Central Safety Group Melbourne

May 2025

OHS power & influence

Presentation by: Rob Dival, National HS&E Manager, K&S Corporation

CSG event video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

How do OHS Professionals leverage power and influence tactics?

Occupational Health and Safety Professionals (OHSPs) are critical in providing organisational safety advice and support. However, OHSPs face significant challenges due to a general lack of authority and operational ownership of how work is performed.

Rob Dival addressed this dilemma in his lunchtime presentation to Central Safety Group on 13 May. He discussed how OHSPs need to leverage power (based on the perceived values of an intended target) and influence tactics (the strategic application of power) to achieve their desired goals.

Rob provided details of his recently completed Masters of OHS scoping review thesis, which sought to provide a comprehensive state of knowledge on how OHSPs perform these important activities.

Rob also shared some of his career experiences in supporting OHS teams to utilise power and influence tactics effectively in the workplace.

The presenter:

Rob has over 15 years’ experience working in OHS across multiple industries including construction, major hazard facilities, mining, rail, major infrastructure projects and more recently, transport & warehousing. With a diverse tertiary background of Psychological Science (BPsySc) and Safety & Health (MOHS), Rob has an invested lifelong interest in both disciplines. Rob is currently the National HS&E Manager for K&S Corporation (one of Australia's largest transport companies), providing ongoing leadership and mentoring to a team of OHS Professionals across the country. Rob has also been active in the OHS community, serving on the AIHS' Victorian Branch Committee, and joining the OHS Body of Knowledge Occupational Road Use project team. Rob is a Financial Member of Central Safety Group.

March 2025

The rights and wrongs of safety comms

Presenters:

Dr Tristan Casey , Director, New View Safety
Rob D’Elsini, WHS Business Partner, Protech

CSG event video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

Effective communications are a key part of creating a safe workplace, but what works and what doesn’t? Some valuable insights and answers were provided by Dr Tristan Casey in his 11 March presentation to Central Safety Group.

Dr Casey, an Implementation Scientist (Workplace Health, Safety & Wellbeing), conducted a detailed study on safety communication, in the field, as a joint project between Queensland’s Griffith University and the nation-wide Protech employment group.

He discussed some basic principles of safety communications and also gave an outline of the project. It involved an in-depth survey of a large cross-section of workers placed by Protech, then an analysis of the results to produce some useful practical recommendations.

Rob D’Elsini, Protech’s WHS Business Partner, also contributed to the presentation by sharing his experience of applying some of the research outcomes. Rob outlined a number of the study’s ideas and systems for safety communications that Protech have put into practice and discussed their effectiveness.

Their presentation included questions and discussion from the audience.

The presenter:

Dr Tristan Casey, Director of New View Safety, is a seasoned scientist-practitioner with experience across private consulting, academia and government. Tristan has a doctorate in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from the University of Queensland, and has developed numerous award-winning training programs, measurement tools and academic publications. He is an endorsed Organisational Psychologist with over 15 years’ expertise in the practical management of health, safety and wellbeing. He is a keen advocate of the positive links between safety, wellbeing and overall job performance.

The presenter:

Rob D’Elsini has over 20 years of varied experience in the field of safety. Having started in a warehouse and distribution centre, where Rob successfully implemented an AS4801-certified Safety Management System, he moved to V-Line. During his 3½ years there he gained valuable experience in construction, train driving and a customer service environment. After that he spent 10 years as National Safety Advisor for a national manufacturing business. In August 2024 Rob joined the national recruitment agency Protech Group as a WHS Business Partner. This role has given him broader exposure to differing industry areas, including civil construction, heavy manufacturing, quarries, warehouse and distribution as well as labour supply in traffic management and rail environments.

November 2024

Here comes the sun

Presenters:

Shannon Jones, Programs and Priority Populations Manager, SunSmart, Cancer Council Victoria
Dominic Melling, OHS Unit Coordinator, Victorian Trades Hall Council

CSG event video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

Summer brings with it increased risk of skin cancer, heat exhaustion and heat stroke in the workplace. This session on November 12 raised awareness of risks from exposure to heat, and discussed the roles and requirements of employers and employees in dealing with these.

Skin cancer awareness and prevention was discussed by Shannon Jones, Programs and Priority Populations Manager, SunSmart, Cancer Council Victoria.

