CSG Posts
Over the last two weeks of Health and Safety Month 2021, WorkSafe Victoria ran free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics. The theme for the month was “You learn something new every day”.
For the above topic the presenters were all from WorkSafe Victoria: Sarah Hellwege, Senior Psychological Health & Safety Specialist; Samantha Harrison, Principal Ergonomist; Renee Walsh, Program Officer; and Lucas Kowalski, Return to Work Manager.
All presenters agreed that the current conditions regarding return to work were challenging.
Sarah Hellwege stated that resilience and coping skills have taken a hit and that psychosocial hazards include the design and management of work. Isolation and family responsibilities have caused extreme pressure along with return to work employees dealing with an increased client load, longer hours and dealing with stressed clients.
Organisational support is often missing and, with changes taking place at a quick rate, this leads to uncertainty. To overcome this, she recommends that there be regular catch-ups with Managers as well as meetings with teams and other sections in HR.
Managers need to know what to do if they see that someone is struggling, not motivated or not their optimal self:
Renee Walsh recommended a review of job roles so that safety could be ensured for both working spaces (at home and in the office) for those working in hybrid roles. With this becoming the “new normal”, organisations must re-think the way their employees work. Good work design is the key and must include environmental considerations.
Renee’s recommendations:
Samantha Harrison reiterated that contact and consultation with employees is essential for both their physical and psychosocial safety. However, employees have responsibilities to report problems to their team leader for early intervention. Resources are available on the WorkSafe website including information on COVID, mental health guidance material, fact sheets and the WorkWell Tool Kit.
Lucas Kowalski stated that return to work fundamentals still apply in the current situation. Communication with the injured person is still important and visits to the workplace should still take place. The injured person still requires regular updates to stay informed about what is happening at the workplace.
The Manager should be aware of secondary mental injuries in instances where the injured person was working from or recovering at home. The transition to the larger office or workplace can be stressful for many people. Consider what they will be doing when they return on the first day, first week etc. Re-training or up-skilling can take place outside the workplace.
Information that came out of the Q&A session:
The webinar is now available on the WorkSafe Victoria Youtube channel here.
The February event was a great start to our 60th anniversary year with Life Member Kevin Jones presenting to the group. Kevin always has interesting perspectives on current OHS issues to stimulate our thinking. Some provocative ideas to start the year inspire and revive us after the last two years of dealing with the pandemic.
I was particulalry taken with Kevin's assertion that OHS practitioners can become very insular and narrow-focussed whilst fulfilling the needs of a particular employer; that there is little OHS activism as well as a failure to see OHS within a broader social context. It was also challenging to ponder the limitations of the catch cry of taking "reasonable care".
Kevin demonstrated the way in which lateral thinking can enhance one's perspective on OHS by discussing some recent publications, some of which are not straight OHS books. He shared with us his methodology for finding books that are relevant to OHS practice even when there is no mention of safety in the title. His curious mind is a real boon for us, as he is able to discover interesting publications that we might otherwise be unaware of.
Kevin also discussed publications that are on OHS topics, including an article providing a new definition of a "safe system of work" that sounds fascinating. Details of the books he discussed can be found in his presentation notes as well as in the Further Reading section of the website (log in first). Kevin also pointed out that a very valuable resource is the WorkSafe library in Geelong.
There are plenty of other past presentations by Kevin on our website, including his discussion of some other publications in a short video as part of our free CSG Talks series in 2020, A look at some new thinking.
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Over the last two weeks of Health and Safety Month 2021, WorkSafe Victoria ran free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics. The theme for the month was “You learn something new every day”. I attended the session about Building Leaders under the auspice of WorkSafe's WorkWell program. It was an interview style format featuring Siusan MacKenzie, CEO Emergency Services Victoria; Dr Stephen Carbone, CEO Prevention United; and Tom Ruijs, Senior Consultant, AP Psychology and Consulting Services.
Each presenter was interviewed about their organisation, focussing on mental health wellness tools they had developed for training leaders.
Emergency Services Victoria (ESV) has 14 agencies within their network. They identified that Team Leaders, who are next in line to staff working with the public, required leadership development. In a number of instances they had been promoted due to their technical rather than leadership ability. ESV developed a course that was a meld of mental health first aid and management skills. The course included information on understanding the problems their team faced in day-to-day work as well as what it took to be a good leader.
