Central Safety Group Melbourne

Safety & the Big Cats

Jason Hensel, Senior Advisor, Health and Safety, at Zoos Victoria gave a fascinating insight into the work he has been undertaking, developing a program for working with dangerous animals. These animals are known as Category 1 Animals, because they are likely to endanger human life. Jason has been concentrating on Melbourne Zoo, where there are 20 species of Category 1 Animals. (At the Healesville site, the only Category 1 Animal is the cassowary!)

It is two years into the development of the program, which has proved to be much bigger than expected due to the many interconnected aspects. In the past, dealing with these animals relied on people making sound decisions and a number of ad hoc systems. Now this approach has been replaced with consistent streamlined processes and the introduction of engineering controls that are being tailor-made to suit this unique environment.

Jason is supported by a CEO with a strong interest in health & safety, which we all know is a key factor in successful programs.

View Presentation
members only, please login first.

Date & Time: Tuesday 8 May 2018 at 12:00pm Venue: Level 1, 333 Queen Street Melbourne (AMS Consulting Group)

Safety and The Big Cats

Jason Hensel, Senior Safety Advisor - Zoos Victoria.

Injuries and fatalities from contact between people and animals are known to be a high risk in zoos worldwide.

At Zoos Victoria a special program for working with dangerous animals is being supported by Jason Hensel, Senior Advisor, Health and Safety, who will give a presentation on this subject to Central Safety Group on 8 May.

Jason will discuss how he has drawn on safety programs from a number of industries to develop effective and consistent controls for the safe keeping of all animals likely to endanger human life, known as Category 1 Animals (CAT 1).

Melbourne Zoo has 20 species of animal that fall into this category – ranging from the big cats to gorillas, hippopotamuses and African wild dogs. Jason has been working on risk assessments and safety systems for each of these, taking into account physical, mechanical, animal behaviour and human factors.

This initiative is part of Zoos Victoria’s aim to become a world leader in zoo safety. Zoos around the world put a sharp spotlight on safety following incidents such as a child falling into a gorilla exhibit at Cincinnati Zoo and the death of a keeper at New Zealand’s Hamilton Zoo

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

RSVP Here