Central Safety Group Melbourne

COVID-19 response in Victoria: A union perspective

Date & Time: Tuesday 13 July 2021 at 12:00pm 

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Speaker: Dominic Melling, Lead Organiser, OHS Team, Victorian Trades Hall Council

Topic: COVID-19 response in Victoria: A union perspective

The COVID-19 crisis brought some major challenges to unions affiliated with the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC), their members and workers. These challenges, along with lessons learned and solutions, will be discussed by Dominic Melling, Lead Organiser of the OHS Team at the VTHC in a zoom presentation at midday on Tuesday, 13 July.

Dominic’s talk will cover essential workers who reported to their usual workplaces throughout the lockdowns as well as people working from home. He will review the structural problems that facilitated the spread of COVID-19 and the Union’s role in advising Health and Safety Representatives and members. Using case studies from high risk industries, he will discuss what happened when OHS structures and procedures failed and what lessons can be learned from these failures.

The presentation will outline VTHC initiatives to support HSRs and workers, and Unions’ lobbying efforts that led to changes in Government policy designed to protect workers and the community and to eliminate the spread of COVID-19.

About the speaker:
Dominic Melling has been the Lead Organiser of the OHS Team at the Victorian Trades Hall Council since January 2020. In this role he works with affiliated unions in their collective efforts to campaign for safer workplaces and better conditions for workers. Recent examples of campaigns include the introduction of industrial manslaughter as an offence; exposure standards to crystalline silica and the introduction of psychological health regulation.

Dominic also assists WorkSafe Victoria by liaising with relevant VTHC affiliates in relation to health and safety and workers’ compensation matters.

.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 12 July 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the July Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Celebrating Ollie Matthews

At Central Safety Group's AGM on the 9th February 2021, our President Alan Matthews (universally and affectionately known as Ollie) formally resigned from the position after being at the helm for an impressive 18 years. Ollie's career in OHS and association with CSG is extensive, making him one of the group's living treasures!

He commenced with Fairfield Plumbing in 1966, which became Pratt Safety Systems in 1974, where he was their sole technical adviser. The company specialised in safety eyewash units; safety showers; safe storing and dispensing of chemicals and flammable liquids, as well as manufacture of safety signs, including working with the authorities to develop HAZCHEM signage for vehicles and buildings. It was at this time that Ollie first started attending CSG meetings.

In 1986 Ollie commenced as the first OHS Manager with the now John Fawkner Private Hospital in Coburg. By 1991 he was OHS Manager for five hospitals and eventually became National OHS Auditor for Healthscope hospitals across Australia, a position he held until March 2015. After a brief break of 6 months, he joined the Ramsay Healthcare group looking after two hospitals part-time before retiring from work in July last year.

Ollie has many memories of CSG since he first attended meetings in 1974 and he offers an insight into the evolution of the group. Originally  there were a number of safety groups that all had a connection with the Department of Labour and Industry (DLI), now Worksafe.  Meetings were in a similar format to how they were conducted prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but the venues were many and varied. He recalls that meetings in 1974 were held at the Richmond football ground; later they took place in various hotels, including the Celtic Club, and the group even experimented having breakfast meetings at the North Melbourne football ground. Other venues were the Bryant and May match factory in Richmond, the Australian Ballet in Southbank and a number of meeting rooms in offices in the CBD. He also recalls that there was a period when CSG conducted annual Apprentice Seminars with guest speakers on safety-related topics.

In 2003 Ollie was elected President of CSG and in 2013 he was awarded Life Membership. He has overseen many changes within the composition of the Committee. While welcoming and encouraging the evolution of the group through the input of new Comittee members, he provided continuity and a steady and supportive presence along with a strong commitment to our values.

In addition to his illustrious career in OHS and long involvement with CSG, Ollie has packed in many other interests. In 2020 he retired, after 20 years as board member and 16 years as President, of the Riddell District Football and Netball League. He has umpired 2,038 matches and continues to play and umpire football in the AFL Masters competition. In 2019 he was inducted as a Legend in the Hall of Fame.

Ollie has been a volunteer fireman with the CFA and was the initial Unit Controller with the Craigieburn SES for 10 years. In between all of that, he is a painter of wonderfully quirky emu images.

We wish Ollie all the best in his retirement alongside Jan, his wife of 50 years, their three daughters and seven grandchildren. Family, golf, painting, travelling...he continues to enjoy a rich and fulfilling life, and we look forward to seeing his smiling face at future CSG meetings. Thank you, Ollie, for all you have done for Central Safety Group!

David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, People and Product Safety, Coles.

