CSG Posts
There are so many people to thank for the past and continuing success of Central Safety Group after more than 60 years of existence: an impressive roll call of volunteers who have run the group; expert speakers who have shared their knowledge freely; and loyal members who have supported us.
All of this was celebrated last October at our special lunch at Parliament House Victoria. I think the joyous atmosphere that day was enhanced by the fact that it was the first time we had all seen each other in person for more than two years. The networking side to CSG was on show and embraced enthusiastically -some of those connections have borne fruit already. Helen O'Keefe offered the use of her Board Room for our monthly events now that we have moved to a hybrid format -it is a great venue and Helen's generous sponsorship means that we are able to use it free of charge. Several people also offered to be presenters / source speakers / host site visits and we have already had a couple of those speakers this year -more to come.
We were honoured to have Dr Narelle Beer, Executive Director of Health and Safety, WorkSafe Victoria attend and give the keynote address. We welcomed Narelle's commitment on behalf of WorkSafe Victoria to maintain ties with our group, which has been put into practice with WorkSafe Victoria becoming one of three Corporate Members that have joined CSG in 2023.
There were many other highlights of the day, including David Caple AM as MC, and Barry Naismith from OHS Intros giving a fascinating overview of the history of OHS in Victoria. Our longest-serving president, Ollie Matthews, was honoured for his 22 years of service to the group (1998-2022). He had flown in from South Australia for the day, interrupting a holiday in SA & NT!
A scrapbook was handed around with documents and photos gathered over the years, which are forming part of a history being written by our Membership Co-ordinator. If you have any memories or achival material you would like to contribute to this project, please conatct Marina via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I asked our current President, Nan Austin, for her reflections on the event and the future of CSG. She said: "Emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, the CSG Committee confidently proceeded with plans to celebrate our 60 years of monthly discussions on workplace safety with a luncheon at the Victorian Parliament House Dining Room in October 2022. This event was all the more poignant with the recent closure of the Western Safety Group as the only other Victorian regional industrial safety group established under the Department of Labour still operating. Our history is displayed in our formal bank account name as the Central District Industrial Safety Group. I thank all our members, speakers and especially committee members who have supported CSG over these years. We are now planning a strategic review to ensure our continued relevance in the fast evolving sphere of workplace safety. We look forward to your contributions to this activity and our ongoing monthly events. We also welcome your reflections on our past, present and future."
For those who missed it, or others who would like to re-live this special occasion, we have produced a memorable package. There were a few technical challenges on the day, including our original plan for filming the speakers. However, our wonderful secretary Heather Turner saved the day by filming it with her phone and, while it will not be nominated for an Academy Award, it certainly captures the atmosphere well.
Financial members can view it here (log in first)
I received a media release from the Australian Institute of Health & Safety that would be of interest to CSG members -about their endorsement of Safe Work Australia's 10-year WHS Strategy. Here is their statement:
Too many Australians each year die or become seriously injured or ill due to work; this is unacceptable and preventable. The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) endorses the vision of safe and healthy work for all Australians in the new Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategy 2023–2033.
We believe that every Australian, whatever their job, whether in rural workplaces or cities, has the right to healthy and safe work. As the peak national body for the health and safety profession, we commit to supporting the vision of the new Strategy.
“It may be a small note in the purpose and scope, but the recognition that this strategy should also contribute to the work and understanding of all in the WHS system including researchers, experts and practitioners who play a role in owning, contributing to, and realising the national vision is an important reminder of the critical role of our profession”, says Naomi Kemp, AIHS Chair.
Each and every day, our members provide evidence-based and practical advice to organisational leaders on health and safety matters so they can prevent work-related psychological and physical harm to their workers and meet their duties under work health and safety legislation.
Alongside Safe Work Australia, its members, and this new strategy, the AIHS will:
Following the release of the new Strategy, the AIHS will be releasing its new Strategic Plan - Vision 2026 which will provide more detail. “The AIHS looks forward over the next decade to continuing our commitment to healthier, safer workplaces and communities,” Ms Kemp said.
To view the complete strategy, click here.
Free Webinar -Cyber Awareness and Safeguarding of Information
CSG members LinkSafe are holding a free online event on Wednesday 26th April at 2pm AEDT on the topic of Cyber Awareness and Safeguarding of Information, to be presented by Michael Connory, CEO at Security in Depth
As businesses continue to expand their online presence and reliance on technology, the emergence of sophisticated cyber-attacks has become a harsh reality that demands immediate attention.