Normally the different agencies work in silos, but it was recognised that leadership is a shared issue. Fifty two people from 11 agencies were involved in the project, including paid and volunteer staff, with plans developed to implement the findings.
ESV is now working on phase 2, taking lessons from the initial work and developing further training with single agencies. This phase will focus on older workers and those approaching retirement, asking “What do they know now that they wished they had known earlier?” An important quality is to listen to people’s stories about the problems they had faced in their job. With respect to retirees, it was found that they needed support after they left the job; talking to ex-colleagues was good for debriefing, offering support and communication.
Prevention United (PU) are working on a project collaborating with universities and residential aged care with the aim of improving the work environment. The project allows staff to rate their workplaces, nominate key psychosocial issues and make suggestions for improvement. Resources were provided to assist.
Unfortunately, residential aged care was badly affected by COVID and the Royal Commission. Face-to-face contact was impossible, making remote and virtual contacts the only options. This, along with time and work pressures, led to low morale. Psychosocial issues identified included culture, fairness and lack of teamwork. The PU team have finished the formal part and are now looking at ways to implement the findings.
It was found that you can’t rely on self-directed learning; there is a need for face-to-face conversation. A digital tool has some advantages, but joint training sessions have the best results. There is also a need to address the perceived stigma of the word “mental” in mental health.
AP Psychology and Consulting Services also worked with five universities to gain an insight into their risk profile and psychosocial issues. Both staff and leaders were involved and the aim was to develop training programs and practical solutions.
It was found that leaders need to interact with each other, as well as their direct reports, and they need to empower the workforce to work together. There needs to be an understanding of what leaders can do and what they can actually control. All were encouraged to look for signs and symptoms of stress in others and to have a conversation with them. Leaders need to know what supports are available and how to provide the right guidance.
AP has developed a tool that 1,000 people are currently working through. They are monitoring the program to identify which modules are the most useful so that they can expand the information and assistance available. They also determined that a multipronged approach is best that includes communicating directly with people.
Information that came out of the Q&A session:
The webinar is now available on the WorkSafe Victoria Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_74K_n1F6Sk
CSG had a relaxed finish to the end of the year with an informal zoom event on December 14th.
The results of our recent survey on topics for 2022 seminars were discussed, with the top five listed below. Interestingly, the least popular topic was COVID. I wonder why?
There is a clear preference for continuing recorded zoom sessions, though there is still a demand for face-to-face networking opportunities. The committee has already been considering how to offer hybrid events to meet these needs.
The zoom attendees were invited to share their workplace experiences over the past year. Cameron spoke about his work with a national recruitment business that includes electrical drafting. As an essential service, business has continued as usual under COVID, except for the challenges of site visits and new rules, such as mask wearing and vaccinations.
As Bryce is based in Albury/Wodonga working for a global company, he has spent most days dealing with multi-jurisdiction COVID issues rather than core business.
David shared his experiences in a national role with Coles, with 120,000 team members across 850 stores. Like many businesses, Coles has had to develop new COVID-safe ways of working.
This forum was a great opportunity to hear from our members and share some personal experiences.
We hope you all enjoy a wonderful safe Xmas and will join us in our 60th Anniversary year.
If you would still like to particpate in our VERY SHORT survey, the link is below. We are always keen to hear your views on which topics and types of events are of interest to you. CSG Network Survey
Over the last two weeks of Health and Safety Month 2021, WorkSafe Victoria ran free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics. The theme for the month was “You learn something new every day”. I attended the session about the new Silica regulations, which was presented by Bryan Monch and Meryll Ashton from WorkSafe, and Dr Ryan Hoy, Respiratory Physician & Senior Research Fellow, Monash University, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health.
Both engineered and natural stone contain significant amounts of crystal silica (SiO2), with engineered stone having the higher content. Inhalation of silica dust can lead to the disease silicosis. There are three types of silicosis – chronic, accelerated and acute – based on the level of dust and the length of exposure. It is a scarring disease and effects range from shortness of breath and wheezing to lung cancer, kidney disease and auto-immune disease. Smoking exacerbates the effect of silica inhalation.
The new Regulations were introduced in 2019 and come into effect in May 2022. They aim to address a lack of information on the hazards of silica across the supply chain, many of whom are small businesses or sole traders.
These Regulations will mainly affect manufacturers and suppliers of engineered stone, who will be required to be licensed and have controls in place that will be assessed by specialist WorkSafe Inspectors. For those organisations working with non-engineered stone, they will be required to have controls in place such as Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS).
