Zenergy Newletter June 2023

Zenergy Safety, Health & Wellbeing Industry Update


As we come to the close of the financial year, it has been a record year for Safety Health & Sustainability employment, with almost all sectors and regions recording growth in FY22/23, with the notable exception of a slowdown in a traditionally reliable and strong construction sector. The fastest growing of the recruitment segment has been in the contracting and consulting space, with a phenomenal 32% increase year on year. We attribute this to organisations working through increased staff turnover, additional workload post covid and having the ability to bring in resources on a short-term basis to assist with overflow work, projects and retention issues.


The pace continues into the new year with: 

  • Australian Workplace Health & Safety Awards 2023 and Gala Dinner coming up in Melbourne on August 31st 
  • SafeWork month in October 
  • Zenergy’s annual CEO forum takes place in October
  • The 23rd World Congress on Safety & Health at work takes place on 27 - 30 November 2023 at the ICC in Sydney

 

2023 is a rich environment for Safety Health & Sustainability professionals to work in. Emerging technologies, environmental impetus and the need to create psychologically healthy and safe workplaces are all opening up exciting opportunities for growth and career development and we look forward to working with you in the new financial year! 


Zenergy Updates and Events

Zenergy’s New Sydney Headquarters – Surry Hills, Sydney

 

After 15 years at Circular Quay in Sydney CBD, the Zenergy team have been extremely excited to move to our new purpose built HQ in Surry Hills, Sydney NSW. The construction of our new headquarters is a big milestone in our history and after 17 years in total of doing our best to provide the best service to our customers and working conditions for our team, moving in Q3 of this year we started writing a new chapter in history in our own building. 

 

This was a dream that we had for several years, and now the dream became reality. The new office building mirrors the company’s spirit in an open, modern office space, encourages creative thinking, and offers top-notch facilities, equipment, and amenities and we look forward to welcoming you all in the new financial year!

Zenergy Leaders Forum – Panel Discussion 'Contractor & Vendor Management'

 

 A full house in Sydney at Mirvac for a fascinating discussion with some of the leading legal and safety minds in our industry! 

 

The topic was 'Contractor & Vendor Management' and with active audience participation, one of the key themes was to 'engage early and engage wholeheartedly' or potentially suffer the consequences down the track. MC Brian Long. READ MORE… 

 

A special thanks to the panel: 

  • Steve Bell Herbert Smith Freehills 
  • Lea Constantine Ashurst 
  • Alena Titterton Clyde & Co 
  • David Provan, Forge Works 

 

For upcoming similar events get in touch with the team Zenergy Safety, Health & Wellbeing.

Australian Workplace Health & Safety Awards 2023 – Sponsorship Opportunities


The Australian Institute of Health & Safety, in partnership with Zenergy Safety, Health & Wellbeing, is proud to present the Australian Workplace Health & Safety Awards for 2023 with the awards and Gala dinner to be held on Thursday 31st August 2023 at Zinc at Fed Square in Melbourne. 

 

The awards provide national recognition to organisations and individuals who are demonstrating excellence and innovation in the field of Workplace Health & Safety. They recognise 11 individual and organisational achievements. READ MORE… 

 

In 2022 there were over 500 nominations, with 12 winners and a gala awards evening event attended by over 250 people. The launch of the official new microsite has dedicated links to sponsorship pages, criteria and all other information. Follow the link https://awhsa.org.au/ 

 

For further information reach out to the team at Zenergy on 1300 333 400!

Introducing our Contract / Interim Division

 

Our contract recruitment division is dedicated to connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals on a temporary basis to meet their specific project needs. In today's fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, organisations often require flexible workforce solutions, and that's where our expertise comes into play. 

 

We specialise in sourcing, screening, and placing talented individuals who can seamlessly integrate into any organisation for a defined period. Whether clients need additional resources for a short-term project, require specialised expertise, or want to cover for an employee on leave, our division is here to help. 

 

Our team of experienced recruiters understands the nuances of contract recruitment. We work closely with both clients and candidates to ensure a smooth and efficient process. Our extensive network and industry knowledge enable us to identify and attract top-notch professionals across various domains. 

 

If you are interested in finding out more, please reach out to Lewis Trow.


READ MORE...

Zenergy Client Site Tour – James Hardie

 

Two of our team from the Sydney office  Giulia Giovagnoli and Kathleen Melville were welcomed for an exciting site tour by our client James Hardie. James Hardie Industries is the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products and is dual-listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. READ MORE…. 