In this session, Michael will discuss crucial strategies for identifying potential threats, highlight the indispensable value of partnering with ISO27001 accredited businesses, and underscore the significance of adopting robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard the integrity and sustainability of your company.
Join LinkSafe as they equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to fortify your organisation's digital defences and ensure a secure future in the face of cyber uncertainty. 
As it's a free event, it's bound to book out quickly, so make sure you register now via the link here.
Financial CSG members can also catch up with the presentation given to us on this topic by Michael Connory in November 2020 Web Safety Risks. That was our first zoom presentation and it was as timely then as it is now. Michael has a wealth of knowledge and gave a great deal of practical advice.
We were so pleased to have this interesting topic presented by long-time CSG member Rosie O'Halloran. One of the strengths of our association is that we have members who share their expertise and knowledge with us, and that their particular experiences can also be applied in a range of other workplaces.
Rosie began by giving a snapshot of the period from the 1970s to the 2000s and the evolution of design issues with indoor workplace environments. One aspect that hasn't changed much is the tendency for ergonomics to be the poor cousin to design -that it can be sacrificed to an overriding consideration of aesthetics.
Rosie showed photos that demonstrated this challenge as well as other images of poor design from the workplace that was the subject of her recent Green Star project at the Unversity of Melbourne. Rosie developed a comprehensive methodology that includes a range of engagement methods as well as the application of science and photographic evidence.
Rosie gave many practical examples of what to consider when choosing furniture and equipment. It was interesting to see how her project team developed prototypes and mock-ups of furniture that were tested by users and improved prior to manufacture and roll-out.
While the Green Star ergonomics credit rating for interior design requires certification by a Certified Professional Ergonomist, Rosie emphasised that her methodology can be applied by a generalist OHS practitioner, because she has proven that it works and it complies. In fact, she won an award for it! A great catchphrase sums up one of Rosie's take-home messages: good ergonomics = good economics.
Ergonomics is always topical and we have several other presentations in our archives that may be of interest, including David Trembearth's Musculoskeletal Issues - What’s New and David Caple's Sit-Stand Desks (log in first).
We encourage members to follow Rosie's example in sharing knowledge by presenting to the group, so if you would like to make a contribution, please contact Jane Loudon: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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You can always count on Kevin Jones to stimulate discussion about OHS, and his March presentation was no exception.
He started by talking about what he considers to be the 5 hot topics at the moment. One of those topics is working from home, which comes up against the prevailing approach of OHS systems that are based on "workplaces" rather than "work". This issue is linked to another of the hot topics, systems thinking, which Kevin believes tends to be very limited. In particular, during investgations the thinking can become bogged down in old systems and not open to the possibility of change.
Another topic that has been hot for quite a while is that of psychosocial hazards. Kevin had many interesting thoughts about these, including challenges with the traditional hierarchy of controls as well as the tendency for HR to see this as their patch rather than sharing a united front with OHS.
This led Kevin into a discussion of some of the books he's been reading lately on these various topics, and what an extensive reading list he presented to us. On the topic of psychosocial hazards, he started by talking about some books that are "shockers", mainly self-help books that put the onus on the person having difficulties to deal with it themselves, instead of tackling organisational aspects. Luckily there are publications about that do deal with the organisational side, and Kevin shared some of those with us.
It is impressive how well-read Kevin is, and it is not confined to published books alone. He also alerted us to an online research paper along with an interview on RN. The full list can be viewed here (log in first).
One of Kevin's key messages was that he encourages OHS practtioners to be less timid about speaking out, to be more visible and not be afraid to talk about politics. He invites us to join him on the May Day march to highlight the importance of safe jobs! As part of his message, he delved into some interesting ethical topics, including conflicts of interest with big consultancy firms; the profit versus productivity motivation of business and individuals; and even talked about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals that include "decent work". OHS is a fundamental human right.
To learn more of Kevin's insights, you can also re-visit his presentation from February 2022 New perspectives on OHS (log in first).
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On the 14th February 2023, Central Safety Group held its 2022 AGM.
