Central Safety Group Melbourne

Emerging OHS challenges

We had a great turnout both online and in the room for the March presentation by Kevin Jones. He covered a range of topics in his usual thought-provoking manner. I think attendees appreciate his approach that doesn't always follow an expected line, and makes us explore the complexities of some of today's OHS challenges.

He talked about the recent WorkSafe awards night and how disappointing it was that psychosocial hazrds were missing as a focus. He also spoke about one of his bugbears: the value of wellbeing programs. In his opinion, it is more important to address systems of work than to offer employees short-term "feel good" options. He recently posted a snippet from The Australian newspaper on this topic on LinkedIn and it sparked a lengthy exchange of views.

Kevin shared his thoughts on the role of OHS advisors within organisations, that there should not be an automatic requirement that they be tertiary educated. After all, guidance from the Authority is supposed to be written so that a lay person can understand it, isn't it?

As always, Kevin is very well read and he reviewed some interesting new publications. These included a book about trouble-making, another on workplace ethics, and the recent book about the construction industry by Michelle Turner and Helen Lingard. Prof. Lingard gave us a presentation on changing OHS culture in construction in October last year. (Financial members can view it here.)

Kevin also alerted us to a free monthly magazine that is published by the European Trade Union Institute -when you subscribe, they post out a hard copy to you. The latest edition features the topic of climate change and workers.

The audience was certainly engaged and there was quite a deal of discussion after the presentation. Those of us in the room were still discussing some of the issues 15 minutes after the recording stopped. Such is the advantage of attending in person and networking face-to-face.

To re-visit Kevin's other presentations from past years, you can do a Search in the Speakers section of our website (log in first).

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James Wood

Date & Time: Tuesday 11 June 2024, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation -via zoom or in the room

Speaker: James Wood, CNB Safe Pty Ltd

Topic: TBA

Details coming soon.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 10 June 2024.  When booking, please ensure you select the June Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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Troy Winn

Date & Time: Tuesday 9 April 2024, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation -via zoom or in the room

Speaker: Troy Winn, WHS Manager, Simonds Homes

Topic: A visual approach to inductions

A visual approach to inductions
How do you move safety induction online yet keep it alive? Troy Winn will talk about how he met that challenge in a presentation on Tuesday, 9 April.
Troy, who is WHS Manager for the Simonds Group, recently completed a Masters in Ergonomics, Safety and Health at La Trobe University in Melbourne. His presentation is based on research he did in the Advanced Practice Stream as part of his postgraduate degree.
Working in the construction industry, Troy and his safety team were often investing several hours a week delivering safety inductions to site supervisors before they commenced a job. A high turnover of people and projects on sites made this a demanding commitment. Read more...

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 April 2024.  When booking, please ensure you select the April Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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OHS job market analysis

HOK Talent Solutions is a fantastic supporter of Central Safety Gro up with provision of their beautiful Collins St boardroom for our monthly events and an annual informative review of the current OHS recruitment scene nationally.

The February 2024 presentation was based on Helen’s direct contact with hundreds of employers and deep data analysis from online recruitment sites such as Seek.com and LinkedIn. Further insights were derived from the thousands of interviews that Helen has undertaken while coaching candidates to land their dream OHS job. In summary, OHS job numbers have increased by 3% with candidates at advisor level being most in demand.

Helen's expertise and passion for her work were greatly appreciated by those of us online and in the room. In-person attendees not only enjoyed the view from the top floor of 120 Collins Street, but also the opportunity to continue the conversation with Helen after the formal part of the event.

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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Kevin Jones

Date & Time: Tuesday 12 March 2024, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation ~via zoom or in the room

Speaker: Kevin Jones, Editor, SafetyAtWorkBlog

Topic: Emerging OHS challenges

Some of the hot topics in OHS at the moment are not directly about work health and safety. You can find out more on Tuesday 12 March 2024 when Kevin Jones will be discussing what’s new, what’s getting attention, and some of the latest and re-emerging challenges in OHS.

His talk will include comments, and recommendations of books on issues including work psychology; the management of time; suicide; troublemakers; corporate values and leadership.
The presentation will be followed by a question and discussion session.

About the speaker:

Kevin Jones is a consultant and advisor in a wide range of OHS projects.

He is internationally recognised for his commentary and analysis on safety-related matters in his popular award-winning SafetyAtWorkBlog (safetyatworkblog.com).

Kevin is a Life Member of Central Safety Group.

Event Flyer - Print version

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 March 2024.  When booking, please ensure you select the March Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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Helen O’Keefe

Date & Time: Tuesday 13 February 2024, noon

CSG Hybrid Lunchtime Presentation -via zoom or in the room

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

Topic: OHS job market analysis

If you are interested in what's happening in the current OHS job scene, either as a job seeker or employer, you’ll appreciate this presentation by Helen O’Keefe on 13 February 2024.
Helen is the Managing Director of HOK Talent Solutions, exclusively specialising in health and safety recruitment. She will share her insights about the OHS job scene from 2023, and talk through some of the challenges and opportunities she predicts will emerge for both hiring managers and job-seekers the year ahead

Helen will also share data her company has collected, which details the number of OHS jobs advertised across SEEK and LinkedIn (the two most popular job boards) in 2023, and how that compares to 2022. This data is cross-checked against reports released from the ABS, SEEK and other sources to understand the "why" behind it.

Helens' presentation will include an opportunity for questions and discussion.

