Central Safety Group Melbourne

Modernising and simplifying safety

If you are looking for ways to improve your safety presence and processes, Scott McMillan delivered some great advice and suggestions in his presentation.

It was information-packed and thoroughly engaging due to his rich experience in different workplaces and situations. He is currently Director of Safety at Melbourne Park, a site which contains six huge venues for elite sports, concerts and major entertainment events.  Before a career in safety, he worked as an electrician and instrumentation technician in a range of places, including Antarctica!

Supported by examples, videos and  illustrations, Scott’s talk offered some useful and fresh perspectives on how to approach and manage safety. Importantly, it also showed how to adopt emerging technologies when preparing safety information and training, making them more accessible. His first advice was to establish a strong safety brand in your workplace: the message is to make it all about the work and meet your audience where they are.

There were some good basic tips and ideas on safety communications, as well as the eye-opening statistic from studies that show around 44% of adult Australians are not operationally literate. Therefore, it is crucial to present material that people both want to, and are able to, read.  There was also some fantastic advice on how to make board papers pack a bigger punch.

Scott emphasised the importance of decluttering safety, to prioritise and distil what can amount to many dozens of safety procedures, hundreds of pages and countless thousands of words, often written in language and references that are a challenge to follow. 

Some take-home messages from Scott's impressive presentation were: make your system easy to use, not easy to audit; fix the work, and safety will happen; chase safety in isolation and you will get paperwork, not results.

As a complement to Scott's talk, financial members may like to re-visit the presentation by John Ansley from Knowby in October last year: AI know-how and OHS (log in first).

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Climate change as an OHS issue

Central Safety Group members recently heard from Sam Hall, PhD candidate and researcher at La Trobe University, on the growing significance of climate change as a workplace health and safety issue.

Drawing on her research through La Trobe University's Climate Change Adaptation Lab, Sam explored how climate change, the greatest health threat of the 21^st century, is creating new and emerging risks for worker health, safety and wellbeing. Her presentation highlighted that climate-related hazards extend well beyond heat exposure and extreme weather events, influencing physical health, psychological wellbeing, work design, and organisational resilience.

Sam shared preliminary findings from her research into how Australian occupational health and safety professionals perceive climate-related workplace risks. The findings suggested increasing recognition that climate change is not solely an environmental issue, but one that requires active consideration within workplace risk management frameworks.

A key theme of the presentation for me was the important role OHS professionals can play in helping organisations adapt to a changing climate. This includes identifying emerging risks, integrating climate considerations into existing safety systems, and supporting the development of resilient workplaces capable of responding to future challenges.

The discussion also explored the opportunities for organisations to take a proactive approach rather than waiting for climate-related impacts to occur. We were encouraged to consider how changing environmental conditions may affect our workforce and operations, and how these risks can be addressed through effective planning, leadership, work design and change management.

Sam's presentation challenged us to think differently about the intersection between climate change and workplace health and safety and sparked valuable discussion among attendees.

The session reinforced that climate change is increasingly becoming a core business and workforce issue, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the OHS profession as it supports organisations in adapting to a rapidly changing environment.

Thank you, Sam, for sharing your research and insights with the CSG community.

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The OHS leadership dilemma

Kevin Jones zoomed in again this year, because he is currently working on Norfolk Island. It's great that we have flexibilty now with our hybrid events so that both Speaker and attendees can be anywhere in the country or even overseas - we have certainly expanded since the early days of being focussed around the Melbourne CBD.

Kevin Jones' horizons are very wide too: his wonderfully enquiring mind means he is always exploring OHS issues through the latest thinking and research in a range of publications, not always directly related to OHS. He also draws on his own experiences to delve into topics, such as what leadership looks like in safety. 

Kevin provoked our thinking with a number of questions and ideas, such as, Is leadership a quality or a title? When it comes to titles, what does Team Leader really mean? Is it just jargon to deflect from accountability? As always, Kevin pulled no punches when discussing his thoughts on this important topic.

The talk included his reviews of 12 recent publications that look very interesting. One of the attendees commented on the fact that they often read and buy many of Kevin's recommendations, so clearly this is a highlight of Kevin's presentations.

Financial members may wish to catch up with a couple of recent presentations relevant to Kevin's talk: In May last year Rob Dival spoke about How do OHS Professionals leverage power and influence tactics?, and in February this year Helen O'Keefe spoke about the qualities recruiters look for in executive leaders in her presentation What makes a great OHS executive. Login in first to view both of those.

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Working with the new psychosocial regulations

The large turnout of both financial members and non-members to this presentation confirmed what we already suspected: this topic is of great interest to the OHS community. The small room was full and the Zoom was overflowing.

Dr Natassia (Tas) Goode coped well with the few technical hitches we experienced as she discussed changes to the OHS Act that strengthen and clarify the need for employers to manage both physical and psychological health through the introduction of the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 which came into effect on 1 December last year.