The committee has changed slightly due to Frank Imbesi stepping down from the role of Vice-President. He has been replaced by Christina Rennick, and we have a new ordinary member, Dominic Melling. Congratulations Christina and welcome Dominic! The current committee is made up of the following people:
There were no nominees for the new position of Social Media Co-ordinator, but hopefully someone will put up their hand during the year. The primary purpose of the role is to maintain up-to-date information on our LinkedIn page, blog posts on our website, and develop other platforms over time.
The financial statement shows that our current account had a very low balance at the end of 2022, which was mainly due to costs associated with our 60th anniversary activities. Our Treasurer Cameron Cranstoun also informed members that the website is in need of a major upgrade this year, because the current platform will no longer be supported without it. This will be a considerable expense that cannot be avoided. As our webite is our greatest asset, it is certainly worth the investment.
This led to the first of 2 proposals: that the individual membership fee for 2024 increase to $85 per calendar year. There was quite a bit of discussion about this, as the fee has only just been raised to $80 and it is unusual for the fee to increase in consecutive years. In the end, the proposal was passed with 60% of the vote.
However, it was agreed that there is an option to hold a Special Meeting later in the year to reverse this increase, if our financial situation warrants it. For example, if we boost our membership numbers or if we receive sponsorship to pay for the upgrade. We also discussed having a slightly lower-key event at the end of the year instead of the Parliament House luncheon, the cost of which has increased substantially since pre-pandemic times. If you have other ideas, or can help us secure some sponsorship, we would love to hear from you!
The other proposal came from Jane Loudon: to form a working group to update and formalise the aims and purpose of Central Safety Group. This was passed with 80% of the vote. Volunteers for the working group so far are Nan Austin, Jane Loudon and Craig Ramadge. If you would like to be involved, contact Jane at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Thanks to those who attended the AGM and we are looking forward to another great year!
Log in to view the Minutes, Annual Report and Financial Statement.
It was a great start to a new year of presentations with Helen O'Keefe's insights into the OHS recruitment scene. As it happened to be St Valentine's Day, Helen gave her presentation a cute twist by drawing an analogy between the employee life cycle and a marriage, and it fitted surprisingly well. She covered the full gamut from recruitment as the dating phase; onboarding & retention equating to a marriage; and separation as a divorce. To avoid the latter, Helen gave several tips on how to maintain a happy marriage in the work sense.
She explained how January started as strongly as 2022 did, which had already broken records with the number of positions being advertised. In particular it is specialists that are being sought. Post lockdown candidates have become more selective, which is making recruitment harder. Position descriptions are changing as a result of this, so that they are more like an advertisement to attract people. Helen gave some practical suggestions about how to make a PD more attractive.
Helen also had some great tips during her presentation for retaining staff, and further tips came up during the engaging discussion afterwards. One fascinating insight was how important a platform like LinkedIn has become. Having an up-to-date profile is advantageous for both a candidate and a potential employer, because it can show how well-connected you are and the range of activities you are involved in. In fact, Helen predicts that CVs will become obsolete and will be replaced by a LinkedIn profile or similar.
Helen is such an enthusiastic speaker on her topic and the attendees really appreciated her expertise.
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What a great presentation this was as Ross demonstrated the qualities of the high-calibre speakers we have been able to bring you once again this year. His enthusiaism for the topic and incredible breadth of knowledge shone throughout the presentation. As he said himself, he could have spoken for hours.
The tips he discussed were around scheduling, planning, the audit interview, evidence and corrective action, and he showed how they can be applied to variously sized organisations. The tip he concentrated the most on was the third one, the audit interview, because this is the area most people struggle with. He talked about strategies to put people at ease and emphasised that the core aim of an audit is to verify risk controls and not to trip people up. I certailny felt that, if I were about to be audited, I would like it to be done by Ross.
During the discussion after his presentation, Ross mentioned that he had discovered surprising advantages with "zoom" audits, so it is good to find a silver lining from the pandemic restrictions of last year.
One of the comments from an attendee in the zoom chat sums up perfectly the standard of this presentation: "Great to hear what you have learnt throughout your years of auditing. Love the positive approach."
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In a refreshing change, we heard about a specific industry this month when Ben Thomson from Flight Academy Australia presented to us. While it was fascinating in itself to learn more about the subject of aviation safety, it was inspiring to learn about ways of instilling a better safety culture into smaller organisations more generally.
