The rights and wrongs of safety comms

Our March speaker, Tristan Casey, zoomed in from Brisbane; luckily ex-tropical cyclone Alfred had moved on, so the technology hung in there!

Tristan shared some very interesting research about issues with safety communication and the effects they can have on the safety climate of an organisation. One study looked at the "White Noise" problem of saying too much, while another looked at the "Tumbleweeds" problem of saying too little.

His own research was the main focus of the talk, however, and he honed in on the skills required by Supervisors to communicate effectively, as they are important conduits for this. He presented practical tips based on his research, includimg a project he undertook in collaboration with the recruitment agency Protech. The presentation package on our website includes his WHS Communications Guidelines developed for the Rural Safety & Health Alliance, as well as the white paper he produced from his work with Protech.

Our own Rob D'Elsini, who is a WHS Business Partner at Protech, contributed to the presentation by talking about how they have used Tristan's insights to improve safety comminication at all levels in their organisation as well as with their clients. One example is starting a toolbox talk with a discussion called STCKY: Stuff That Could Kill You -if that doesn't grab people's attention, I don't know know what would!

A big take-away from the presentation, and the subsequent audience discussion, is how we need to tailor and adapt communication to different cohorts and embrace the emerging technological tools available to us. There is certainly a great deal of innovation developing and it was great to have Tristan and Rob share some of their innovative ideas.

Financial members can access the full presentation on the CSG website. Also, check out last year's presentation from Troy Winn A visual approach to inductions (log in first); it was a great example of how to improve Supervisors' communication skills through the use of short videos.

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Super-charging safety

Date & Time: Tuesday 8 April 2025, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation - via zoom or in the room

Speaker: Catherine Itman, Safety Specialist, Safety and Property Risk team, Industry Super Property Trust (ISPT)

Topic: Super-charging safety

Business imperatives and safety outcomes are not always compatible, but Catherine Itman will be offering a good-news story to Central Safety Group at the April lunchtime presentation.

As a safety specialist in the Safety and Property Risk team at Industry Super Property Trust (ISPT), Catherine will talk about how ISPT maintains a ‘do no harm’ investment and operating philosophy, with HSE principles integrated into all business activity....Read more

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 7 Aril 2025.  When booking, please ensure you select the April Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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The rights and wrongs of safety comms

Date & Time: Tuesday 11 March 2025, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation - via zoom or in the room

Speaker: Dr Tristan Casey , Director, New View Safety

Topic: The rights and wrongs of safety comms

Effective communications are a key part of creating a safe workplace, but what works and what doesn’t? Some valuable insights and answers were provided by Dr Tristan Casey in his 11 March presentation to Central Safety Group.

Dr Casey, an Implementation Scientist (Workplace Health, Safety & Wellbeing), conducted a detailed study on safety communication, in the field, as a joint project between Queensland’s Griffith University and the nation-wide Protech employment group....Read more

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 10 March 2025.  When booking, please ensure you select the March Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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OHS employment trends + CSG AGM

Date & Time: Tuesday 11 February 2025, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation - via zoom or in the room

Speaker: Helen O'Keefe, Director, HOK Talent Solutions

Topic: OHS employment trends

We were privileged once again to have Helen O'Keefe share her knowledge and advice about the latest employment trends in the OHS sector at our first event for 2025.

This is of particular interest to our cohort, who no longer remain with an organisation for their entire career. Rather there is considerable movement between roles and industries, due to the transferable skills of the OHS professional. This presentation showed the scope of what's out there and how best to navigate it, including dealing with the impacts of AI...Read more

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 10 February 2025.  When booking, please ensure you select the February Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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Central Safety Group annual networking lunch

The Parliament House dining room was buzzing on Friday the 6th December 2024 when Central Safety Group welcomed almost 40 guests to our annual networking lunch. Comprising mostly financial members and all of the CSG committee, it was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet up face-to-face and enjoy some good food at the same time.

It was a relaxed, informal event, but there were also a couple of short speeches of acknowledgement. Our President, Nan Austin, reflected on the past year of speakers and events, looking forward to offering members more great content in the year to come. She also made special mention of Ollie Matthews (pictured here), who was celebrating his 50th year as a CSG member -what an amazing achievement, not to mention the huge contributions he has made to the group over those years.

David Caple thanked the CSG Committee for their efforts in 2024 and asked us all to take a bow! Thank you, David, and also for your continuing support as a member and as an extremely popular annual speaker.

Everyone had a great time and we have already started planning our 2025 event. It is thanks to our Financial members and Corporate members that we are able to host this important networking event each year.

Log in to view the Photo Gallery and re-live that special event.

Central Safety Group Inc. AGM news

On the 11th February 2025, Central Safety Group held its 2024 AGM.

Our Secretary for the last 5 years, Heather Turner, did not re-nominate to be on the Committee and so there have been a few changes and additions. The CSG Committee for 2025 comprises: 

• President - Nan Austin
• Vice-President - Christina Rennick
• Secretary - Rob D'Elsini
• Treasurer - Cameron Cranstoun
• Committee Members - 
  • Gavin Kenny
  • Jane Loudon (Events Co-ordinator)
  • Dominic Melling
  • Marina Milankovic (Membership Co-ordinator)
  • Craig Ramadge (Social Media Co-ordinator)

It's great to have new members on the Commitee, not only for succession planning, but also to bring fresh ideas to benefit all members.

A special thanks to Heather Turner for being a wonderful Secretary, whose attention to detail ensured our smooth transition into becoming an Incorporated Association. She has certainly been keeping us on the straight and narrow! Heather remains a financial member of CSG, so we will continue to see her at our events. Meanwhile, we thank her for the great contribution she has made to our group.