 

Industry leader Katie Chapman, who is EHS Projects Manager APAC at James Hardie, brought the ladies around site, where they witnessed the different types of cement cladding and panels that are manufactured on site right through to distribution. All the while understanding the ways that risk is managed. Wayne Auty – Distribution Team Leader NSW took pride in showing the Zenergy team around the company, where he has worked for over 40 years. 

 

Truly inspiring to be given access into how the James Hardie business continues on it's growth trajectory and further insight for the Zenergy Safety, Health & Wellbeing team to help guide HSE Professionals to better career choices.

Zenergy Team Outing

 

The Zenergy Safety, Health & Wellbeing team got together recently for team building and an evening out to celebrate a fantastic 6 months working together on some outstanding assignments with our clients all across Australia. 

 

There was a special mention to Lewis Trow who has relocated from the UK with his young family and made an impact in such a short period of time and to Daniel Clancy who has taken the Victoria market by storm. A warm welcome to Devon Lowe who joined earlier this month is making a difference already.

Industry News & Resources

National Safe Work Month 2023 theme released..

 

Safe Work Australia has released the theme and campaign kit for National Safe Work Month to be held in October 2023. 

 

The overarching theme for 2023 is For everyone’s safety, work safely - encouraging everyone to make health and safety in the workplace a priority. 

 

READ MORE…

Psychosocial safety requirements in the workplace

 

You will have no doubt been hearing a lot about “psychological safety” and “psychosocial safety” lately and for good reason. The laws are changing in these areas in relation to workplace obligations. It can be confusing, but it shouldn’t be. It’s important to not over-complicate this topic because it is a very critical factor to get right in the workplace. 

 

READ MORE….

Racing company fined $350,000 after young rider’s tragic death

 

A horse training company has been convicted and fined $350,000 after an apprentice jockey was thrown from her horse and died during pre-dawn training at Cranbourne, Victoria. Saloon Park, which trades as Ken Keys Racing, was sentenced in the Melbourne County Court after being found guilty of one charge of failing to provide or maintain a system of work that was safe and without health risks.

 

READ MORE….

Transitioning From AS/NZS 4801 TO ISO 45001

 

Companies yet to transition from AS/NZS 4801 to ISO 45001 have until 23 July 2023 to transition to the new standard. From 23 July 2023 onwards, AS/NZS 4801 certificates will not be recognised and companies seeking ISO 45001 certification will be treated as new applicants by their external certification body. Standards Australia has marked 4801 as 'Superseded' and 'Published, Obsolete'. As such, any organisation which previously had 4801 should move to 45001 if they do not require 4801 for legislative or contractual reasons.

 

READ MORE….

Search Zenergy's Job Board


  To support safety & wellbeing in the workplace 

Sydney ~ Melbourne ~ Brisbane ~ Perth

 

  Zenergy Safety Health & Wellbeing

25 Brisbane Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW 2010

1300 333 400

www.zenergygroup.com.au

 

Contact Us

Zenergy News

Zenergy Upcoming Leaders Forum

22 Apr, 2024
The annual Zenergy Leaders Forum is one of the premier events on the senior health, safety & sustainability calendar in Australia.  This is a non-ticketed invitation only event hosted by Zenergy. Attendee numbers at the Zenergy forum are 150 and will include executive, people and culture directors, CEO, COO and directors of health & safety and HSE personnel. The topic for this year is “Integrated Psychosocial Risk Management”. All of the event information is below and reach out to your account manager at Zenergy for further details.