Date & Time: Tuesday 13 April 2021 at 12:00pm 

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Topic: TBA

Details coming soon.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 12 April 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the April Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Hospital safety during the pandemic

Date & Time: Tuesday 9 March 2021 at 11:00am **Please note earlier start time**

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Hospital safety during the pandemic

When the Covid-19 crisis exploded just over a year ago, the demand for special safety measures in our hospitals was massive, sudden and urgent. Christina Rennick, General Manager Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, will do a presentation via Zoom at 11 am on 9 March about how her workplace responded.
The hospital has a big and complex structure, a workforce of 7,000, and a large number of patients and visitors to protect. Beyond implementing large-scale basic requirements for Covid protection, the safety team had to develop new rules and systems, learn from experience and adapt. This has been ongoing as knowledge of the coronavirus unfolds and the situation in the community changes.
Christina will talk not only about physical safety measures, but also the need to monitor and manage the wellbeing of people in the hospital system during this time. Read more

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 February 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the March Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Central Safety Group news

Central Safety Group's AGM on the 9th February 2021 was action-packed! (Well, as much as an AGM can be, that is.)

A motion to commence the process of becoming an Incorporated Association was passed, and a sub-committee has been formed to facilitate this. It's expected to take about 6 months to complete the process. The main advantages of this move are to establish a clear structure for the group as well as to protect individual members from legal liability.

Our long-serving President Alan Matthews formally resigned from the position (see the separate blog entry about this), and Vice-President Nan Austin was duly elected as his replacement. Congratulations Nan! 

Due to the move to becoming an Incorporated Association, it was decided not to fill the role of Vice-President at the moment, nor to alter the rest of the make-up of the committee. The review of our group and roles within it means that the scope of the Executive roles in particular could change and we want to clarify those before asking anyone to put up their hands to join the committee.

Finally, two new Life Members were appointed at the AGM. Our Secretary Jane Loudon was the first of these. In 2014 when our then secretary John Knowles left the group suddenly due to ill health, Jane became our saviour by stepping into the role immediately without a second thought. She has since established herself as an invaluable member of the committee, particularly in her work securing a high calibre of speakers for our monthly meetings.

The other new Life Member is Marina Milankovic, who has been a committee member since 2006, served as Treasurer from 2008-2015 and, since 2016, has been Membeship Secretary. During the challenges of 2020 she played an important part behind the scenes to ensure that CSG could adapt to the changing situation.

To view the full list (and smiling faces) of our committee and Life Members, go to the About Us section of the website here.

To view the AGM minutes, President's report and Treasurer's report, go here (login required).

CSG AGM

Date & Time: Tuesday 9 February 2021 at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

CSG Annual General Meeting

Central Safety Group Annual General Meeting.  Members welcome to attend.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 February 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the February Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

Speaker: Professor David Caple AM

Date & Time: Tuesday 8 December at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

2020 – what a year! Central Safety Group is wrapping it up with the subject that has had such an impact on our lives and work these past eight months.
Join Professor David Caple when he discusses Covid-19 and workplace safety via zoom on Tuesday 8 December at midday. David has been working on Covid-related projects with the healthcare and government sectors during the crisis..... Read More

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 7 December.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the December Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Web safety – are you taking risks?

Speaker: Michael Connory, CyberCertified

Date & Time: Tuesday 17 November at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Web safety – are you taking risks?

Cyber crime is at an all-time high with so many people working from home and shopping online. Most of us could do a lot to improve our cyber security.

You can receive top advice on this and have your questions answered by Michel Connory of CyberCertified, one of Australia’s leading voices in cyber security, in a midday zoom presentation on Tuesday 17 November.

Michael’s session will be interactive and viewers will receive plenty of tips they can utilise.

This is part of a series of zoom presentations by Central Safety Group while in-person meetings are suspended.... Read More

Note: Financial members do not need to RSVP. Others are required to RSVP and pay by close of business Monday 16 November.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the November Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Central Safety Group committee news

At Central Safety Group's AGM in February 2020 there were a few changes made to the committee.

Phil Kamay stepped down as Vice-President. As a Life Member of the group, Phil has made a significant contribution over many years and in several capacities, including as Treasurer from 1994 to 2007, and as the organiser of many successful Christmas functions. Phil has made a "sea change" and we wish him all the best in his new life and endeavours.

Long-time member Nan Austin returned from New Zealand last year, rejoined CSG and put her hand up to join the committee this year. At the AGM she was duly elected as our new Vice-President. Thank you, Nan, for taking on this important role.

Ordinary committee member Greg Splatt has also stepped down and we thank him for his past contributions. Meanwhile, we have a new committee member, Adrian Glaubert. He comes with experience as an office bearer and in marketing and fundraising for other committees. Welcome aboard, Adrian!

To view the full list (and smiling faces) of our committee, go to the About Us section of the website here.

Customer Abuse: The Reject Shop’s Frontline Solutions

Date & Time: Tuesday 10 March at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE:

Venue: Venue: DXC Technology, Level 19 (Board Room 1), 360 Collins Street, Melbourne
(between Queen & Elizabeth Streets).

Customer abuse: The Reject Shop’s frontline solutions

Customer abuse is a growing problem in the retail industry that can take a heavy toll on workers’ confidence and wellbeing. </ br> Of the Reject Shop’s 6,000 team members, a majority are part-time and 60% are under the age of 25. This means many are inexperienced and particularly vulnerable when faced with customer aggression.</ br> Kenn Rogers, Safety Team Leader of the Reject Shop, will give a lunchtime presentation on 10 March 2020... Read More

Note: When booking for the Event, please ensure you select the March Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here