Ben began by giving a brief overview of the evolution of safety approaches. It was interesting to see how it began with "airmanship", which focussed on the individual, and gradually evolved to the holistic approach of a full-blown safety management system that they have today, where the focus is on the culture.
Ben outlined some new thinking into the 5 ingredients of an effective safety culture that are really useful for all organisations, no matter the size. The one that resonated most with us was the concept of a Just Culture and Ben delved into that, particularly in relation to incident reporting. One of the main challenges is encouraging people to admit when they've made a mistake, because it is counterintuitive for people to do so. The way an organistaion responds has an effect on the value that can be derived from reporting.
Another challenge with reporting is if the process to do so is overly complicated: while it's important to document incidents, it shouldn't be too onerous for the person reporting. This put me in mind of a great presentation a few years ago from David Provan about Safety Clutter, which complements Ben Thomson's advice for smaller organisations. Financial members can access it here.
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Long-time financial member Phil Lovelock gave a really interesting presentation about social sustainability, which is part of the UN Global Compact and yet , according to Phil, seems to have become the forgotten pillar of sustainability (environmental and economic being the other two pillars). There is no information about this on either the Federal or Victorian WorkSafe sites, even though it is the primary duty of government.
However, businesses can and should do their part as well. As is often the case, OHS practitioners are ahead of the game and are already contributing to social sustainability. Phil gave a couple of case studies of larger organisations that are making contributions, but posed the question about how SMEs can also address this important pillar.
One of Phil's suggestions was to embrace external engagement, such as your very own Central Safety Group that not only has a range of resources, but also a network of OHS professionals. Certainly having members of such calibre and experience as Phil, who share their insights, highlights once again the value of our network.
Please note, that the sound quality of the video is not great this month, but the accompanying slides are comprehensive and provide plenty of information.
If you would like to learn more about the UN Global Compact on social sustainability, click here.
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We invite you to share your memories of Guy via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
From LinkedIn News 30 July 2022
I found this interesting article to share:
As the world of work continues to evolve, it's necessary to keep your skills fresh. One economist told CNBC Make It that having in-demand skills during times of economic uncertainty can help you stand out in the job market, especially if you're switching industries. What skills do recruiters want to see on your resume? Flexibility, communication and project management. In other words, show that you can adapt to new environments, effectively communicate and work with a team towards a goal.
Here is the link to the full CNBC story: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/13/in-demand-soft-skills-to-put-in-your-resume.html
Related to this, we had a great presentation by Helen O'Keefe in October 2021 on the current OHS job scene that is worth checking out. The video and full presentation are still available to financial members -click here (login first).
Don’t miss this highlight of Health and Safety Month: Central Safety Group is holding a very special celebratory networking lunch to mark our 60th anniversary.
What an occasion! Compered by Professor David Caple with guest speakers Dr Narelle Beer, Executive Director of Health and Safety, WorkSafe Victoria; and Barry Naismith from OHS Intros, who has some fascinating insights into the history of safety.
Further details to be announced soon.
WHEN: Friday, 14th October, 12:00 - 2:00pm.
WHERE: The beautiful surrounds of Parliament House Victoria's Dining Room
COST: Members: $25 Non-members: $60
To help indicate numbers, please answer a survey question here:
As our first face-to-face event in more than two years, it will be a wonderful celebration indeed!
This was a fascinating presentation, in which Dr Carys Chan was able to take us through some very detailed research in a really accessible manner.
Carys is one of the authors of a paper commissioned by Safe Work Australia and published last year, entitled "Response To Injury: Research to support workers’ psychological responses to injury and successful return to work". It is an 88-page report that gathers research from the past decade, and Carys was able to give us a concise summary of the main findings and recommendations that certainly piqued the interest of all present.
It is good to know that Australia is doing reasonably well in this area compared with the rest of the world though, of course, there is still room for improvement. Carys explained how a multi-disciplinary approach is the most impactful in achieving success. She also spoke about enhancers to return to work, such as removing the stigma of disability and ensuring role clarification.
Other enhancers include characteristics of the person themselves, one of which is education. I was intrigued by this and followed it up with Carys during question time. I wanted to know if that meant a person's level of education or rather how much they have been educated in the RTW process. Carys said it was actually the former: the higher the level of education, the better the RTW outcome. As an example, someone who has learnt that failure is a part of success will have a more positive approach. I thought that was a really valuable message.
If you would like to read the whole research paper, click here.
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