VIC - WorkSafe Health and Safety Month on the Road and Online

Original article published by WorkSafe Victoria

WorkSafe Health and Safety Month will present its biggest ever program of events when it returns to the road next month, following two years of online-only sessions due to COVID-19.

Beginning in Bairnsdale, face-to-face events to present the latest information and ideas on workplace safety will be held in 14 regional centres during October, followed by a week-long series of webinar sessions.

WorkSafe’s regional roadshow will include sessions on how to create mentally healthy workplaces, prevent work-related gendered violence and support injured workers to recover and return to work.

The value of health and safety representatives will also be highlighted, while young workers, tradies and the agricultural sector will be the focus at some events.

All events are free for employers and workers and registrations are now open.

More topics will be covered in 15 free webinars including how WorkSafe can help culturally and linguistically diverse communities understand OHS obligations, regulating exposure to crystalline silica and prioritising occupational health, and WorkSafe’s role in the evolving energy sector.

Each event and webinar will include a question and answer session, providing participants the opportunity to have experts address any issues they may have.

In line with this year’s event theme of Connect, Learn, Share, three Health and Safety Month ambassadors will share personal stories of workplace injury and recovery and what they have learned about reducing workplace harm.

Bendigo midwives Sally Collier-Clarke and Sara Jorgenson, who were jointly named Health and Safety Representatives of the Year at the 2019 WorkSafe Awards, will promote the important role health and safety representatives play in a safe workplace.

Fellow ambassador, Warrnambool business owner Darren Smith, who had his right leg amputated after a work-related vehicle accident in 2016, will share his return to work journey to encourage and inspire others who are recovering from workplace injury.

Former AFL Geelong Cats captain turned media personality Cameron Ling, who has seen first-hand the impact that workplace injuries have following a serious injury to his father, will again host a number of events, both online and in person.

WorkSafe Chief Executive Colin Radford said the combination of in-person events and webinars meant more opportunity for employers and workers to hear from industry experts on a wider range of important workplace issues.

“There’s always something more to learn about workplace health and safety and I encourage everyone who is connected to a workplace to visit the Health and Safety Month website and view the entire program,” Mr Radford said.

Regional events will take place in:

• Bairnsdale – 4 October
• Traralgon – 5 October
• Warragul – 6 October
• Narre Warren – 7 October
• Shepparton – 10 October
• Mildura – 11 October
• Echuca – 12 October
• Bendigo – 13 October
• Shepparton – 14 October
• Ballarat – 17 October
• Horsham – 18 October
• Portland – 19 October
• Port Fairy/Warrnambool – 20 October
• Geelong – 21 October

Webinars will run from 24-28 October.

To view the full list of WorkSafe Health and Safety Month events and to register, please visit: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/events

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