Challenging mainstream OHS views

Date & Time: Tuesday 10 June 2025, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation - via zoom only

Speaker:  Kevin Jones, Editor, SafetyAtWorkBlog

Topic: Challenging mainstream OHS views

We can always count on Kevin Jones to broaden our horizons via new books and publications on a range of topics. His presentation to Central Safety Group on Tuesday 10 June 2025 will be no exception.

Kevin's discussion will include publications that are not directly related to OHS, but provide valuable insights that can stimulate an OHS professional's thinking about their approach to OHS.

By challenging mainstream views on topics such as leadership, Kevin aims to inspire discussion and widen our knowledge of important topics.

Kevin's overview will include topics directly related to OHS as well, such as a recent study about employee well-being and mental health.

The presentation will be followed by a question and discussion session.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 9 June 2025.  When booking, please ensure you select the June Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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How do OHS Professionals leverage power and influence tactics?

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).

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Super-charging safety

CSG financial member Catherine Itman gave us an inspirational presentation in April as she outlined the work she, her team and her manager do at Industry Super Property Trust (ISPT).

She demonstrated what happens when you achieve two of the OHS ideals: safety leadership at the Executive level + safety and business decisions working together for mutual benefit - a situation many of us aspire to in our organisations.

ISPT owns a wide variety of commercial properties, and their purview ranges from large contruction projects to operating properties, such as shopping villages. Management and maintenance of the properties are outsourced and, therefore, ISPT's procurement process needs to be vigorous, with safety as the #1 value and with an ongoing active relationship to ensure safety standards are met.

A major component of ISPT's success is the use of data to inform decision-making. Catherine explained how data needs to be of high quality and accessible to all in order to be effective, and she gave examples of this.

Catherine's team was formed 9 years ago by the current manager who, by all accounts, is a very committed individual who has done a lot to create the positive safety culture within the organisation. A question that came up at the end of the talk was how much this person is key to maintaining that culture, especially once they move on in the future. Catherine feels that the culture is so embedded now that it would survive such a move.

There was much in the presentation that can be applied to any workplace. On top of that, with many of us having our superannuation with industry super funds, it was fascinating to learn about the OHS principles underpinning them.

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OHS power & influence

Date & Time: Tuesday 13 May 2025, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation - via zoom or in the room

Speaker:  Rob Dival, National HS&E Manager, K&S Corporation

Topic: OHS power & influence

Details coming soon

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 12 May 2025.  When booking, please ensure you select the May Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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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, including 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.