Central Safety Group Melbourne

November 2021

Return to work in COVID times: managing psychosocial risk

Presentation by: Dr Natasha Lazareski, Managing Director, PsyFlex

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on workplace conditions and work arrangements with new psychosocial risks that can affect the health and wellbeing of workers. Occupational health expert Dr Natasha Lazareski discussed this issue, along with strategies to manage it, in a presentation to Central Safety Group on 9 November 2021.
She said that, if not appropriately assessed and managed, psychosocial risks increase stress levels and can lead to physical and mental health problems. Psychological responses may include low mood, low motivation, exhaustion, anxiety, depression and burnout. Insurers are reporting that active psychological claims against employers have risen during the pandemic and are expected to continue to increase.  
Natasha spoke about how workplace stresses and psychosocial risks are arising as people return and readjust to their previous workplace settings and systems, across a wide range of occupations.
Natasha also discussed the impact of confusing and misleading information surrounding the COVID-19 crisis and how to manage this risk in your workplace.

The presenter:

Dr Natasha Lazareski is a medical doctor, specialising in occupational health, with over 20 years’ experience working with Australian organisations. She is founder and Managing Director of workplace wellbeing and resilience specialist PsyFlex. Prior to this she held positions in a range of organisations including the National Australia Bank, Ambulance Victoria and CGU. Her recent work has been with government organisations, educational institutions, healthcare providers and a number of other industries.

September 2021

New research into manual handling injuries in healthcare

Presentation by: Professor David Caple AM, Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ergonomics & Human Factors, La Trobe University

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Work-based musculoskeletal injuries remain a major issue, but research is telling us more about how and why these injuries occur, along with better prevention and management strategies.
Professor David Caple AM has recently been involved in a range of projects related to manual handling injury prevention in hospitals. These injuries account for around 70% of Workcover claims in hospitals for both clinical and non-clinical staff.
He discussed interesting results from a couple of studies in a zoom presentation for Central Safety Group on 14 September.
One of these is a study done with La Trobe University’s Biomechanics laboratory that focused on shoulder injuries in clinical staff. These account for 40% of their musculoskeletal injuries, while 60% are back injuries.
David also spoke about work being done to address the increase in injuries involving the handling of a range of patients, including those with co-morbidities such as dementia, those who present fall risks and bariatric patients.

The presenter:

Professor David Caple AM, is a leading figure in occupational health and safety here and overseas. He has advised a wide range of businesses, industry groups and public sector organisations, and has worked with Australian and overseas governments on work health and safety strategy. He is currently an OHS consultant and Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ergonomics & Human Factors, La Trobe University.

July 2021

COVID-19 response in Victoria: A union perspective

Presentation by: Dominic Melling, Lead Organiser, OHS Team, Victorian Trades Hall Council, Victorian Trades Hall Council

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The COVID-19 crisis brought some major challenges to unions affiliated with the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC), their members and workers. These challenges, along with lessons learned and solutions, were discussed by Dominic Melling, Lead Organiser of the OHS Team at the VTHC in a zoom presentation to Central Safety Group on Tuesday, 13 July.
Dominic’s talk covered essential workers who reported to their usual workplaces throughout the lockdowns as well as people working from home. He reviewed the structural problems that facilitated the spread of COVID-19 and the Union’s role in advising Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and members. Using case studies from high risk industries, he discussed what happened when OHS structures and procedures failed and what lessons can be learned from these failures.
The presentation outlined VTHC initiatives to support HSRs and workers, and Unions’ lobbying efforts that led to changes in Government policy designed to protect workers and the community and to eliminate the spread of COVID-19.

The presenter:

Dominic Melling has been the Lead Organiser of the OHS Team at the Victorian Trades Hall Council since January 2020. In this role he works with affiliated unions in their collective efforts to campaign for safer workplaces and better conditions for workers. Recent examples of campaigns include the introduction of industrial manslaughter as an offence; exposure standards to crystalline silica and the introduction of psychological health regulation. Dominic also assists WorkSafe Victoria by liaising with relevant VTHC affiliates in relation to health and safety and workers’ compensation matters. After graduating in law from Monash University, he had extensive experience representing workers in both industrial and health and safety matters. Prior to working at VTHC, Dominic worked with the National Union of Workers as an Industrial Officer, Organiser and Trainer.

May 2021

Using technology to make work safer

Presentation by: Gavin Kenny, Manager SHEQ-Service Delivery, Melbourne Water

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Melbourne Water shared how technology has improved its safety systems and performance in a zoom presentation to Central Safety Group on Tuesday, 11 May. Gavin Kenny, Manager SHEQ - Service Delivery at Melbourne Water, has introduced a number of digital technology improvements to safety processes there.
Melbourne Water is a statutory body which supplies high-quality water, provides reliable sewerage services, integrates drainage systems to prevent flooding and enhances waterways and land for Melbourne and its surrounds. Gavin spoke about the changes involved, how they were introduced and the resulting efficiency gains.
These new systems are integrated with and supported by the organisation’s existing IT systems and range from large-scale solutions, such as VR design, to the smaller-scale, where policies are adapted to a simple app. Gavin described the transition from using cumbersome, paper-based processes to easy-to-use digital systems. Among other things, this has made safety data at Melbourne Water more transparent and easy to access, making it easier to analyse trends.

The presenter:

Gavin Kenny has been with Melbourne Water since 2016, where he has held a number of specialist safety improvement roles. Before that, his career included senior roles in HSE at Worley Parsons and ABB. He has an honours degree in science from Deakin University and qualifications in OHS and Project Management. It is never too late to join and support Central Safety Group. At $75 per calendar year.

March 2021

Hospital safety during the pandemic

Presentation by: Christina Rennick, General Manager, Health Safety & Wellbeing, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne

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When the Covid-19 crisis exploded just over a year ago, the demand for special safety measures in our hospitals was massive, sudden and urgent. Christina Rennick, General Manager Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, gave a presentation via Zoom on 9 March about how her workplace responded.
The hospital has a big and complex structure, a workforce of 7,000, and a large number of patients and visitors to protect. Beyond implementing large-scale basic requirements for Covid protection, the safety team had to develop new rules and systems, learn from experience and adapt. This has been ongoing as knowledge of the coronavirus unfolds and the situation in the community changes.
Christina spoke not only about physical safety measures, but also the need to monitor and manage the wellbeing of people in the hospital system during this time.

The presenter:

Christina Rennick has worked in the Occupational Health and Safety field for over 25 years. She has been in her current role as General Manager Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital for nearly six years. Before that, she was with Mercy Health and held different roles in a number of other organisations, starting out in the health industry then later returning to it. Christina started her career as an Occupational Therapist and, with the ergonomic work she still undertakes, has retained her registration. She is also a Committee member of Central Safety Group.