Central Safety Group Melbourne

August 2021

Managing the healthcare challenge of COVID-19

Presentation by: Alison Hunt-Sturman, Group Manager, WHS, Mercy Health Australia

CSG Zoom meeting video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

When the Covid-19 crisis arrived, organisations everywhere were hit with a massive task without warning and precedent. The healthcare industry faced significant challenges in managing and implementing new and complex requirements.
Alison Hunt-Sturman, Group Manager, WHS, at Mercy Health Australia, presented a compelling account of what happened across the healthcare industry as well as within her organisation. Mercy Health manages four public hospitals, 30 aged care homes, in-patient and outpatient mental health services, and home care services around Australia.
“We are serving some of the most vulnerable members of the community. We couldn’t just shut down,” said Alison. In addition to the many thousands of clients in its care, Mercy Health has a workforce of 9,000 people.  
There was a great deal for Alison's team and other sections to care about, learn, plan, organise and manage carefully to ensure everything was kept functioning safely, all the while dealing with the impact of the unknowns. Alison discussed the issues they faced, how it affected their operations and people, and how they responded.

The presenter:

Alison Hunt-Sturman is a safety professional with more than 25 years' experience in leadership and strategic oversight of health, safety and workers compensation. She started her career at the University of Melbourne where, after working for almost 10 years in a research capacity, she moved into the role of Environment Health and Safety Manager for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, which she held for 9 years. Alison was Manager of Safety & Wellbeing at the Department of Justice from 2011-2017, before joining Mercy Health Australia in 2018. Alison has a Masters Degree in Occupational Health and Safety, and an undergraduate Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science.

June 2021

Human factors and human error

Presentation by: Dr Kate Branford, Senior Human Factors Specialist, V/Line

Presentation package now available (members only)

Human Factors issues constitute a significant source of risk in many industries. Human error contributes to an estimated 60-80% of incidents, while other Human Factors issues also play a part in a large proportion of incidents.
Understanding human error, how it contributes to safety incidents and how it can be managed, was the subject of a zoom talk by Dr Kate Branford on 8 June, 2021.
Kate is the Senior Human Factors Specialist at V/Line, which operates Victoria’s regional public transport network, and has worked in this role for seven years.She spoke about what Human Factors is, how it relates to human error and how it can be applied in the workplace to help improve health and safety performance.
The rail industry attracted her due to its collaborative approach to safety and the many opportunities for improvement; she gave examples of these in her talk.

The presenter:

Dr Kate Branford studied at the ANU, majoring in Sociology, with a focus on industrial accidents. She wrote her Honours thesis on the role of blame in accident investigation and then completed an industry-based Doctorate in Human Factors with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. Her supervisor was Professor Andrew Hopkins, who is internationally recognised for his ground-breaking work in industrial safety and accident analysis. Before joining V/Line in 2014, Kate worked as a Human Factors consultant focusing on defence, aviation and nuclear power projects. At V/Line her role includes error management, incident investigation, Rail Resource Management and supporting Human Factors integration into rail projects and changes.

April 2021

Musculoskeletal issues – what’s new in risks and prevention

Presentation by: David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, Coles

CSG Zoom meeting video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), often referred to as ‘Body Stressing’, are the highest category of serious workers’ compensation claims for Australian workers, representing 36% of all claims in 2017-18.
Research and experience show there is a lot can be done to prevent these injuries, which will be the topic of a talk by David Trembearth to Central Safety Group via Zoom on Tuesday, 13 April at noon.
David chaired the working group that developed a position statement on WMSDS for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in 2020. He will provide an overview of this and talk about evidence-based causes of WMSDs as well as intervention strategies for the prevention and management of these injuries.
Musculoskeletal injuries can affect any worker, not just manual labourers, says David. It can happen in any workplace and cover a wide range of life-changing lower back and repetitive strain injuries.
Significantly, these injuries can result from both physical and psychological hazards in the workplace. They also present psychosocial hazards and are recognised as critical workplace risk factors.

The presenter:

David Trembearth has had a long career providing expertise in ergonomics and human factors to small industry, government and large commercial enterprises. He is currently Safety Business Partner with Coles, providing technical and operational safety support to diverse business units. He also teaches Occupational Ergonomics to students in RMIT’s postgraduate OHS Management program. David is a Certified Professional Ergonomist with the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Australia Inc. and a Certified Chartered Generalist OHS Professional and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Health & Safety.

December 2020

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

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

CSG Zoom meeting video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

2020 – what a year! Central Safety Group wrapped it up with the subject that has had such an impact on our lives and work these past eight months.
Professor David Caple discussed Covid-19 and workplace safety via zoom on Tuesday 8 December. David has been working on Covid-related projects with the healthcare and government sectors during the crisis.
He reflected on the psychological and physical risks, ways these can be managed and what long-lasting impacts coronavirus could have on the workplace. He then opened the session for questions and discussion, in which participants were encouraged to talk about what is being done in their own industry or workplace. It was a great session!

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 2020

What does the data reveal about the state of OHS in Victoria?

Presentation by: Barry Naismith, OHS Intros

Presentation package now available (members only)

Welcome to the fifth in a series of videos exclusive to Central Safety Group while normal physical meetings are suspended.

What does the data reveal about the state of OHS in Victoria?
Barry Naismith has once again produced a fascinating and frank analysis of the current state of OHS in Victoria.
Should we stay the course or shoot the rapids? That’s the question Barry poses, offering some invaluable insights and assessments based on his review of the latest full-year data from WorkSafe Victoria and other sources.
You can enjoy it here in PowerPoint form, provided by Central Safety Group as part of our video series during the Covid shutdown.
Says leading blogger Kevin Jones, "This level of analysis and interpretation is rarely available outside of formal academic research, and Naismith provides the all-important social and political context from which much academic occupational health and safety (OHS) research shies."
This presentation is based on Barry’s most recent research paper "Deaths at Work in Victoria 2019", available to financial members.

The presenter:

Barry Naismith spent more than 14 years with the Victorian WorkCover Authority before working independently as an OHS consultant. This currently includes working with Uniting Victoria on a program to reduce the impact of work harms on the community. Barry has qualifications in science from Melbourne University and media studies from RMIT as well as practical qualifications in OHS/HSR. He has worked previously as a journalist and editor.