Tas is Director of the new Psychological Health Division at WorkSafe Victoria, so we were privileged to have this opportunity to hear from such a high-level representative from the Regulator. 

When discussing risk management there was no real new information - assessment must be proactive, organisation-wide and include consultation with employees. A bullying case study was used to demonstrate the risk management process, although fatigue was specifically mentioned in inspector site visits.  The 16 psychosocial hazards listed are consistent with the Safe Work Australia list.

Of more interest was hearing about WorkSafe’s compliance and enforcement approach and the role of inspectors. It was good to see the wide range of levers available to inspectors to educate people and influence change with a strong emphasis on the provision of information and resources.

Tas stressed that, where surveys are used, they must be validated. She referred to a list of free validated surveys, but emphasised that they should not be the only form of consultation.  The topic of surveys came up during the extensive and lively discussion that followed the presentation –all of this is included in the recording of the event.

Tas outlined a whole range of FREE resources, tools and support available from WorkSafe Victoria for every range of business. She also talked about WorkSafe grants for industry trials and communities of practice, as well as a free time-limited program for 300 SMEs. Get in quickly!

Financial members may also be interested to re-visit our presentation from May 2024, where a WorkSafe panel discussed Psychological health & safety at work (login first).

Our thanks to Tas and to WorkSafe Victoria for providing this speaker and for their ongoing support as a corporate member of CSG. 

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The APHIRM toolkit –a tool to manage MSDs and stress-related mental health

One of the great aspects of the OHS community is how we are there to help each other and share our knowledge. This is one of the fundamental purposes of Central Safety Group and was exemplified in this presentation. The APHIRM toolkit is a free resource that has been designed to support organisations through a full cycle of MSD risk management.

APHIRM stands for A Participative Hazard Identification and Risk Management and was launched in 2019 after many years of research and refinement. Dr Jodi Oakman talked about how research has developed while current strategies haven't kept up with it, particularly in relation to psychosocail hazards. The APHIRM toolkit is a way to address that gap.

The focus is on early intervention and commences with a detailed survey. Jodi asked attendees to do the survey at one point in the session so that we could see it for ourselves. She also showed us what the toolkit looks like and what to expect when using it. There is a logical set of steps that includes the generation of reports and data to measure ongoing improvements.

There were quite a few questions and discussion after the formal presentation. Christina Rennick from St Vincents Hospital shared their experience with using the toolkit within their food services section. She noted that there had been some very positive feedback from the workers who participated. Worker participation is one of the key components of the toolkit, and Jodi talked about how it differs from consultation.

Throughout the presentation Jodi empahasised the practical nature of the toolkit and you could feel how inspired attendees were by this very important addition to our knowledge. Jodi referred us to the website where, amongst other things, one can find case studies and information about full-day workshops run by the Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, La Trobe University in the CBD. The next one is on 19th May. www.aphirm.org.au

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What makes a great OHS executive

For those looking to progress to an Executive level in their OHS career, this presentation is essential viewing. Helen went into a lot of detail about the qualities and skills sought in these roles, and they go well beyond mere technical capability.

She delved into the sorts of questions one would expect in an interview or that one should ask when seeking a suitable candidate. Questions such as "Can they drive change?" and "How can they exert influence?"

Helen's extensive experience is so valuable and this was evident when she gave a wealth of advice on how to position oneself, including how to translate OHS into financial language that will resonate with potential employers.

Helen also presented an analysis of the current job market for Executive positions, based on data from Seek and LinkedIn. She said that such positions are as easy to find as a polar bear in a snowstorm! However, they are still out there, particularly in the field of construction. Queensland is top of the leaderboard.

Helen's talk sparked a lot of discussion afterwards, most of which is captured in the recording.

As always, Helen's presentation provided fascinating insights and was a great way to kick off the year. Those of us in the room also enjoyed meeting up in person, thanks to Helen's generous sponsorship of our event venue, the Regus Yarra Room with its wonderful view from the top floor of 120 Collins Street.

As of this year Financial members have 2 options for catching up with presentations, either through the video or the audio version, a new feature we have introduced for those who like to listen to podcasts. Your feedback about this would be gratefully received.

Related to this month's topic, Financial members may also be interested in revisitng the presentation from Rob Dival in May 2025 How do OHS Professionals leverage power and influence tactics?

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Fatigue management in a high-risk environment

We had a wonderful final presentation for 2025, given by Jane Skillen, OHS Adviser for Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) and a CSG member. 

Jane commenced her presentation with a brief introduction of VIFM’s 24/7 services to both deceased and living persons.  VIFM also oversees the Donor Tissue Bank and contributes to international and domestic research programs.

Her informative fatigue management case study was based on the state-wide clinical forensic medicine team, who respond to physical assault examinations, fitness for interview assessments and traffic blood testing. Within this team the Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNE) are a 100% casual workforce, most with secondary nursing employment. Eighty percent are female, with the majority aged between 40-60 years.