There were no proposals put forward at this year's AGM; fees for both levels of membership will remain the same for 2026.

We discussed the December networking event. The 2024 event at Parliament House was enjoyed by many, but the Committee organisers had a few issues to deal with behind the scenes, including the fact that the charge per person increased significantly after we had already booked the venue and advertised the event. As a result we will not be returning there this year.

Instead we would like to try something new by engaging caterers at a venue large enough for 40+ attendees to sit down in a more informal setting. We are asking members if they have access to a suitable venue or could recommend one to us. If you can help us out, or have any other suggestions to contribute to CSG in general, please go to the Contact US section on our home page and let us know. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Many thanks to those who attended the AGM as we look forward to another great year!

Log in to view the Minutes, Annual Report and Financial Statement.

OHS employment trends

It is becoming a fixture on the CSG calendar to have Helen O'Keefe present at our February event and what a popular speaker she is. Her succinct and informative insights into OHS employment trends are always of interest and a great way to kick off the year ahead.

Helen began by reviewing where the jobs were in 2024 and what that means for us in 2025. One trend is the degree of change in job and department titles and functions. For instance the terms "OHS" & "HSE" are now out-dated, having been superceded by "HSW" as the current flavour of the month.

However, that is the least of the changes one needs to come to grips with. It was fascinating to hear Helen talk about impacts of AI on recruitment, such as the use of BOTS to weed out CVs into a shortlist and, subsequently, the decline in a more personal aspect of recruitment. Helen gave some great tips on how to manage this, including explaining the importance of a LinkedIn profile.

It was interesting to learn that January 2025 was not the quiet month as is traditional in Helen's field, so there is plenty to explore for those seeking new positions. One possible factor is that businesses are increasingly demanding workers return to the office, which could spark resignations.

We thank Helen for both her informative presentation and her generous sponsorship of our event venue, the Regus Yarra Room with its wonderful view from the top floor of 120 Collins Street.

Financial members can watch the full presentation on the CSG website. If you are looking for a new job check out www.hoktalentsolutions.com.au

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One of our excellent speakers from the November event, Shannon Jones from Sunsmart, has shared a valuable new resource available on the SunSmart website, the Stakeholder Toolkit: SunSmart Workplaces

The toolkit includes:
SunSmart resources for your workplace - you can download a guide to skin cancer and outdoor work as well as a sample sun protection policy. Yoou can also download workplace posters and brochures to promote sun safety.

UV safety training for workers - SunSmart has a range of online and in-person UV safety training programs and education that can be tailored to your workplace.

Content to share - you will find social media content, including 6 different posts. There are also email & newsletter templates.

The content reminds us that we need to consider sun protection all year round due to the dangers of UV exposure. It's not just an issue when the sun shines brightly in summer!

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Here comes the sun

What a timely presentation this was, especially as we were enjoying a lovely 25 degree day in Melbourne. It seemed like quite a benign day, but Shannon Jones from Sunsmart soon disabused us of that idea: the UV index was 8, which meant that the exposure standard would be exceeded after only 10 minutes in the sun. This was just one of the eye-opening nuggets of information throughout both Shannon's and Dominic's presentations.

Shannon explained the difference between temperature and UV and how the former is no indication of the latter. For instance, a couple of years ago in January, there was a day of 38 degrees when the UV index was 9.9; two days later the temperature was 21 degrees, but the UV index was 10.5. Because UV radiation can't be seen or felt, one needs to be aware of the UV index. One way is via one of Sunsmart's many free resources, the Global UV App: https://www.sunsmart.com.au/resources/sunsmart-app.

Shannon also provided guidance on protective clothing, including a hint on how you can easily check your clothing's protective qualities. She emphasised how clothing is more important than sunscreen and encouraged us to "get to know your skin".

Dominic Melling focussed on heat exposure, both outdoors and indoors. The effects are more than those that immediately come to mind, such as heat stress and heat stroke. Extreme heat can also affect motor skills as well as increase irritability. There is also evidence in the construction industry to show how a rise in temperature correlates to a rise in WorkCover claims.

Dominic pointed to a number of resources, but said that the WorkSafe Victoria 2-page guidance note is a good place to start: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/working-heat.

Both presentations were so full of information that the video of the event is highly recommended. There is a minor glitsch around the 43-minute mark, but it doesn't affect your viewing.

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FREE webinar -AI in audits and certification

Join Intact Systems and Exemplar Global, who will be presenting an insightful and forward-looking webinar on the impact of artificial intelligence on management system standard certification and auditing processes.

In this one-hour session, Jochen Kleboth, Intact’s Head of Analytics and AI, will lead you through the latest developments in AI applications for certification and auditing, sharing his expert insights into the AI-driven future of conformity assessments. He will cover:

*How AI is streamlining and enhancing auditing and certification
*Insights from real-world applications
*What to expect in the future of AI for management systems

The webinar is aimed at auditors, trainers, quality/environmental/health & safety managers, or anyone who plays a role in compliance and certification.

The webinar is taking place on Wednesday, November 27th at 1:00pm EST -that's Eastern Standard Time in the US, which means for those on the East coast of Australia it is taking place on Thursday, November 28th at 5:00am. Don't worry if you're not an early riser, though, because anyone unable to attend live, will receive the recorded video link later, so long as they have registered for the event. Click on this link to register.

All who attend are eligible to earn CPD credits to further professional development.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the future of certification through the lens of AI. They look forward to seeing you there!

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