The Australian Health & Safety Business Podcast

With the onset of COVID in 2020, Dr Garry Marling took the opportunity to rethink how he could deliver his safety services. An idea from his son, helped him land on launching Culture Radar which helps heavy industry with high risks, use the culture piece to rethink how safety messages can be delivered effectively. In this interview, Garry explains how positive ROI can be delivered for mid-sized co...

Yasser Zaki has had a really interesting career working in the disability sector. First working for Government, then a large provider, in 2015/16 he branched out to start his own enterprise Tender Loving Care. Rather than be like many other providers, he's developed a unique approach that really puts customers first. He has also developed an enterprise that provides a pathway for employment f...

It's been no easy feat but CEO of CSI, Jason Jennings, has worked with key stakeholders to launch a new course designed at educating workforces as to the dangers of Silica Exposure. The course called 10830NAT Course in Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention was almost 15 years in the making and CSI was successful in gaining support from ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) as there was...

David took over SIA (Safety Institute of Australia) back in 2015 with the view to raising the bar of health and safety professionals in Australia.  Now rebranded to the AIHS (Australian Institute of Health and Safety) he has an active membership base of professionals around Australia. AIHS operate as a not-for-profit investing all proceeds into making this association better and better. On his age...

Rusty has lived most of his life surfing big waves and new the joy it can bring you. Not so long ago he turned his efforts to the Veteran Surf Project and got Federal Department funding to help veterans with PTSD Surf, Thrive and Recover. Find out all the great work Rusty is doing in this episode. More info https://www.veteransurfproject.org/

Based in Tassie, Matthew has created Workbox Safety as a cloud based Safety Management System to assist companies create straight forward safety systems that meets legislative requirements. Matthew has carved out a niche in the Agricultural Industry and has now built another program that does SWMS for High Risk Activities. Enjoy this candid interview where Matthew explains his journey to date. Mor...

A chance conversation with a trainer in the early 2000’s led Harold to setting up a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and offering trainer qualifications. A well networked recruiter for many years, the RTO grew fast and now Harold has one of the largest RTO’s in the country offering TAE and Safety related quals. Find out how he did it here. More info: https://hba.edu.au/

Serkan has had a background working in Government specifically in Workers Comp. His simple method around structuring health and safety systems has helped some of his old employers save millions in workers comp premiums. Seeing the power of these changes and savings in these methods, Serkan has recently started Falcon Consulting. Find out more: https://falconcg.com.au

Ming runs one of Australia's biggest dance music companies fuzzy.com.au.  In this candid interview he tells us how it all started and what are some of the health and safety concerns Fuzzy have to look out for when running festivals. Obviously COVID has temporarily stopped outdoor festivals of these sizes but it won't be long before it all gets up and running again.

Bill Carson is a first aid trainer with a twist - he does First Aid for Mental Health. Companies are increasingly seeing the benefits of having first aiders that can identify and help guide fellow colleagues with health issues. Tune into this episode to learn how this training is becoming increasingly important in a range of different workplaces. Visit: www.inspirelearning.com.au

Gerard has been running a Mould Remediation business for the last 10 years in SE Queensland. When COVID-19 hit, he has used the core competencies of his team to roll out a new business called Silix which is devoted to the deep cleaning of public places and workplaces. The actual product that he uses is called Zoono from New Zealand and has been recognised by Governments all around the world for it...

The world of WHS has changed again. No longer can companies insure against penalties imposed under the WHS Act and Queensland has just prosecuted under the new Industrial Manslaughter laws. Gareth's, Safe Assure, has a national presence and helps businesses make sure they have good systems in place. More info: M    0477 777 044 E    gareth@safeassure.com.au W    safeassure.com.au

Nick Wodzinski Site Onsite software business services 20,000 active workers and 150 building companies across Australia and New Zealand. The owner of the company, Mitch, started after a local Canberra construction company were having troubles demonstrating site management and compliance for the Federal Safety Commission auditor requirements. After this company was successful, this paved the way fo...

Scott started his career as a sports physio for high performing athletes. With the idea that injuries can easily prevented when loads are matched with capability, he pivoted after his mother had a workplace accident and he saw the huge costs for families. Preventure has attracted funding from a US accelerator program and is now deployed in various Australian companies. The wearable technologies ho...

James fell into health and safety, like many of us, via an Environmental Science degree into Commonwealth Government in Customs and Border Security. Working in a regulatory capacity this laid the foundations for ultimately setting up his own business around Risk Management called Mindful Risk. Learn how James's helps companies reduce their risk profiles in ever changing environments

Matt stumbled upon meditation whilst running a call centre business 10 years ago. He found that the practice helped not only energise himself, but also many of his employees around him. Fast forward to today and he's advising lots of workplaces on how meditation can truly benefit their productivity and bottom line not to mention improve the quality of workplace health.

Dr Susanne Bahn has an academic and safety background. In 2014, she started Tap in Safety by developing a system that allows companies to effectively train their staff around key safety and mental health issues in the workplace. The system embraces micro learning and online accessibility to pack a punch and engage workforces. Now in over 700 companies she offers a system that has solid back end re...

There's new legislation about to go through the NSW parliament that makes WHS Penalties tougher on business owners / PCBU's. Once passed, the ability to insure against WHS Criminal Penalties will become illegal. Bottom line is businesses around the country must measure their internal risk and ensure that they have safe systems of work. Find out all about the new proposed changes to the W...

Wow Sarah-Jane is dynamic and fast moving. At 40, she's very busy running Riskology Consulting, the Hunter Safety Awards, a new software project as well as the local branch of the Australian Institute of Health & Safety (formerly SIA). 

Steve is truly an inspiration. Still in his mid 30'd, he's built one of the biggest national health and safety training providers in Australia. Starting Fire and Safety Australia after he saw an opportunity to deliver more contextualised solutions, he now has a 130 strong workforce operating training and emergency services all around the country.

With a background of a corporate career in health and safety, Kate saw an opportunity to make a real difference in the way teams and people operate at work. 15 years later she's a partner in Bulletproof Performance and kicking some serious goals locally and abroad.

In this interview, we learn about how Vince Ball has helped shape the ACT to become one of the best trained health and safety jurisdictions in the country. Vince runs the Construction Industry Training Council (CITC) and, amongst many other initiatives, has been instrumental in guiding 10675NAT Course in Asbestos Awareness into an accredited course with ASQA as well as enshrined as a mandatory pro...

It's astonishing when you hear that over 1.1million Australian kids are struggling and those families struggle with the basics of food and clothing. Dr Lisa O'Brien has been the CEO of The Smith Family since 2012 and in her role overseas contributing to the health and safety of over 100,000 Australian kids. Learn about the amazing work that the Smith Family does for our country.

Wayne Reilly from Safety Insights has had a really interesting career. He worked 15 years in the Royal Australian Airforce where he honed skills as a maintenance engineer on F1-11's. Working in Aerospace, it was natural that he understood safety. From there he worked in construction and mining including heading up a role as head of Global Incidents and Investigations for Rio Tinto. He has pra...