-resilient infrastructure, while rapid technological adoption risks outpacing regulation. Declining institutional trust and weakened union influence further erode the collective power needed to drive reform.
For Australia, the lesson is clear: we need a Plan B. The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains and reminded us who the essential workers are. While trade and security ties with the US will remain, Australia can still chart its own course on workplace safety, governance and prevention.
OHS is more than a compliance exercise—it’s an opportunity to improve our society in a time of great political change.
Kevin Jones https://safetyatworkblog.com/
We had a wonderful final presentation for 2025, given by Jane Skillen, OHS Adviser for Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) and a CSG member.
Jane commenced her presentation with a brief introduction of VIFM’s 24/7 services to both deceased and living persons. VIFM also oversees the Donor Tissue Bank and contributes to international and domestic research programs.
Her informative fatigue management case study was based on the state-wide clinical forensic medicine team, who respond to physical assault examinations, fitness for interview assessments and traffic blood testing. Within this team the Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNE) are a 100% casual workforce, most with secondary nursing employment. Eighty percent are female, with the majority aged between 40-60 years.
While WorkSafe has a very specific definition of work-related fatigue, VIFM now applies a wider multi-dimensional definition to include mental, physical and emotional fatigue. This was done after exploring the factors contributing to fatigue at work using a robust strategic risk-based approach, in consultation with the FNEs. Jane’s presentation delves deeply into this risk assessment and the control measures introduced to manage the risks associated with fatigue impairment in FNEs.
Feedback from the presentation:
“Sensational piece of work Jane!”
“Valuable presentation and thank you very much for sharing. Your colleagues do some amazing work under such extraordinary circumstances. Great learnings for us.”
I wholeheartedly agree with that feedback; I really liked the education material and focus on self-care.
Financial members can gain further advcie on fatigue management from David Caple's presentation in 2016, Managing fatigue: getting it right, in the Speakers archive (log in first).
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There isn't a day that goes by where AI isn't a topic for conversation, so it was refreshing to hear about how it can be used for good, not evil! John Ansley's engaging presentation demonstrated how you can take safety instructions beyond a mere compliance exercise using his product Knowby Pro, which harnesses AI to create videos that present information in a clear and concise way.
When speaking about the issues his product aims to address, John made reference to Cognitive Load Theory that deals with how the human brain takes in and stores information. Bite-sized information is apparently more effective as a general rule and not just for those of us with a diminishing attention span!
John emphasisied the importance of collaboration as a guiding principle. This is a feature in both the creation of "knowbys" tailored to each organisation and the ability to provide feedback about the product. In fact, John is always happy to receive feedback and ideas on how to make Knowby Pro work better for users. This has led to the development of new capabilities, including ways to capture data to ensure and demonstrate compliance
The most fascinating aspect of the presentation was the live demonstration of how to create knowbys from an existing video as well as from a 16-page pdf document. John spruiked their offer of a 30-day free trial so that you can try it out for yourself: https://www.knowby.co/.
Our very own Gavin Kenny contributed to the presentation by talking about how he uses the product at his own workplace. He showed some great examples, including how he created a knowby for contractors changing over their huge bins. Those of us who attended the Opal site visit in July could really appreciate the challenges in that workplace, and so it was very interesting to learn how some of these are being addressed with the Knowby Pro digital tool.
Gavin has presented to us in the past and is renowned for his approach to using technology in the workplace: keep it simple and make it work for you. You can view his presentation from May 2021, Using technology to make work safer, in the Speakers archive (log in first).
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David Caple AM joined us for his annual presentation on human factors and ergonomics. As always, there was a great turnout, because he is a great speaker full of insights. As a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia, David shared the web address www.hfehub.au where there are really interesting podcasts available for all.
David split his presentation into 3 industry groups, bringing his own personal insights into the safety challenges in these changing environments.
He uses observation and conversation with workers, rather than checklists, to review a workplace. As work demands change in these industries, standard equipment and processes of work used for many years are now safety hazards. A great question David shared with us is to ask ‘Why now?’
David’s presentation includes a host of pictorial examples of hazards, as well as many practical examples of simple changes that can be made to improve safety. These changes can be used across many industries, jobs and at home – we could all use a pick–up stick at home!
Financial members can also view his presentation videos from previous years by logging in, then clicking on the Speakers tab and searching for David Caple.
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Kevin Jones has alerted us to an upcoming event on September 16: From the Eight-Hour Day to the Four-Day Week: Book Launch and Discussion
Join union leaders and historian Sean Scalmer in discussion of his new book, A Fair Day's Work: The Quest to Win Back Time (Melbourne University Press).
Time and Place: 6pm, Tuesday 16 September, Solidarity Hall, Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Carlton.
To be launched by Michele O'Neil, President ACTU. In conversation with: Imogen Sturni, Branch Secretary, Victorian Branch Secretary, ASU Private Sector Branch & Madeleine Harradence, State Secretary, ANMF Victorian Branch
This is a free event -book your spot through this Eventbrite link
The MUP website describes the book as a revealing look at the contemporary crisis of work-life imbalance.
