HSR of the Year.

admin • March 3, 2025

The Annual WorkSafe Awards night was held last week. As always, the highlight was the Health and Safety Representative of The Year Category. We all know what amazing work HSR’s do every day across Victoria to keep workplaces safe and it was great to see a handful of them called out for their great work.


The finalists for 2025 were:

  • Barry McKenna – from United Petroleum Hastings Terminal
  • Cameron Barber – from Delcon Civil
  • Cameron Middleton-Else – from Wodonga Middle Years College
  • Danny Humphrey – from Qenos
  • Mick Puche – from Glenelg Shire Council
  • Sue Healey & Melissa Courts – form Echuca Regional Health


Each of these HSRs was nominated for the award by someone who had seen their outstanding commitment to health and safety. They each had a particular challenge to deal with at work and had persevered until they got the right safety outcomes for their co-workers.

This year, the winner of the award was Mick Puche. As a plant operator and with a previous workplace injury where he lost a finger at work, he is a dedicated advocate for health and safety. Find out more about Mick here: HSR of the Year - Mick Puche | Glenelg Shire Council


Another award on the night was the Worker Return to Work Achievement. The finalists were:

Matthew Manley – from Kinross Farms

Nicholas Johansen – from Mainstream Aquaculture

Steel Anderson – Steel Anderson Carpentry


The award went to Matthew Manley. Find out more about Matthew here: Worker Return to Work - Matthew Manley | Kinross Farms

All three of these workers had suffered severe injuries in their workplace. It was such an important reminder of how important safety is. This award focused on their return to work, but we all know that there are many workers who are so severely injured, physically and mentally, that they will never make it back to work. The work of all HSRs is targeted at preventing such terrible incidents – so that no one has to endure what these three workers, and countless others, experience.


HSR’s, as the workers' representatives, are integral to genuine and meaningful consultation in the workplace. Every workplace should have legally elected and trained HSR’s, with safety structures in place. One can’t help but wonder how much safer the workers of Victoria would be if every workplace had HSR’s!


If you need help with setting up safety structures in your workplace, running HSR elections, or HSR training and support – don’t hesitate to get in touch: HSR Training and support | BeSafe | Regional Victoria

The Safety Spotlight on Small Business

By admin • July 1, 2025
The rise of podcasts has made learning and information so accessible and learning about OHS is no different. We came across the WorkSafe Act podcast ‘The Safety Spotlight’ episode on ‘Small Business’. In this podcast, Jacqui Argius, the WorkSafe ACT Commissioner talks about safety in small business . She is joined by Michelle Boundy in a podcast led by Lish Fejer. They discuss a number of matters relating to safety in the small business environment, which are summarised below. Small businesses are required to be compliant with safety legislation, no matter how small they are. It is often the case that small businesses have less OHS expertise. Sometimes they may think that a serious incident ‘won’t happen here’. They may not have a good understanding of what their legal obligations are. Sometimes there may be a ‘fear factor’ about their lack of understanding of how to meet their legal obligations. They may think that they are too small to need proper systems. But – just because they are small, this doesn’t mean that they don’t need to meet the same requirements as the larger businesses when it comes to safety, and this includes both physical and psychosocial safety. Small businesses must also have WorkCover insurance. Like in all businesses, consultation is key. ‘Talking to your workers’ is so important to ensuring a safe workplace. This includes ensuring that young workers and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can understand. Guidance material regarding how to communicate safety information is available. The importance of training is also covered. Small businesses must have an induction process and ongoing training for their workers. Employees must also be trained in how to report hazards. The application of risk management systems and the hierarchy of controls is the same in small business as in any workplace, as is the concept of ‘ reasonably practicable ’. The commissioner highlights that the cost of implementing a control will not be considered to be important if a matter goes to court. The employer must eliminate or implement controls to all risks to health and safety. The podcasters acknowledge that there are a myriad of pressures on small businesses – but highlight that this does not reduce their obligations in relation to safety. Nor does it exempt the business from enforcement by the regulator: ‘we will be regulating them the same as anyone else’. Overall, the podcast highlights the need for small business owners to be pro-active and build a safety-first culture. To listen to the WorkSafe ACT Small Business Podcast, check out: Ep. 2 - Small Business There are many resources available to small business to ensure that they are providing and safe and healthy workplace. In Victoria these include: Getting some help from WorkSafe through the OHS Essentials program, which is free to small business and a great place to start. Accessing health and safety checklists as a way to begin a self-assessment. Reading about your obligations and legal requirements. Take a look at the WorkSafe website to access these resources here: Small business | WorkSafe Victoria

Education: The Key to Workplace Safety

By admin • June 24, 2025
At BeSafe Victoria, we live, eat and breathe safety education. Why? Because we believe it is the key to workplace safety. We see and hear the on-the-ground OHS stories from our participants on a daily basis, both during training and while providing follow-up support. It is remarkable to see the transformation that occurs during a training course, as participants grow their safety knowledge and become empowered to influence their own safety and that of their workplace. In regional Victoria, it is not uncommon for OHS Literacy to be very low. This is not in all workplaces, but certainly our experience shows that many workers have received very little or no training in OHS. By gaining an understanding of OHS, we can empower individuals to keep themselves safe. This includes in understanding their rights, recognising hazards, mitigating risks and knowing when to say no to unsafe work. Training an individual also means that they can bring this new knowledge to their workplace, leading to positive improvements in safety outcomes for their colleagues. Safety training has broader implications too – it can inspire conversations with family and friends, creating a ‘ripple effect’ of improved safety awareness in the community. We often see participants who deeply care about safety and have put their hand up to become a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) in their workplace. These participants come in with the drive and walk out with the tools and the passion they need to make a really tangible difference in their workplace. We know of many stories of trained HSR’s who go on to transform the safety of their workplaces. Whether we are duty holders, supervisors, HSR’s, or employees – we all have a role to play in the safety of our workplace – and with the right knowledge, we can make a positive contribution.  What truly underpins a safe work environment? The answer lies in education .