General dangers from working in high temperatures, both indoors and outdoors, were discussed by Dominic Melling, OHS Unit Coordinator at Victorian Trades Hall Council.

Both speakers showed what employers need to be aware of and actions required to avoid harm to workers.

Apologies for the minor glitsch around the 43-minute mark in the video. It does not affect the viewing.

The presenter:

Shannon Jones is the Programs and Priority Populations Manager at SunSmart, Cancer Council Victoria where she is responsible for the overall management of the SunSmart Program. Shannon works directly with schools, early childhood, the health workforce and workplaces to improve the prevention and early detection of skin cancer in the Victorian population. Before joining Sunsmart 15 years ago, Shannon had a background in corporate health, health promotion and education. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Promotion) from Deakin University and is doing postgraduate studies in Public Health at Monash University.

The presenter:

Dominic Melling serves as the Lead Organiser of the OHS Team at the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC). In this role Dominic collaborates with affiliated unions to advocate for safer workplaces and enhanced conditions for workers. He plays a crucial role as a liaison between WorkSafe and union affiliates to ensure that union priorities are raised and handled collectively. Dominic and his team are instrumental in the development and delivery of resources for HSRs, including the weekly newsletter Safety Net, an email advice line Ask Renata, organising the annual HSR Conference and creating innovative tools. Dominic is also a committee member of Central Safety Group.

September 2024

What’s new in ergonomics – here and overseas

Presentation by: David Caple AM, David Caple & Associates

CSG event video now available (members only)
Presentation package now available (members only)

Our popular annual speaker David Caple, fresh back from the International Ergonomics Association Congress in Korea, gave an update to CSG on 10 September on emerging issues in ergonomics, followed by some interesting local case studies.

The first case study was about the risk of heavy paint cans to store staff and customers. This has resulted in changes to the industry, but there have been further findings from an industry review related to lighter weight cans.

This was followed by a case study on the management of occupational violence and design of safe frontline staff environments, including counters and security systems.

David also discussed a new publication he launched at the Congress, a resource for business leaders, Giving your business the human factors edge… Making it Happen! David is a co-author alongside Karen Lange-Morales (Colombia) and Andrew S. Imada (USA).

The presenter:

David Caple AM is a leading figure in occupational health and safety here and overseas. He is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) in Australia, UK, and USA. He has advised a wide range of businesses, industry groups and public sector organisations and worked with Australian and overseas governments on work health and safety strategy. He was involved in the development of legislation relating to the prevention of MSD for the Australian government and led multiple industry-based MSD prevention projects. David was the 16th President of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) 2006-2009 and represented the IEA at conferences and meetings in 30 countries. He has spent 40 years as an OHS consultant, and was Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ergonomics & Human Factors, La Trobe University for the last 20 years.

July 2024

Site visit to Melbourne & Olympic Parks

Presentation by: Scott McMillan, Director of Safety, Melbourne & Olympic Parks

Presentation package now available (members only)

Attendees enjoyed the chance to see inside the safety systems of some of Melbourne’s biggest event and sporting venues with Scott McMillan, Director of Safety at Melbourne & Olympic Parks on 9 July.

Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP) is home to seven national, elite sporting teams and welcomes millions of visitors annually. The precinct is acclaimed for hosting the Australian Open, a range of sporting codes, as well as top international acts and musicians.

On the site visit, Scott showed the safety side of what goes into putting on some of its main sporting events. This includes discussing the challenge of providing safe delivery, in a short time frame and on a very large scale.

The presenter:

Host Scott McMillan, Director of Safety at Melbourne & Olympic Parks, conducted our tour. About the venue: The original Olympic Park sporting arena, established in 1933, was demolished in 1946 for redevelopment to prepare the precinct to host field hockey and cycling events during the 1956 Olympic Games. By 1988, another significant redevelopment was underway to establish a purpose-built, multi-venue National Tennis Centre to host the Australian Open. In 2006 the precinct hosted various events for the Commonwealth Games. Today the precinct is home to six of Melbourne’s premier venues: Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, John Cain Arena, AAMI Park, CENTREPIECE and Kia Arena. A $972 million-dollar Melbourne Park Redevelopment has recently been completed by the Victorian Government.