The length of the working day and the challenges of work-life balance are pressing issues for many Australians, as well as lively matters of public controversy. While the winning of the eight-hour day is celebrated as a past industrial achievement, contemporary discussions of working hours often overlook its rich history.
Tracing 150 years of campaigns for rights and for the fair distribution of productivity gains, historian Sean Scalmer shows how these movements successfully reduced the length of the standard working week from 60 to 38 hours per week, and how economic, social and political shifts since the early 1980s have stalled this long-term progress. Today, industrial laws provide inadequate protection for excessive hours, and Australian women increasingly shoulder long hours of paid work with the bulk of unpaid domestic labour.
As debate over our working lives intensifies amid ongoing political, economic and technological challenges, Scalmer's labour of love on the history of work and play affords us a way to understand the past so we can win back our time collectively.
Sean Scalmer is a professor of history at the University of Melbourne and a fellow of the Academy of Social Science in Australia. He researches the history of social movements and democracy, considering both the national history of Australia and trans-national and comparative histories.
CSG members enjoyed a terrific site visit to the Opal facility in South Oakleigh. We had great weather, a fascinating venue and a wonderful tour guide in Chris Coon, Operations Manager for Opal. Chris has been with the company for 10 years and he loves his job. Not only does he have the opportunity to travel the world in search of new ideas and technologies, but he also revels in the creative possibilities that these new technologies offer.
He enthusiastically demonstrated some of the machinery in the facility; laser cutters and digital printers are spread out in the huge manufacturing area, which is full of light and displays some of the amazing and colourful products that these machines can produce. There are even artworks on the wall made by staff (including Chris) using the digital printers.
Chris took us into a cardboard house that was built for a trade show - everything in it, except the lighting, is made of cardboard and it is structurally sound! Inside is a wide range of products that they produce for clients.
Another project made for an expo was the cardboard bar that you can see in this photo. Again, everything is made of cardboard, including the “brass” rails. The counter felt very solid.
CSG Committee Member Gavin Kenny was on hand with other members of the safety team to answer questions about hazards and control measures. While the new machines include innovations to reduce manual handling, that is still the primary hazard in other parts of the processing. The team is working towards an Opal standard across their various sites in Australia & New Zealand to manage this and other risks.
It was a real eye-opening experience as well as a great opportunity to catch up with other CSG members in person.
Thank you, Gavin, for organising the visit, and thank you, Chris for being such a marvellous guide.
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It is always fascinating to hear about different workplaces, and Forensicare is certainly different. Craig began by stepping us through the scope of this service and the health and safety challenges. There are occupational violence and aggression hazards as well as psychological health hazards associated with the work.
The most interesting part, for me, was hearing how Craig entered this field of work without a great understanding of what the challenges would be, but was able to draw on his many years of experience in the health and safety field to face those challenges with great effect. The skills we have as health & safety professionals cross industry groups and a set of fresh eyes and experiences can really make a difference.
Craig offered a range of practical tips that can be adapted to many workplaces. He also stimulated a lot of discussion as proven by the extensive conversation following the formal part of the presentation.
A great talk, Craig, and a great professional development story.
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On a windy, wintry day in Melbourne I decided it would be prudent to tag along to a CSG event, given my role as web developer, video editor, and all-round tech support. Besides Marina and I did need to do lunch!
This proved to be an enlightening experience, especially seeing what is involved with setting up a hybrid event. Marina told me that, most of the time, there is some sort of technical glitch that needs to be sorted out prior to the start of the event. It has been a steep learning curve!
Sure enough, on the day I attended, they did have issues to trouble-shoot. Despite Marina‘s diligent attention to detail, we still ended up with a small hiccup that, inexplicably, resulted in the presenter not being seen on the recording, despite everything looking fine on the laptop.
Aside from these technical issues the event was a delight; Craig‘s presentation was brilliant and engaging. What's more, the location in the boardroom on the 50th floor, 120 Collins Street Melbourne has a magnificent view of the city and the bay.
Despite my initial reluctance to embark on the journey ahead, it was surprisingly really easy. A simple train trip to Parliament station, then a hop, skip and jump around the corner, and I had arrived at the CSG location.
As it turned out, I had a delightful day, an extended lunch, and I would thoroughly recommend the experience.
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Kevin Jones zoomed in this year, but it didn't take away from his engaging presentation, as I'm sure the many attendees will attest.
He began with what he called his "old man rant" - his current view of the OHS world that is guaranteed to provoke our thinking. One issue for him is why there is no outside voice as influential as that of the Trade Unions. This is not a criticism of unions, but rather of the lack of diversity in the voices out there.
