Central Safety Group Melbourne

Date & Time: Tuesday 10 October 2017 at 12:00pm Venue: Level 1, 333 Queen Street Melbourne (AMS Consulting Group)

OHS in Victoria … where are we going?

Graham Dent

The impact of WHS, trends in penalties and Undertakings.
Recent developments in some areas of OHS law in Victoria will be discussed by leading OHS lawyer Graham Dent at the CSG lunchtime meeting on 10 October 2017.

This will include the relevance of the harmonised WHS laws in Victoria, trends in cases, courts and penalties, and the use of Enforceable Undertakings.

Graham will give examples to illustrate these issues and the implications of changes we see going on around us. He will also discuss changes which may have quietly slipped past us.

About the Speaker
Graham Dent has over 30 years’ experience in the regulatory field, including time as a government prosecutor in OHS, industrial and consumer law matters.

He is now in private legal practice representing clients in major regulatory actions for OHS, environmental and other areas. He represents clients and conducts training programs in all jurisdictions.

Graham is also the founder of Australia’s largest online OHS forum with 17,000 members, the Work Health Safety Leadership [Australia & International] Group.

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The role of leadership in safety culture

A lot is said about ‘safety leadership’. But what specifically can leaders do to shape an organisation’s safety culture? This was discussed by Wayne Richards, General Manager, Group Health Safety Environment & Quality, Transdev Australasia at a lunchtime presentation to the Central Safety Group at 12.15 pm on 9 May. Wayne talked about what is being done in Transdev. He also drew on his experience in senior safety roles with the MFB and the aviation and environmental services sectors. Transdev is a leading transport provider in Australia and NZ, operating train, bus, coach, ferry and light rail operations in partnership with public authorities and private companies. In Melbourne, this includes operating passenger transport services and school bus services on behalf of Public Transport Victoria.

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Backstage Safety at Arts Centre Melbourne

There are many unique and complex safety challenges in the live performance industry, ranging from high risk work of theatre rigging and powerful electrical lighting, to manual handling of heavy sets and working with children and animals.
Chris talked about their approach to risk management that involves looking after the safety of entertainers, production teams and audiences. Chris believes there is a need for clearer universal standards and codes of practice in the industry and is working to have these established.

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Further Reading

The CSG has compiled a list of current recommended resource material available online or in book stores. Thanks to Life Member Kevin Jones for bringing these to our attention.

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Managing Risk By Incorporating Safety In Design

Poorly designed work is unsafe work. Many times simple but important aspects are overlooked in the project planning stage, setting the scene for future problems. This was the message from David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, People and Product Safety, Coles. When he spoke to the Central Safety Group on 13 June. David gave examples of how safety in design can make a difference, and discussed the key elements of good safety design both from a people management perspective and an organisational perspective.
He also outlined some of the steps in optimising safety when designing and managing a project.

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Peer support programs – tips for success

There is growing recognition of the value of workplace peer support programs in helping employees at times of critical work incidents. The experience, learnings and benefits of a well-established peer support program were discussed by Jacqui Bloink, Workplace Wellbeing Program Manager, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne at the August meeting of Central Safety Group.
The hospital this year is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its award-winning staff peer support program, marking it as an early supporter of the concept of a team of colleagues helping one another with typical reactions to stressful events.
Jacqui gave a case study of the St Vincent’s program and outlined findings on how it meets the needs of its users, improves wellbeing and provides value for service.
She also discussed the evolution of such peer support programs and how they can stay relevant in the face of today’s workplace incidents and issues.

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Date & Time: Tuesday 12 September 2017 at 12:00pm Venue: Level 1, 333 Queen Street Melbourne (AMS Consulting Group)

The future of OHS

Professor David Caple

What will OHS look like in the future? What jobs are likely to be available and skill sets required?
Professor David Caple, a close participant and observer in the safety industry for over 40 years will examine these questions in a lunchtime talk to the Central Safety Group on 12 September.
David will talk about how the field of workplace safety has evolved, looking at the most important trends and changes over the years.  
He will then discuss what he sees as the latest significant developments in the area, and where he sees things heading in the future.
This will include what OHS practitioners will be expected to know and do, and the skills, background and experience they will need in the years ahead.

About the Speaker
David Caple, who has a background as an ergonomist, has been a leading figure in occupational health and safety in Australia for many years. He has advised a wide range of businesses, industry groups and public sector organisations and worked with Australian and overseas governments on work health and safety strategy.  He is an OHS consultant and Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ergonomics & Human Factors, La Trobe University.

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Date & Time: Tuesday 8 August 2017 at 12:00pm Venue: Level 1, 333 Queen Street Melbourne (AMS Consulting Group)

Peer support programs – tips for success

Jacqui Bloink, Workplace Wellbeing Program Manager, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne

There is growing recognition of the value of workplace peer support programs in helping employees at times of critical work incidents.
The experience, learnings and benefits of a well-established peer support program will be discussed by Jacqui Bloink, Workplace Wellbeing Program Manager, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.
The hospital this year is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its award-winning staff peer support program, marking it as an early supporter of the concept of a team of colleagues helping one another with typical reactions to stressful events.
Jacqui will give a case study of the St Vincent’s program and outline findings on how it meets the needs of its users, improves wellbeing and provides value for service.
She will also discuss the evolution of such peer support programs and how they can stay relevant in the face of today’s workplace incidents and issues.

About the Speaker
Jacqui Bloink has been responsible for managing St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s staff-support services, EAP Liaisons and Critical Incident Stress Management/Peer Support since 2000.
She has a background in emergency and intensive care nursing, has held roles in management, clinical education and project organisation, and served on St Vincent’s executive team.
Jacqui was awarded the Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation Australia (CISMFA) achievement award in 2009. The hospital’s peer support program was recognised in the 2016 Victorian Public Health Care Awards and the 2016 WorkSafe awards.

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