Groping dismissal highlights raised bar of consent

22 Apr, 2024
This article has been reproduced with permission from OHS Alert, and the original version appears at www.ohsalert.com.au . A commission has cautioned that society's "significantly raised" bar for what constitutes consent for physical interactions is "even higher" in work-related environments, in upholding the summary dismissal of a worker for inappropriately touching a colleague. In Perth, Fair Work Commission Deputy President Melanie Binet said that regardless of the intention of the worker, who claimed he was simply moving his female colleague "out of the way", his conduct was a valid reason for dismissal. Workers should be "on notice" of the increased scrutiny of behaviours, given the extensive social discourse and media coverage on sexual harassment issues, she said. "This is particularly so in the mining industry in Western Australia where a parliamentary inquiry [see related article ] focused community attention on the odious frequency of sexual harassment and assault of women in the mining industry." The Deputy President added that recent amendments to the Commonwealth Fair Work Act 2009 that specifically identify sexual harassment as a valid reason for dismissal (see related article ) "reflect a societal recognition that sexual harassment has no place in the workplace in the same way as violence or theft don't". The worker was an Alcoa of Australia Ltd advanced mechanical tradesperson when he was sacked for inappropriately touching the colleague in an office at Alcoa's Pinjarra Alumina Refinery in September last year. The worker claimed he turned his back to the colleague to squeeze between her and a desk to go to speak to another person and his hands made contact with her lower torso. Afterwards, the colleague's partner entered the office and found her visibly distressed. He confronted the worker, accusing him of grabbing the colleague's buttocks and squeezing it. The issue was escalated, and the worker was summarily dismissed after an investigation concluded he sexually harassed the colleague by making "unwelcomed and socially inappropriate physical contact". Alcoa found the worker breached codes and policies that he had been trained on, which stated that harassment was not determined by the intent of the person who engaged in the conduct but by the impact on the recipient. The worker admitted touching the colleague but claimed this only occurred because the room was crowded. He said he did not intend to behave in a sexual manner and apologised to the colleague as soon as he found out she was upset. He claimed unfair dismissal and sought reinstatement in the FWC. Deputy President Binet found the worker's accounts of the incident were inconsistent, with the parts of the colleague's body that he touched changing in his various statements. She accepted the colleague's evidence that the worker groped her in an "intimate sexual location" and his conduct caused immediate and ongoing effects to her health and wellbeing. The worker could have waited until there was space for him to pass between the desks, requested the colleague to move from the gap or gently touched her arm to get her attention, the Deputy President said. "There was simply no justification for him to turn his back then have his hands at [the colleague's] buttocks level, touch her buttocks and consciously push her out of his way," she said. "I am not convinced that [his] conduct was intended to be entirely without a sexual nature," she concluded. She stressed that even if she was wrong on this point, this type of unwelcome touching could objectively be seen as being capable of making recipients feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. The Deputy President also slammed the worker's representatives for choosing "to follow a well-worn but discredited path of blaming the victim" by accusing the colleague of inviting the "accidental" contact by standing in the narrow walkway. "Women should be able to attend their workplaces without fear of being touched inappropriately," she said in dismissing the worker's case. "It is a sad inditement of the positive work that has been undertaken by employers, unions and regulatory bodies in the mining industry that young women like [the colleague] are still frightened to report incidents of harassment for fear of being ostracised."

Zenergy Team Outing

22 Apr, 2024
An Afternoon of Fun and Fierce Competition: Our Team's Lawn Bowls Adventure

Zenergy Safety Ladies' Lunch

16 Apr, 2024
Empowering Women in Safety: Insights from the Zenergy Safety Ladies' Lunch

Client Focus – Snowy Hydro

16 Apr, 2024
By Jason O’Dowd. Recruitment - Health Safety Environment & Quality

Safety blitz to prevent deaths and injuries from construction falls

16 Apr, 2024
Safety blitz to prevent deaths and injuries from construction falls WorkSafe Victoria recently launched a statewide blitz to tackle fall risks on building sites, such as unsafe or incomplete scaffolds, inappropriate ladder use, steps, stairs and voids or falling from or through roofs. The initiative was launched after nine Victorian workers died in 2023 as a result of falls from height, including four in the construction industry. The number of accepted workers’ compensation claims from construction workers injured in falls from heights also increased to 441 – up from 421 in 2022 and 404 the year before. Construction continues to be the highest-risk industry for falls from heights, making up a third of the 1352 total falls from height claims accepted last year. Of the construction workers injured, 160 fell from ladders, 46 from steps and stairways, 31 from buildings or structures, 27 from scaffolding, and 13 from openings in floors, walls or ceilings. WorkSafe Victoria executive director of health and safety, Narelle Beer, said inspectors would be out in force with an extra emphasis on ensuring employers are doing everything they can to prevent falls. “As a leading cause of injury in the construction industry, falls from height is always a priority for our inspectors – but they will be making this a particular focus as they visit building sites over the coming weeks,” Beer said. “The safest way to prevent falls is to work on the ground. Where that’s not possible, employers should use the highest level of safety protection possible, such as complete scaffolding, guard railing and void covers.” Beer said WorkSafe Victoria can and will take action against employers who fail to ensure the highest level of risk control measures are in place to protect workers from falls. “A fall can happen in just seconds and it can turn your world upside down – so there’s no excuse for taking shortcuts when working at heights,” she said. The statewide blitz will be supported by fall prevention messaging across social media, newsletters and online, reminding employers and workers that fall can be fatal or cause life-changing injuries. Source: Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS)
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