Central Safety Group Amsterdam

Using technology to make work safer

This was a fascinating presentation and quite an eye-opener for those of us who are technologically-challenged. While Central Safety Group has only recently joined the world of zoom, Gavin Kenny at Amsterdam Water has spent the last 4 years implementing a whole range of innovative solutions to common health and safety issues.

Gavin covered the whole gamut: from the use of Virtual Reality technology when designing new plant, through the use of animation to bring the Confined Spaces compliance code to life and developing apps for workers and maintenance contractors to use in the field, to very low-tech ways to engage with the workforce. With the latter, one that caught my eye was an annual staff barbecue called "Whingefest".

Another feature is the conversion of many of their procedures into a digital format to make them less cumbersome and, therefore, easier to use. It is part of their philosophy to reduce safety clutter. This was also the topic of our October 2019 presentation by Dr David Provan, here, which is definitely worth checking out again (log in first to access it).

View Presentation & Full Meeting Video
members only, please login first.

Musculoskeletal issues – what’s new in risks and prevention

There was a lot of interest in this topic and David gave attendees a lot to think about after his excellent presentation.

David was keen to point out that manual work is not a bad thing and that he is not against manual handling. In fact, current research indicates that it is not only physical factors that contribute to workplace musculoskeletal disorders, but other workplace factors as well. Therefore, one needs to look at how a task is "shaped". With appropriate design controls, manual tasks can be made much safer.

David busted a few myths about the reliance on conventional interventions. He confirmed what many of us have suspected for a long time, that training is not an effective prevention tool. There was certainly quite a bit of head-nodding at this point from attendees.

David alerted us to some useful resources, including Safe Work Australia's handbook on the principles of good work design.

Due to copyright reasons, we are not able to include the video David shared about a couple of the innovative design solutions he has implemented at Coles. You had to be there! Make sure you put the second Tuesday of the month into your diaries so that you don't miss out on our great presentations!

View Presentation & Full Meeting Video
members only, please login first.

Hospital safety during the pandemic

This informative session provided fascinating insights into the experiences of St Vincent's Hospital during both waves of the coronavirus pandemic in Victoria. And the experiences of each wave could not have been more different.

During the first wave much of their time was spent making extensive preparations for what the pandemic may bring. While they had only one case of Covid-19, they had to deal with a degree of anticipatory anxiety among their staff as they came to grips with the quickly-developing knowledge about this novel coronavirus.

The second wave was a completely different story, where "the only constant thing was change". They developed many strategies to deal with all the new challenges, and then when staff infections increased, they needed to review their processes to keep everyone safe. Christina shared many of these strategies in detail.

Her presentation stimulated a lot of discussion and has inspired us to delve into related topics for future meetings. In particular, dealing with post trauma from these experiences.

View Presentation & Full Meeting Video
members only, please login first.

David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, People and Product Safety, Coles.

Date & Time: Tuesday 13 April 2021 at 12:00pm 

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Topic: TBA

Details coming soon.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 12 April 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the April Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Hospital safety during the pandemic

Date & Time: Tuesday 9 March 2021 at 11:00am **Please note earlier start time**

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Hospital safety during the pandemic

When the Covid-19 crisis exploded just over a year ago, the demand for special safety measures in our hospitals was massive, sudden and urgent. Christina Rennick, General Manager Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Amsterdam’s St Vincent’s Hospital, will do a presentation via Zoom at 11 am on 9 March about how her workplace responded.
The hospital has a big and complex structure, a workforce of 7,000, and a large number of patients and visitors to protect. Beyond implementing large-scale basic requirements for Covid protection, the safety team had to develop new rules and systems, learn from experience and adapt. This has been ongoing as knowledge of the coronavirus unfolds and the situation in the community changes.
Christina will talk not only about physical safety measures, but also the need to monitor and manage the wellbeing of people in the hospital system during this time. Read more

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 February 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the March Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

CSG AGM

Date & Time: Tuesday 9 February 2021 at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

CSG Annual General Meeting

Central Safety Group Annual General Meeting.  Members welcome to attend.

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 8 February 2021.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the February Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

Normally on the 2nd Tuesday of December we would be gathering together at Parliament House for our annual Christmas lunch. While it was disappointing not to be able to do that this year, we were thrilled to have Professor David Caple present to us instead. Having such an engaging and high-calibre speaker was a ray of sunshine at the end of a gloomy year.

Amongst some research results David shared with us, it was interesting to learn that in some states, which have been opened up for a while, there is still a relatively low percentage of people returning to the office. It is clear that many people have relished the opportunity to work from home; however, the presentation and subsequent discussion highlighted the physical and psychological risks associated with this. David provided a number of links to useful resources for dealing with this delicate balance between working from home and returning to the office.

Thank you, David, for ensuring we ended the year on a high!

View Presentation & Full Meeting Video
members only, please login first.

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

Speaker: Professor David Caple AM

Date & Time: Tuesday 8 December at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

What Covid-19 means for workplace safety

2020 – what a year! Central Safety Group is wrapping it up with the subject that has had such an impact on our lives and work these past eight months.
Join Professor David Caple when he discusses Covid-19 and workplace safety via zoom on Tuesday 8 December at midday. David has been working on Covid-related projects with the healthcare and government sectors during the crisis..... Read More

Note: RSVP by close of business Monday 7 December.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the December Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here

Web safety – are you taking risks?

Every day lately there seems to be yet another report in the news about cyber crime, so Michael Connory's presentation to us, at our inaugural zoom meeting, could not have been more timely.

It was fascinating, and somewhat disconcerting, as he showed us on-screen some of the resources to track cyber crime in real time, not to mention the numerous ways we make ourselves vulnerable to attacks. This can have devastating consequences for us personally as well as for our organisations. Michael also guided us through ways to check if our passwords have been breached and other useful tools. It was a real eye-opener!

There is a lot of talk at the moment about guarding against complacency with mask-wearing; this could just as easily be a metaphor for our web safety: don't be complacent and do place barriers against potential breaches.

View Presentation
members only, please login first.

Web safety – are you taking risks?

Speaker: Michael Connory, CyberCertified

Date & Time: Tuesday 17 November at 12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: ONLINE ZOOM MEETING:

Web safety – are you taking risks?

Cyber crime is at an all-time high with so many people working from home and shopping online. Most of us could do a lot to improve our cyber security.

You can receive top advice on this and have your questions answered by Michel Connory of CyberCertified, one of Australia’s leading voices in cyber security, in a midday zoom presentation on Tuesday 17 November.

Michael’s session will be interactive and viewers will receive plenty of tips they can utilise.

This is part of a series of zoom presentations by Central Safety Group while in-person meetings are suspended.... Read More

Note: Financial members do not need to RSVP. Others are required to RSVP and pay by close of business Monday 16 November.  When booking for this Event, please ensure you select the November Meeting from the dropdown list (shaded orange), to RSVP to this meeting.

RSVP Here