A transition period for both the engineered and non-engineered stone work commenced on 15 November 2021. WorkSafe Victoria has created a Silica Field Team of Inspectors, who will visit workplaces to assist employers comply with the new requirements.
Some key controls:
There is now a specialist screening clinic at the Alfred Hospital.
Information that came out of the Q&A session:
WorkSafe Victoria will make an edited version of the webinar available on their website in late November.
As Central Safety Group approaches the impressive milestone of its 60th anniversary in 2022, the Committee is busy planning the year's speakers and events.
We are seeking your input via a VERY SHORT survey -just 4 questions. Please click on the link below and take a few minutes to tell us which topics you want to hear about next year and the types of events you'd be interested in attending.
Thank you in advance and we will share the results at our networking event on December 14th.
We had an amazing turnout for our last presentation of the year, which was not surprising considering the topic and the calibre of speaker. Natasha Lazareski's presentation covered some interesting ground that included the inherent contradictions one must face as we all venture back to work post the latest phase of the pandemic.
One such contradiction is within our reactions to situations, where our instinct can be in conflict with a more rational response. Natasha advised organsiations to normalise the fact that we all have different responses to COVID, but still to establish clear guidelines for the workplace that all must follow. Another aspect of this balancing act is to ensure that you don't give out mixed messages, because this can erode trust. We only have to think of how that played out in the community when authorities communicated ever-changing rules and information.
With communication being such a key to successful return to work, Natasha said she believes that workplace Health & Safety Representatves will become the new frontline heroes. That was a great way to emphasise the importance of those roles!
Natasha's presentation went at a cracking pace with a lot of information in her slides, some of which were skipped over due to time constraints. Therefore, do check out the powerpoint slides as well as the video itself.
If you'd like to hear more from Natasha, you can also take a look at her short video as part of our free CSG Talks series last year, Workplace safety in pandemic times.
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Over the last two weeks of Health and Safety Month 2021, WorkSafe Victoria ran free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics. The theme for the month was “You learn something new every day”. I attended the session about Welding Fumes, which was presented by Dr Tim Driscoll, School of Public Health, University of Sydney and Alex Simovski, Senior Occupational Hygienist, WorkSafe.
Some tips for control:
WorkSafe Victoria will make an edited version of the webinar available on their website in late November.
For more information, please contact the project coordinator Dr Linda Shen on 0423 855 748 at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Over the last two weeks of Health and Safety Month 2021, WorkSafe Victoria ran free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics. The theme for the month was “You learn something new every day”. I attended the session about the new Dangerous Goods (Storage & Handling) Regulations, which was presented by members of the WorkSafe Dangerous Goods Strategic Inspection Team as well as one of their Senior Dangerous Goods Advisors.
The 2018 fire in West Footscray and the 2019 fire in Campbellfield resulted in a review of the DG Regulations, particularly around the notification to WorkSafe of the storage of large quantities. This resulted in an amendment to the regulations, which came into effect on the 1st July 2021. Prior to this, occupiers storing above ‘manifest’ quantities were required to notify WorkSafe every 5 years using the prescribed hard copy proforma. As of 1st July 2021, occupiers now must notify WorkSafe every 2 years. Importantly, occupiers must re-notify WorkSafe before the end of the 2021 calendar year despite what their current certificate states.
Notification can now only be made via the online proforma/portal located on the WorkSafe website https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/dangerous-goods-storage-and-handling-notification
Extra information required includes the packing group of the chemical, and information confirming the written advice from the emergency services (fire authority), as required by regulation 55. In addition, occupiers must submit a new notification when there are changes to the quantities stored (above manifest quantities).
The DG Strategic Inspection Team at WorkSafe was created to look after about 230 sites that store large quantities of dangerous goods, excluding Major Hazard sites. They include sites with a potential for an off-site impact, e.g. toxic release, and cover a range of industrial sectors, i.e. food manufacturers, cold storage sites and water treatment businesses.
There are 6 inspectors in the team and each is assigned a specific business. In a number of instances the have made joint visits to sites with Fire Rescue Victoria and the EPA. The main areas they examine are: the risks of the business; control of ignition sources; emergency planning; fire protection systems; waste storage; maintenance of equipment; permit-to-work systems; induction and training with respect to dangerous goods. There are also 4 senior DG advisors, who support the inspectors and authorised explosive offices. They also participate in various DG regulatory committees.
Information that came out of the Q&A session:
• Hard copies of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) are still required for transport drivers.