The presentation will be followed by the 2023 AGM for Financial Members.

About the speaker:

Helen O’Keefe is the founder of HOK Talent Solutions, which specialises in national HSE recruitment.

Helen has a passion for the health and safety industry, and had been working in recruitment for this sector before founding her own agency in 2015.

Prior to this, her background includes working as National Recruitment Manager for the Australian Red Cross, and as an HR consultant with pharmaceutical company GSK.

Event Flyer - Print version

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 12 February 2023.  When booking, please ensure you select the February Event from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP.

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CSG Annual Networking Lunch

Friday 15th December, 2023

Our annual get-together to celebrate another great year of speakers and events

We had an excellent turnout for our end-of-year gathering, the first one we've been able to hold since 2019, so it was extra special. There was certainly a great atmosphere with plenty of networking taking place amongst the enjoyment of each other's company.

We chose a less formal setting this year, partly because the cost of holding the event at Parliament House has now climbed out of our range.  Instead we opted for a Middle Eastern Feast at Mama’s Canteen, which is situated in the super handy location of Federation Square overlooking the Birrarung. The food was delicious and we were blessed with good weather, so spirits were high.

It was also great to see a mix of members at the event, from some who have been members for decades to others who joined just in the last year.

It is thanks to our financial members that we are able to hold this annual event, which is so important in fulfilling our function as a networking group. For all the advantages of a Zoom event, it is these opportunities to meet face-to-face that give real life to Central Safety Group.

If you have any feedback to share with us about the event, we would love to hear from you. Write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We look forward to another great year of events and seeing you there!

CSG Annual Networking Lunch

Friday, 15 December, 12:00 - 2:00pm.

Mama’s Canteen, The Main Square, Federation Square (corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets) Melbourne CBD

COST: Financial Members: $20  Non-members: $60

It's time to celebrate another great year of Central Safety Group events and speakers! We are thrilled to be able to return to our end-of-year gathering, where members and friends can network whilst enjoying a delicious lunch.

This year's event is a Middle Eastern Feast at Mama’s Canteen that includes 3 courses, soft drinks, tea & coffee (vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available). What's more, it's at a very convenient location in Federation Square overlooking the Birrarung.

CSG would like to take this opportunity to thank our financial members for their support in 2023 that has made this event possible.

RSVP by close of business Monday 11 December 2023

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Recent OHS research results

How lucky are we to have someone like Dr Marilyn Hubner presenting to us. She has delved into a great wealth of research, both in Australia and abroad, and gave us a very interesting distillation of some key findings. She has done so much work on our behalf. Her presentation was also a very fitting one to end 2023, because she covered a number of areas that relate to and enhance other presentations we had in the year.

Marilyn began by referring to a recent piece of research that confirms what many of us have suspected for some time: our brains need breaks between meetings! What a valuable message for all workplaces.

She then focussed her talk on 5 topics: construction; training; working from home; WHS Radar project; and harmonious safety passion. She discussed several aspects of construction safety that follow on from Dr Helen Lingard's talk in October. It includes a report that is hot off the press from Helen and her team: the RMIT Safety Index.

Research into the use of digital technology in both construction and training is extensive. Members who went on the site visit to the Victorian Tunnelling Centre will recall seeing first-hand how these tools can be used. The effectiveness of safety training in general is always a hot topic and Marilyn pointed to some interesting studies in that area. It also stimulated quite a bit of discussion amongst those present.

The WHS Radar project comes from the NSW Centre for Work Health and Safety. Marilyn recommends their work and says that they are great communicators.

Marilyn was very generous and provided each in-person attendee with a USB containing all the research papers she discussed. However, financial members not present have not been left out, because we have all of them in our presentation package in our Events archive.

We look forward to having Marilyn present to us again in the future. If there is a particular topic you would like discussed, please get in touch through our Contact Us portal on the website.

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Changing OHS culture in construction

One can only marvel at the depth and breadth of research Professor Helen Lingard has undertaken and drawn upon in her work in OHS in the construction industry. We had a taste of it during her presentation on 10th October and luckily her power point is available to financial members to look at it more closely.

Behind the figures, however, is a wealth of knowledge that informs improvements in safety culture. One of the main topics Helen covered was hours of work, where a large data set has identified a tipping point between hours worked and mental health issues. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that point is different for men and women. One finding that fascinated me was the fact that practical support from supervisors matters more than emotional support when it comes to dealing with prolonged hours of work.

Long hours of work is just one of the three main drivers in a poor culture, the other two being lack of diversity and wellbeing issues. Helen talked about a culture project that began in 2018, from which a Culture Standard has been developed that is now part of a pilot program in NSW & Victoria. Helen recommends visiting the website to learn more about it: https://www.constructionindustryculturetaskforce.com.au/

 A really interesting innovation Helen spoke about was an online role playing game that has been developed to improve skills, especially among young construction workers. It was developed from the time not so long ago when face-to-face training was not an option, and draws upon real-life scenarios. There has been some positive feedback about it so far, and one can imagine how such an initiative would appeal to a younger cohort.

Once again we had the speaker and several attendees in the room, which is such a boon for stimulating discussion. In this case we had two attendees from WorkSafe's Construction Division, including an Inspector and it was great to gain his insights as well. He said that the different cultures at different workplaces are palpable.

Financial members can listen to the extensive discussion as well as Professor Lingard's excellent presentation by clicking on the link below (login first).

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