As we have come to expect in his presentations, Kevin included an extensive book list and gave an overview of each. You could say that Kevin reads all these books and publications so that the rest of us don't have to, but, on the contrary, a number of attendees were left inspired to delve into some themselves.
What is particularly great about Kevin's reading list is that not all of the publications are directly related to OHS, and yet there is always useful information that can be applied within the OHS sphere. Two such books were The Burnout Doctor and Why Are We Here? Creating a work culture everyone wants.
He also directed us to a recent journal article based on recent UK research, Employee well-being outcomes from individual-level mental health interventions. Full details of all the books he discussed are in the presentation package.
To re-visit Kevin's other presentations from past years, you can do a Search in the Speakers section of our website (log in first).
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Occupational Health and Safety Professionals (OHSPs) have always been the unsung heroes of workplace safety, tirelessly working to ensure that environments are safe and compliant. However, one of the significant challenges they face is the lack of direct authority over how work is performed. This often makes it difficult to implement necessary safety measures effectively.
Rob Dival, the National HS&E Manager at K&S Corporation, addressed this very issue in a lunchtime presentation hosted by Central Safety Group on Tuesday, 13 May 2025. This Zoom-only session was open to everyone, including non-members.
Rob's presentation delved into how OHSPs could leverage power and influence tactics to overcome these challenges. Power, in this context, is based on the perceived values of the intended target, while influence tactics involve the strategic application of this power to achieve desired outcomes.
Drawing from his recently completed Masters of OHS scoping review thesis, Rob provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on this topic. His thesis offered valuable insights into how OHSPs could effectively perform these critical activities, ensuring that safety protocols were not just recommended but implemented and adhered to.
In addition to his academic insights, Rob shared practical experiences from his career, illustrating how he had supported OHS teams in utilizing power and influence tactics effectively in the workplace. These real-world examples provided attendees with actionable strategies they could apply in their own roles.
This presentation was an enlightening session for anyone involved in occupational health and safety. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from an expert in the field and gain new perspectives on how to navigate the complexities of workplace safety. The notion of how much authority an OHSP should have was an interesting point of discussion during the Q&A at the end.
Thank you to everyone who marked their calendars and joined us for this informative and empowering session. Together, we can continue to make our workplaces safer and more compliant, one strategic influence at a time.
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Cancer Council NSW together with EML (Employer Mutual Limited) are running an Employer Forum in Melbourne to gain insight from an employers’ perspective on outdoor worker sun safety.
Workshop objectives:
Help workplace leaders better understand the risks that UV radiation presents for outdoor workers.
Outline the suggested risk controls based on the available evidence.
Explore what implementation strategies would be helpful for workplaces.
Date: Wednesday 28th May
Time: 8am for light breakfast for 8.30AM start – 10.30AM
Venue: FLEX on BOURKE: 500 Bourke St, Melbourne
RSVP BY 26 MAY: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thanks to our former speaker, Shannon Jones from Sunsmart, for alerting us to this. Financial members can re-visit her excellent presentation from November last year, co-presented with Dominic Melling from the Victorian Trades Hall Council & CSG committe member: Here comes the sun (log in first).
I hope that, like me, you occasionally experience a revelatory conversation about occupational health and safety. My latest one was when I asked a colleague for clarification on what is meant by "financial underwriting model". This phrase came up in a discussion about the business blockages to OHS progress.
My understanding is that it refers to the reasons for a company's inability to change its business activities and production processes as quickly as one would want to in order to address occupational hazards and risks. OHS advocates, myself included, often wonder why organisational changes cannot be made to address hazards that we see as fundamental and inexcusable. This wonderment is compounded by OHS guidance from WorkSafe and others that inform us of the changes needed to comply with the law, but without discussion of the legitimate business pressures that restrict progress.
The conversation I had was with someone who explained that employers often hesitate to make necessary OHS changes, because they will complicate the production process, especially if the employer has invested significant capital into equipment, plant or facilities. Making processes safer may require significant redesign of machines or cultural change that will disrupt processes that are vital to the business' continuing success.
To begin the shift to safety improvements, OHS advocates need to explain how it will generate a return on the investment. And by ROI, this is not just the money received from the OHS changes to be made, but also a calculation of the cost of affecting that change, of redesigning the work, of changing culture, or replacing significant influencers who may also be hazardous.
I don't know about you, but I am crap at running a business. My last lesson in economics was a unit of Consumer Studies in high school in the 1970s. I have next to no financial literacy, yet I advise companies on the OHS changes that are needed to comply with their legislative obligations. I accept responsibility for that illiteracy, but I also note that nowhere in any of the OHS courses I have attended has the financial underwriting model been discussed. I also cannot find any discussion of this in the various guidances issued by OHS regulators or even Safe Work Australia.
I am seriously considering my colleague's advice about looking for a suitable project management course or a "finance for non-finance people" course. Maybe someone can develop a seminar or course specifically for the OHS context.
Kevin Jones https://safetyatworkblog.com/
