Virtual Seminar Series

This seminar explores the role of the ‘accidental design professional’ in improving work design. Many people who don’t typically see themselves as work designers actually have a powerful influence on work safety, from CEOs, to IT professionals to HR executives. Exploring the role of the ‘accidental design professional’ in improving work design, this seminar examines how well-designed, healthy and safe work enables workers to have more productive lives. President of the Risk Engineering Society Geoff Hurst, Ergonomist Barbara McPhee, and Peter Holmes from National Australia Bank will discuss how to implement the ten principles of good work design in practice. Our experts will explore how good work design can radically transform the workplace in ways that benefit the business, workers, clients and others in the supply chain, while failure to consider how work is designed is a lost opportunity to innovate and improve the efficiency of work.

Peter Dunphy from SafeWork NSW, Liz Bluff from the Australian National University and Wes Wilkinson from Work Systems Technology discuss the importance of designing hazards and risks out of machinery before it enters the workplace.

In today's global and national economies, businesses increasingly outsource parts of their activities and processes. This trend, and the growing importance of supply chains, has implications for the health and safety of workers in suppliers and contracting companies. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology operates in a range of environments, both in Australia and overseas. From remote field stations to aid projects in the Pacific, the Bureau employs or contracts workers from many cultures, in unfamiliar situations, and often working in difficult environments. It provides critical, specialised information and advice – and its workers face some unexpected risks. Two senior leaders from the Bureau discuss how they manage these risks and avoid complacency. They also talk about the challenges and opportunities that supply chain relationships offer to help improve work health and safety – by what they leave behind after the job is done, as well as how work is managed during the project.

Join Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, Professor Michael Quinlan from UNSW and Christian Frost from News Corp Australia exploring how consultation and cooperation in supply chain networks can be used to improve workers’ health and safety. Our panellists suggest practical ways to use supply chains to protect the health and safety of workers, emphasising the importance of consultation and cooperation.

In this live broadcast, three leading experts will explore how the safe design of construction projects can protect the health and safety of workers – not just while they are being built, but throughout the project’s life cycle. The panel will discuss how companies in the construction supply chains can work together to apply safe design and improve work health and safety outcomes. Better design at the start of a project can benefit businesses throughout the building process and during subsequent use of the building.

Ann Sherry AO, Chair of Safe Work Australia, Georgie Harman, Chief Executive Officer of beyondblue, and Leanne Faulkner, small business owner and mental health champion, discuss the challenges faced by many small businesses and sole traders and how these may affect their mental health and that of their workers.

In this presentation, Dr Jodi Oakman discusses the causes of musculoskeletal disorders and from these, examines what this means for managing the risks of musculoskeletal disorders in workplaces.

Everybody's business: Load restraint safety in the steel industry by Safe Work Australia

Many workplace issues can be addressed through good planning and scheduling.

What's in that cloud? Does diesel exhaust pose a health risk at your workplace? Research estimates that 1.2 million Australian workers were exposed to diesel exhaust in the workplace in 2011.

Why would you invest in a safer vehicle fleet for your business? It’s a better business practice, it offers a good return on investment, provides greater security for employees and their families and a safer society for everyone. And it’s never been easier or more affordable to buy 5-star rated vehicles for your fleet.

After someone gets seriously injured at work, everything changes. So many people's lives are affected when somebody gets hurt. That’s what happened after Nigel Smith got caught in the conveyor at a steel tube mill. In this podcast, the former Paralympian returns to the steel tube mill where he lost his leg 22 years ago.

The Better Work Tasmania website was launched in April 2015. It is an online resource for sharing ideas, and helps Tasmanian businesses of all sizes to network and learn about work health and safety.

The supervisors or managers of young workers have the greatest influence on their attitude to work safety. Listen to this podcast to hear two young workers going about their day’s work, and how their interactions with their supervisors can have such an effect on the outcome – for good or bad.

In this presentation, Paul Cook from WorleyParsons explains the five pillars of its safety program and what the organisation has been doing in implementing activities around each of the five pillars:

One worker paid a serious penalty when he fell through a gap, or ‘void’, on a construction site. This video reminds us of the hazards and gives some simple steps to control them.

Two senior leaders from the Bureau of Meteorology discuss how they manage these risks and avoid complacency. They also talk about the challenges and opportunities which supply chain relationships offer to help improve work health and safety – by what they leave behind after the job is done, as well as how work is managed during the project.

Three leaders – a union leader, an academic and a business leader – explore the challenges and opportunities supply chains present for protecting and improving workers’ health and safety. This seminar discusses the role of the union movement in helping raise awareness and create sustainable change. It suggests practical ways to use supply chains effectively to protect the health and safety of workers. The seminar emphasises the importance of consultation and cooperation and explains how supply chain relationships can be used to improve workers’ health and safety.

This podcast discusses a risk management approach to preventing musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace. Featuring a hospital, a fine art restoration service, and an artisan bakery, this podcast shows how risk management and the hierarchy of controls can be used to protect workers’ health and safety.

Anita Johnston, the national Human Resources Manager of Vac Group, provides practical guidance on return to work practice that benefits both workers and business. Anita discusses effective return to work environments and practical strategies to reduce lost time and suitable duties durations, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and improve medical, psychological, social and financial outcomes.