• The chemical manifest (where required) must be displayed at the main entrance to a site, with multiple copies required for multiple locations.
• Quantities of waste chemicals must be included on the manifest.
• No on-the-spot fines (infringement notices) are currently applicable to this legislation.
• Emergency services require hard copies of SDSs in the red emergency box, especially those for high risk chemicals.
• Employees need to be trained to deal with emergencies.
WorkSafe Victoria will make an edited version of the webinar available on their website in late November.
We are proud to announce that, as of 16th October 2021, we are an Incorporated Association. Financial Members will recall that, at the 2020 Annual General Meeting in February this year, a resolution was passed to commence the process of incorporation, and now that is complete.
As a result there have been a few changes to roles within the Committee and these remain until the next Annual General Meeting to be held in 2022. The Committee comprises 4 office bearers and 3 ordinary members.
Office Bearers:
President - Nan Austin
Vice President - Frank Imbesi
Secretary - Heather Turner
Treasurer - Cameron Cranstoun
Ordinary Members:
Jane Loudon - Events Co-ordinator
Marina Milankovic - Membership Co-ordinator
Christina Rennick
The Constitution has been replaced by the Rules of CSG Inc. In addition there is a one-page Membership Policy. We urge all Financial and prospective members to read these documents.
This is an important step for the Association, and the Committee continues to work hard to provide value for members and our broader network.
CSG Member Jacqui Bloink has alerted us to the Crisis Intervention Management Australasia (CIMA) Biennial Conference titled “Pandemic Trauma- Person Place Environment”. It will be an interactive 3.5 hr Live Streamed event on Wednesday 10th November, 2021 at noon (AEST).
Jacqui runs the St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) STAR Peer Support Program, of which CIMA is the professional affiliate. CIMA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides education, training and support for workers in emergency services, health care and related agencies in managing the impact of psychological stress and trauma in their work.
The conference will offer insight into models of practice by leaders in the field, who have implemented change using critical response frameworks during the pandemic. Speakers include Patty Stewart McCord from Canada and Angela Lewis from the UK, both of whom will have specific lessons for health care workers as we plunge into the Wave 3 surge.
Dr Antony Tobin will be representing SVHM on the panel and his expertise as an Intensive Care Specialist & Epidemiologist and current experience as their Chief Medical Officer is a great drawcard.
For more information and to register, here is the link: https://www.cima.org.au/conferences/pandemic-trauma-2021-short-virtual-conference
As the flyer for the event says, the words Pandemic and Trauma were probably not seen together before 2020. It should be a fascinating session.
Jacqui actually gave a great presentation to us in August 2017 outlining SVHM’s award-winning Peer Support Program, so I urge you to check it out here (log in first).
There was a lot of interest in this very timely and fascinating presentation. As Helen said, the current job scene in OHS is HOT and, as it is likely to stabilise next year, now is the time to pursue new opportunities if that has been on your mind. It's a candidate's market!
It was heartening to hear that the pandemic has had one positive effect in that the reputation of OHS has been boosted, making it a great career choice.
Helen shared some interesting national statistics on recruiting that showed the most sought-after job categories. She also offered valuable advice to both potential candidates and organisations looking to fill roles.
Helen conducts a regular podcast series where she talks to CEOs about OHS, which you can learn more about at https://www.hoktalentsolutions.com.au/podcast-webinars/
If you are interested in OHS job opportunities a bit further afield, check out Nan Austin's presentation from July 2020 about her experiences in New Zealand: Safety shake-up across the Tasman, which you can access here (log in first)
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WorkSafe Victoria is running Health and Safety Month again this October and the theme is "You learn something new every day".
As a part of the activities, free 45-minute webinars on a variety of topics are being run via zoom, so you can attend from the comfort of your own home!
A few of the highlights are:
October 20: Prosecution case studies; The infringement notice scheme; Work-related violence in community care
October 21: Workplace mental health; Safety within the multicultural community
October 25: Organisational culture; Systems thinking
October 26: A new approach to manual handling training; Tools for HSRs: prevent and respond to workplace gender violence
October 27: Tips for remote and flexible working; Predicting psychological safety
October 28: New Regulations for dangerous goods storage and handling and for silica; Welding fumes
October 29: The importance of HSRs to business; Improving return-to-work outcomes for mental injuries
Further details on the speakers and topics, as well as registration for the webinars, are available on the WorkSafe website here: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/events