While WorkSafe has a very specific definition of work-related fatigue, VIFM now applies a wider multi-dimensional definition to include mental, physical and emotional fatigue. This was done after exploring the factors contributing to fatigue at work using a robust strategic risk-based approach, in consultation with the FNEs.  Jane’s presentation delves deeply into this risk assessment and the control measures introduced to manage the risks associated with fatigue impairment in FNEs.

Feedback from the presentation:

“Sensational piece of work Jane!”

“Valuable presentation and thank you very much for sharing. Your colleagues do some amazing work under such extraordinary circumstances. Great learnings for us.”

I wholeheartedly agree with that feedback; I really liked the education material and focus on self-care.

Financial members can gain further advcie on fatigue management from David Caple's presentation in 2016, Managing fatigue: getting it right, in the Speakers archive (log in first).

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AI know-how & OHS

There isn't a day that goes by where AI isn't a topic for conversation, so it was refreshing to hear about how it can be used for good, not evil!  John Ansley's engaging presentation demonstrated how you can take safety instructions beyond a mere compliance exercise using his product Knowby Pro, which harnesses AI to create videos that present information in a clear and concise way.

When speaking about the issues his product aims to address, John made reference to Cognitive Load Theory that deals with how the human brain takes in and stores information. Bite-sized information is apparently more effective as a general rule and not just for those of us with a diminishing attention span!

John emphasisied the importance of collaboration as a guiding principle. This is a feature in both the creation of "knowbys" tailored to each organisation and the ability to provide feedback about the product. In fact, John is always happy to receive feedback and ideas on how to make Knowby Pro work better for users. This has led to the development of new capabilities, including ways to capture data to ensure and demonstrate compliance

The most fascinating aspect of the presentation was the live demonstration of how to create knowbys from an existing video as well as from a 16-page pdf document. John spruiked their offer of a 30-day free trial so that you can try it out for yourself: https://www.knowby.co/.

Our very own Gavin Kenny contributed to the presentation by talking about how he uses the product at his own workplace. He showed some great examples, including how he created a knowby for contractors changing over their huge bins. Those of us who attended the Opal site visit in July could really appreciate the challenges in that workplace, and so it was very interesting to learn how some of these are being addressed with the Knowby Pro digital tool.

Gavin has presented to us in the past and is renowned for his approach to using technology in the workplace: keep it simple and make it work for you. You can view his presentation from May 2021, Using technology to make work safer, in the Speakers archive (log in first).

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New manual handling initiatives

David Caple AM joined us for his annual presentation on human factors and ergonomics. As always, there was a great turnout, because he is a great speaker full of insights. As a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia, David shared the web address www.hfehub.au where there are really interesting podcasts available for all.

David split his presentation into 3 industry groups, bringing his own personal insights into the safety challenges in these changing environments.

• Large retail
• Libraries
• Childcare

 He uses observation and conversation with workers, rather than checklists, to review a workplace. As work demands change in these industries, standard equipment and processes of work used for many years are now safety hazards. A great question David shared with us is to ask ‘Why now?’

David’s presentation includes a host of pictorial examples of hazards, as well as many practical examples of simple changes that can be made to improve safety. These changes can be used across many industries, jobs and at home – we could all use a pick–up stick at home!

Financial members can also view his presentation videos from previous years by logging in, then clicking on the Speakers tab and searching for David Caple.

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Opal Specialty Packaging

CSG members enjoyed a terrific site visit to the Opal facility in South Oakleigh. We had great weather, a fascinating venue and a wonderful tour guide in Chris Coon, Operations Manager for Opal. Chris has been with the company for 10 years and he loves his job. Not only does he have the opportunity to travel the world in search of new ideas and technologies, but he also revels in the creative possibilities that these new technologies offer.

He enthusiastically demonstrated some of the machinery in the facility; laser cutters and digital printers are spread out in the huge manufacturing area, which is full of light and displays some of the amazing and colourful products that these machines can produce. There are even artworks on the wall made by staff (including Chris) using the digital printers.

Chris took us into a cardboard house that was built for a trade show - everything in it, except the lighting, is made of cardboard and it is structurally sound! Inside is a wide range of products that they produce for clients. 

Another project made for an expo was the cardboard bar that you can see in this photo. Again, everything is made of cardboard, including the “brass” rails. The counter felt very solid. 

CSG Committee Member Gavin Kenny was on hand with other members of the safety team to answer questions about hazards and control measures. While the new machines include innovations to reduce manual handling, that is still the primary hazard in other parts of the processing. The team is working towards an Opal standard across their various sites in Australia & New Zealand to manage this and other risks.

It was a real eye-opening experience as well as a great opportunity to catch up with other CSG members in person.

Thank you, Gavin, for organising the visit, and thank you, Chris for being such a marvellous guide. 

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