OHS REPS @ WORK

OHS Reps Conference a great success

The conference opened with a moving performance by Mark Seymour, featuring songs from the Donna Jackson show - Dust.

The chance to deliver the highest possible Occupational Health and Safety standards was the theme of the day of the day at the eighth annual VTHC OHS reps conference on Thursday October 30. Approximately 1500 reps met to hear about the latest developments in OHS and to interact with policy makers and unions on the realities and issues they encounter in the workplace.

Barry Sherriff and Stephanie Mayman from the National OHS Review Panel, which  delivered its report to the Federal Government the day after the conference, heard first-hand what reps want in the national laws and the need for strong and effective regulation to support the work they do. Barry Sherriff said the review panel would convey those expectations through the ongoing review process. The Report can be downloaded from the National Review website (under 'Reports')

John Merritt, WorkSafe’s Executive Director gave a presentation reporting to reps WorkSafe's activities over the past year (attached below).  This was followed by a lively session in which John took questions from the floor of the conference and was given a clear insight into some of the concerns and frustrations many OHS reps have with the regulator. How the WorkSafe inspectorate deals with matters of bullying and discrimination was raised repeatedly and John Merritt undertook to address these concerns via a dedicated bullying unit within the regulator.

Other speakers included WorkCover Minister, Tim Holding, and VTHC Secretary, Brian Boyd. Andrea Shaw, from Shaw Idea Consultants, and Phillip Hazelton, AMWU National OHS Officer, delivered presentations on occupational health.

Joint winners for OHS Rep of the Year
Congratulations to Derek Jones from South Melbourne’s OTIS Elevator Company and Bill Thomson from the Department of Human Services - Melbourne Youth Justice Centre. They are joint recipients of this year’s WorkSafe Award for Health and Safety Representative of the Year.

Derek and Bill were presented with their Awards in front of more than 900 people at a gala event held at Crown Palladium on Thursday night, following the annual OHS Reps Conference. They were up against three other finalists; Darryl Anderson from Victoria Police, Steve Gibbon from OneSteel, and Lawrie Thomas from Safeway. Congratulations to all of them for being recognised as leaders in making their workplaces safer.

Derek Jones, ETU member, has been a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) with OTIS for nine years and has been a tireless advocate for improving and maintaining health and safety standards in his workplace and across the industry. He is directly involved in high-level industry forums at state and national level to progress safety solutions, which is particularly important as new elevator products enter the Australian market and require new installation procedures.

Bill Thompson, a member of the CPSU/SPSF, is a Youth Justice Worker who works night shift at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre. During this time as a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) with the Department of Human Services he has taken part in working groups, forums, and various Health and Safety Committees.
He established the Health and Safety Representative Forum in DHS and has been instrumental in driving health and safety initiatives at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre. SafetyNet will bring you more on their stories in coming weeks.

Conference prizes

Keating! The Musical Giveaway Pack
A wickedly clever musical on the life and times of Paul Keating burst into life at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The genius of the lyrics, audacity of the conception, and beat and swing of the music sent its audience spinning into the night. Available November 5th from all good DVD retailers. Pre-order your copy from Madman, and the first 500 will receive a bonus bumper sticker! Thanks to Madman Entertainment, Bella Union and SafetyNet, 10 conference attendees won DVD prize packs containing KEATING! the Musical, Tim Minchin: So Live! and Kenny - Special Edition.
Dust
There were also 5 double passes given away to Dust - a moving performance incorporating side show, ice scupture, rock n' roll, film and a vortex of dust. Asbestos Dust.
Congratulations to all our lucky winners.

Conference information and presentations
Check back here for more conference information and presentations as we'll be adding them here over the next week.