Central Safety Group Melbourne

May 2020

A look at some new thinking

Presentation by: Kevin Jones Freelance writer, SafetyAtWorkBlog

Welcome to the first of a series of videos exclusive to Central Safety Group while normal physical meetings are suspended.
Some new books about key OHS issues are discussed in this 10-minute video by Kevin Jones, author of the influential SafetyAtWorkBlog.

The Bystander Effect: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction
Author: US psychologist Professor Catherine Sanderson
This book deals with the psychology and context of expecting people to intervene in unsafe workplace situations. Kevin says it includes some useful insights and advice on dealing with bullying.

The COVID19 Pandemic: Lessons on building more equal and sustainable societies
Authors: Professor Michael Quinlan and a dozen of his global colleagues
Kevin discusses this highly topical research paper that examines whether things could, and should, change in the workplace because of the current situation, and the potential implications for OHS.

Michael Tooma on Mental Health
Author: Michael Tooma
Kevin mentions several topics of interest in this book: the legal implications of workplace bullying; industrial manslaughter, and the importance of both managerial and organisational approaches to mental health in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy Kevin’s discussion. Details of the publications can be found under Further Reading in the Members section of our website: www.centralsafetygroup.com.

The presenter:

Kevin Jones has been a consultant, writer and commentator on OHS matters for many years, and is a Life Member of Central Safety Group. He is well known for his award-winning SafetyAtWorkBlog.com, as well as a podcast series of interviews with leading safety experts safetyoz.podbean.com

February 2020

Rebuilding safety culture - a case study

Presentation by: Mary Kikas, Action OHS Consulting

Presentation package now available (members only)

When employee morale, trust and job satisfaction plummet in the wake of major changes, how do you restore a strong safety culture? Mary Kikas faced that exact challenge when asked to help the Health and Safety team of a utilities company that had undergone a significant change management process and redundancies.
She outlined what happened in a presentation to Central Safety Group at its first meeting for 2020 on 11 February.
Mary discussed the principles and approach adopted and the setbacks and obstacles that had to be overcome. In addition, she described step-by-step what it took to drive effective risk management and improve safety culture.

The presenter:

Mary Kikas has had a long career in health and safety management, working both in-house and as a specialist consultant. Her background includes roles across a range of industries including manufacturing, rail, construction, aged care and disability. Mary also conducts work as an expert witness in matters of Common Law, Public and Product liability, failures in building regulations and TAC accidents. She is currently an OHS and Ergonomics Consultant with Action OHS Consulting. Initially qualified as a physiotherapist, Mary has obtained tertiary qualifications in Occupational Health and Safety Management and in Ergonomics. She is a certified OHS Management System Auditor and has held office with a number of professional committees.

October 2019

Safety Clutter and What to do About it

Presentation by: Dr David Provan, Managing Director, Forge Works

Presentation package now available (members only)

Does OHS in your workplace feel weighed down by paperwork, rules and procedures? Dr David Provan said this can be due to ‘safety clutter’, described in a study he co-authored as "the accumulation of safety procedures, documents, roles and activities that are performed in the name of safety, but do not contribute to the safety of operational work." Worse, this can create negative beliefs and attitudes to safety, according to the research.
David spoke about how to identify ‘safety clutter’, what to do about it and how to remove it in a lunchtime presentation to Central Safety Group on Thursday, 10 October.
He said that clutter can take the form of too many rules and procedures, duplication and ‘tick the box’ safety activities. This can include meetings, audits, observations and investigation processes that are not actually reducing the risk of safety incidents. David explained how to ‘de-clutter’ without affecting legal compliance and certification.

The presenter:

Dr David Provan, a leading safety thinker and practitioner, is the former General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment for Origin Energy. He has more than 20 years of safety management experience across several high-hazard industries with international operations. David is the founder of safety consultancy firm Forge Works, and also a part-time lecturer and researcher at Queensland’s Griffith University. He has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology), Masters of Health Science (Risk Management and OHS), Masters of Business Administration (Finance) and a PhD in Safety Science, where his research thesis was titled, “What is the role of a Safety Professional? The identity, practice and future of the profession”.

August 2019

The real impact of shift work and workplace fatigue

Presentation by: Dr Tracey Sletten, Senior Research Fellow - Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University and Project Leader - Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Monash University

Presentation package now available (members only)

It is estimated around 20% of the Australian workforce is involved in some form of shift work, many of them in roles critical for public safety. The challenges of shift work and occupational fatigue have long been acknowledged, but recent research has increased understanding of the negative consequences of working against the body clock.
Dr Tracey Sletten of Monash University and the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity presented some of the latest findings and recommendations in this area at the August meeting of Central Safety Group.
Tracey has been working closely with several industries including aviation, transport and healthcare, researching the effects of shift work and sleep loss on workers in their operations. This work has included interventions to improve alertness, health and safety.
As well as the best way to manage shift work, Tracey discussed the need for cultural change to address the growing incidence of sleep loss in the general population linked to modern lifestyles.

The presenter:

Dr Tracey Sletten is a Senior Research Fellow with the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, and serves as a Project Leader with the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity. She has also held research positions in the US and UK. Dr Sletten frequently consults nationally and internationally, conducting training and education, analysing work schedules and conducting fatigue assessments for industry. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of South Australia.

June 2019

Safety lapses and real life consequences

Presentation by: Rohan Sykes, Phoenix Workplace Safety

Presentation package now available (members only)

Rohan Sykes was a healthy, active young family man when he suffered an horrific workplace injury that caused severe burns to 35% of his body. He was seriously injured by exposure to radiant heat from molten glass, despite wearing full PPE and following procedures.
He emerged from a long and painful recovery and rehabilitation with a strong passion to raise awareness about new approaches to safety that go beyond the standard thinking. Rohan shared his experiences and discussed his special insights and perspectives on safety at the Central Safety Group lunchtime meeting on Tuesday, 11 June.
He spoke about the real life consequences of a workplace accident and outlined a model for safety and ‘safety psychology’ he believes should be adopted. In Rohan’s view, with the right habits and attitudes to safety, most accidents are preventable.

The presenter:

Rohan Sykes started his career as an apprentice fitter and turner with ALCOA. He immediately showed a passion for workplace safety and safe work practices, becoming an apprentice safety rep. Soon after that he started work as a multi-skilled operator at a glass bottle factory where the serious injury occurred. After his recovery Rohan founded Phoenix Workplace Safety with a mission to encourage industrial workplaces and individuals to completely re-think the way they approach safety. Through his presentations he has had a positive impact on the safety culture of many organisations, including major companies in the mining, defence, packaging and food industries and bodies such as local councils.