3M Science of Safety

In this episode, David Hauser, Team Manager in Property Risk at Greencap joins host Mark Reggers for the first of a two-part series to discuss Property Risk. Property risk relates to a broader area than just the land and buildings in question. It covers risks associated with the asset, the infrastructure and people. It looks at how a property is managed to minimise hazard exposure to individuals,...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Jackii Shepherd, Safe Work Australia's Director of Occupational Hygiene Policy and Team Manager for their Workplace Exposure Standards Review continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the exposure standards review process. Under the model work health and safety laws, a workplace exposure standard is an airborne concentration of a chemic...

In this episode, the first of a two-part series, guest Jackii Shepherd, Safe Work Australia's Director of Occupational Hygiene Policy and Team Manager for their Workplace Exposure Standards Review joins host Mark Reggers to discuss the exposure standards review process. Under the model work health and safety laws, a workplace exposure standard is an airborne concentration of a chemical that a work...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Terry Gorman, 3M's Lead Application Engineer for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the subject matter of bushfires and respiratory protection. Bushfire smoke generates a gigantic volatile cocktail of hydrocarbons of various sizes, shapes and toxicity. Measuring the degree...

In this episode, Terry Gorman, 3M's Lead Application Engineer for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins host Mark Reggers for the first of a two-part series to discuss bushfires and respiratory protection. Bushfire smoke generates a gigantic volatile cocktail of hydrocarbons of various sizes, shapes and toxicity. Measuring the degree of respiratory hazard exposure from bu...

In this episode, Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins host Mark Reggers to discuss Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) care and maintenance. Respiratory protective equipment can be the lifeblood of your tool kit, protecting you from a host of respiratory ailments and diseases. Like all safety equipment, however, they need...

In this episode, Nigel Johnson, managing director of Property Risk Australia joins us to discuss lead and the associated health risks and effects from exposure. Throughout time lead has been an extremely beneficial metal, although it has also been toxic to humans. Before its recognition as a highly poisonous substance lead was used extensively in a wide variety of products and applications. Althou...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Jen Hines, Consultant Occupational Hygienist and Lecturer at the University of Wollongong continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the subject matter of diesel particulate matter. Diesel particulate matter is the particle substance within diesel exhaust. It is a carcinogenic combination of particulates and gases that are detrimental to...

In this episode, the first of a two-part series, guest Jen Hines, Consultant Occupational Hygienist and Lecturer at the University of Wollongong joins us to discuss diesel particulate matter with host Mark Reggers. Diesel particulate matter is the particle substance within diesel exhaust. It is a carcinogenic combination of particulates and gases that are detrimental to one's health. Occupational...

In this episode Dr. Julia Norris, current AIOH President & Medical Director at Occuhealth joins us to discuss workplace health monitoring and why it is important. Health monitoring in the workplace is the process of checking a worker's health over time as a result of having been exposed to a hazardous substance. Health monitoring is not a substitute for using effective control measures to eliminat...

In this episode Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss eye & face protection. When it comes to personal protective equipment, eye & face protection refers to safety gear that shields the delicate eyes and face from the wide range of hazards that may impact them on any given shift. Ranging from dust, sparks, heat,...

In this episode Catherine Dunkerley, Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Standards Australia, takes a deeper dive into the world of standards with host Mark Reggers as they explore how standards are developed.  Standards are documents that set out specifications, procedures and guidelines that aim to ensure products, services, and systems are safe, consistent, and reliable. In the world of sa...

In this episode Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss head protection. Head protection refers to an item of PPE known as a hard hat used to protect the skull and its fragile contents, the brain. The hard hat is predominantly used by those who work on busy construction sites and other industrial settings where the...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Peter Knott, occupational hygienist with GCG Consulting continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the subject matter of coal dust. Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal which is created by the crushing, grinding or pulverising of coal during mining, handling and transportation. Coal dust exposure is hazardous to mine workers, placin...

In this episode Peter Knott, occupational hygienist with GCG Consulting joins host Mark Reggers for the first of a two-part series to discuss coal dust. Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal which is created by the crushing, grinding or pulverising of coal during mining, handling and transportation. Coal dust exposure is hazardous to mine workers, placing them at risk of developing a dust-rela...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Dr Ross Di Corleto, Principal Consultant and Director of Monitor Consulting Services continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the subject matter of heat stress & strain in the workplace. Heat stress and heat strain are two different terms that are often incorrectly interchanged, using one phrase for the other. Heat stress refers to the...

In this episode Dr Ross Di Corleto, Principal Consultant and Director of Monitor Consulting Services joins host Mark Reggers for the first of a two-part series on heat stress & strain in the workplace. Heat stress and heat strain are two different terms that are often incorrectly interchanged, using one phrase for the other. Heat stress refers to the net heat load to which a worker is exposed thro...

In this episode Steven Nikolovski, State Inspector for Asbestos and Demolition at SafeWork NSW joins us to discuss loose-fill asbestos, what it is, and why it so bad.  Loose-fill asbestos is a dangerous form of asbestos used as insulation material and manufactured from raw crushed asbestos. It was used as ceiling insulation in the '60s and '70s by a small group of companies due to its excellent in...

In this episode Linda Apthorpe, Consultant Occupational Hygienist and University Lecturer returns to discuss naturally occurring asbestos. Naturally occurring asbestos is the natural geological occurrence of asbestos minerals found in association with geological deposits including rock, sediments and soils. Generally, this refers to asbestos that has not been extracted or refined for commercial pu...

In this episode Linda Apthorpe, Consultant Occupational Hygienist and University Lecturer joins us to discuss the topic of asbestos in soil. Asbestos in soil can be found on a variety of properties, be it residential, commercial or recreational. It may exist for several reasons, including buildings that contained asbestos not being demolished and disposed of correctly, or asbestos contaminated soi...

In this episode, David Provan, Managing Director of Forge Works joins us, along with returning guest Pam Pryor, to discuss rules and procedures in safety and how it fits into the OHS Body of Knowledge.  Rules and procedures play a pivotal role in health and safety, particularly in high-risk environments. However, excessive documentation and governance can create an illusion of safety while possibl...

In this episode David Caple, Director of David Caple & Associates Pty Ltd. joins us, along with last weeks guest Pam Pryor, to discuss health and safety in design and how it fits into the OHS Body of Knowledge. Health and Safety in Design is one of the core elements of control and intervention to manage and mitigate risk. It maps out the process that you go through to get to that outcome by emphas...

In this episode Pam Pryor, OHS Body of Knowledge Development Manager at the Safety Institute of Australia joins us to discuss the OHS Body of Knowledge, what it is and how it is used. The OHS Body of Knowledge is an ever-evolving knowledge base that occupational health and safety professionals can reference. First published in 2012, the project funded by WorkSafe Victoria had three defined deliver...

In this episode Peter Knott, occupational hygienist with GCG Consulting joins us to discuss real-time & video exposure monitoring. Real-time monitoring, in essence, is collecting exposure samples over very brief periods. On their own, they provide indications of short-term fluctuations in exposure and typically lack context. Since exposures to hazards are an event in time, workers may experience d...

In this episode host Mark Reggers and guest Debbie Dietrich, Senior Vice President and Corporate Industrial Hygienist for SKC Inc. continue where they left off and resume their discussion on the subject matter of Exposure Monitoring. Exposure monitoring is a quantitative measurement of environmental hazards to which workers may be exposed to. It is a critical component of any Occupational Hygiene...