Central Safety Group Melbourne

November 2012

Workplace Psychological First Aid

Presentation by: Rhonda Brand, Organisational Psychologist, Xchanging

Presentation package now available (members only)

Stress can be both positive and negative (distress). When an event occurs in a workplace that causes distress, psychological first aid is an effective tool for assisting workers to deal with it. That was the topic of a talk to Central Safety Group on November 13, 2012 by Rhonda Brand, Organisational Psychologist at Xchanging.
Rhonda outlined the many and various responses to a critical incident that a person may experience, ranging from physiological to psychological, emotional and behavioural. She then spoke about psychological first aid, what it involves and what it is not. Rhonda also gave examples of the application of psychological first aid to particular organisations.

The presenter:

Rhonda became Psychologist/Organisational Development Consultant for Xchanging in 2006. During this time she has been involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of targeted interventions to reduce incidents and severity of psychological injuries across Victorian workplaces. Her work was recognised at the 2010 WorkSafe Awards in the category of Best OHS solution in the Public Sector & Community Services. The framework Rhonda developed was the first stress prevention model recognised in 22 years of the prestigious safety awards. Rhonda has a BA in Psychology & Sociology from Monash University as well as a Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology/Organisational Psychology from Victoria University.

September 2012

Safety and upgrade of the Western Ring Road

Presentation by: Fred Worboys, Quality Officer, Tulla Sydney Alliance

Presentation package now available (members only)

Jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, the M80 Ring Road Upgrade is a $2.25 billion project under the federal Nation Building Program. 20000 trucks currently use the Ring Road each day and the project is expected to be completed by mid-2014.
Fred Worboys, Senior Project Engineer at Hyder Consulting has been engaged as Quality Officer for the Tulla Sydney Alliance (TSA), which is constructing the section between Sydney Road and the Calder Freeway.
At Central Safety Group's meeting on September 11, 2012, Fred outlined the high risk environment faced day-to-day by road construction personnel. He also spoke extensively about a number of strategies being employed by TSA to mitigate the risks of working in “live traffic”.

The presenter:

Fred Worboys has been Senior Project Engineer at Hyder Consulting since 2009. He has extensive experience in technical and commercial roles and his fields of expertise include Project Management; Quality Management & Auditing; Systems Conceptualisation, Development & Management; Personnel Management & Recruitment and Contract Management. Fred has a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from La Trobe University and a Masters in Systems Engineering from RMIT University.

July 2012

What happened to harmony? Managing partial national reform

Presentation by: Steve Bell, Senior Associate, Freehills

Presentation package now available (members only)

It has taken about 5 years to achieve harmony in OHS law between the Commonwealth, Queensland, NSW, Tasmania, ACT and NT, but it is likely to take another 5 years to achieve harmonious workers compensation laws. The implications of this were discussed by Steve Bell, Senior Associate at Freehills at Central Safety Group's meeting on July 10, 2012.
Steve began by discussing the various legal issues following a workplace incident and the current status of the Model Laws.
He then took us through the key concepts and new terms by comparing the old & new legislation. He also spoke extensively about the concept of due diligence.

The presenter:

A leading work health and safety lawyer, Steve Bell, Senior Associate at Freehills, advises and represents businesses on all aspects of safety regulation. Steve holds a law degree from the University of Melbourne (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science.

April 2012

A Force for Good? BP, Safety and the Pitfalls of Corporate Culture

Presentation by: Ross Macfarlane, Director and OHS Risk Manager, RM The Risk Manager

Presentation package now available (members only)

In 2000, BP relaunched itself with a new logo, slogan and the 4 core values of being Green, Progressive, Innovative and Performance driven. However, since 2005, it has become responsible for some of the worst safety and environmental disasters of the past decade. How did this happen?
Ross Macfarlane, OHS Risk Manager and former HSSEQ Manager at BP, gave his perspective on this at Central Safety Group's meeting on April 11, 2012. In analysing these events, he pointed to the corporate culture at the company and suggested that people throughout BP firmly believed in the 4 core values, but neglected the day-to-day management of hazards and risks and failed to learn the lessons from each disaster.
However, he concluded that there were positive messages to come out of this, including the importance of investing continuously in safety. In this way, BP's experiences have become a force for good.

The presenter:

Ross Macfarlane worked in various management roles at BP from 2001-2008. Prior to that he worked with Castrol and Betz Laboratories. In November 2008 he formed a private consultancy specialising in safety and risk management for industry. He has extensive experience in a range of industries, including chemical and petrochemical, mining, steel and aluminium, automotive and general manufacturing, timber, pulp and paper, construction, aviation and health.