Central Safety Group Melbourne

April 2018

Reducing Manual Handling Injuries

Presentation by: Conor Healy, Manager, Work Health and Safety, Jetstar Australia New Zealand

Presentation package now available (members only)

Manual handling injuries are some of the most common and costly injuries in the workplace.
An account of how Jetstar Airways reduced these injuries by 40% was shared by Conor Healy, Manager, Work Health and Safety, Jetstar Australia New Zealand in a lunchtime presentation on 10 April.
Baggage handlers, cabin crews and engineering workshop teams all do a lot of manual handling at Jetstar, which now has 7,000 employees and is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines.
Conor developed a multi-pronged program to reduce manual handling injuries and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders for employees working in body stressing environments. In two years he has found that the program has already made a significant difference.
He discussed this program and what the airline is doing to continue to gain improvements in this area.

The presenter:

Conor Healy has been Manager, Work Health and Safety, Jetstar Australia New Zealand for three years. His background includes significant experience in areas ranging from transport with London Underground, defence with BAE Systems to logistics with Toll and working with aerospace organisations. He is a graduate of the University of Westminster in the UK and has attained an MBA in Strategy.

February 2018

Mental-Psychological Conditions & Return to Work

Presentation by: Frank Imbesi, Managing Director, AMS Consulting

Presentation package now available (members only)

Return to work for people who have suffered workplace psychological injury or illness can be a complicated and challenging process.
The best-practice approach and potential problems when helping employees recovering from mental health issues was discussed by Frank Imbesi, Managing Director of AMS Consulting, an occupational rehabilitation company.
This area is of special interest to Frank, who has been working in in the field of return-to-work planning, management and support for many years. He said that a lot is known about rehabilitation and return to work after physical injury, but far less about how to help people recovering from events or situations in the workplace that led to mental injury.
There has been a recent increase in the reporting and acceptance of mental injury conditions and claims, which has found many employers unsure and unprepared when it comes to dealing with the challenges of rehabilitation and preventing recurrence of the problem. Frank outlined a number of ways to assist employers with these challenges.

The presenter:

Frank Imbesi is Managing Director of AMS Consulting, a multi- award-wining company specialising in health and wellbeing, injury prevention, injury management, return to work consulting and human factors analysis . He began his career as a physiotherapist, working in sports medicine and clinical private practice, before moving to the field of occupational rehabilitation. Frank has consulted and presented to national and large state based employers, Scheme Agents and universities in the areas of occupational rehabilitation and best practice return to work following occupational injury. Frank has been a university lecturer and has presented in the areas of occupational injury management and best practice RTW over many years and on behalf of VWA. He has also presented at numerous conferences. He was on the organising committee for the international forum on disability management in 2014. Frank was a member of the VWA Clinical Panel providing specialist advice in the area of occupational rehabilitation peer review for the duration of the program. Frank was the recipient of the National Outstanding Achievement in RTW Award in 2017. He has also been a judge for the Australian Rehabilitation Providers Association Awards.

October 2017

OHS in Victoria… where are we going?

Presentation by: Graham Dent, OHS Lawyer

Presentation package now available (members only)

Recent developments in some areas of OHS law in Victoria were discussed by leading OHS lawyer Graham Dent at the October meeting of Central Safety Group.
This included the relevance of the harmonised WHS laws in Victoria, trends in cases, courts and penalties, and the use of Enforceable Undertakings.
Graham gave examples to illustrate these issues and the implications of changes we see going on around us. He also discussed changes that may have quietly slipped past us.

The presenter:

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.

August 2017

Peer support programs – tips for success

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

Presentation package now available (members only)

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.

The presenter:

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, and 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 and the hospital’s peer support program was recognised in the 2016 Victorian Public Health Care Awards and the 2016 WorkSafe awards.

June 2017

Managing Risk By Incorporating Safety In Design

Presentation by: David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, Coles

Presentation package now available (members only)

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.

The presenter:

David is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (HFESA) and a Chartered Generalist OHS Professional (SIA) and is Safety Business Partner for Coles providing safety support across all brands nationally. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Human Movement, and Graduate Diplomas in OHS Management, Ergonomics and Teaching. A key driver in his role at Coles is Safety in Design. He has over 30 years of experience in the provision of health and safety advice, including professional/consulting roles in teaching, clinical massage, safety, ergonomics, injury management, and as a WorkSafe inspector.