Work Well Speaker Series 2023

Dr Sara Pazell BAppSci(OT), MBA, PhD, CPE is the managing director and principal work design strategist for a human factors and ergonomics consultancy practice, ViVA Health at Work. She is affiliated with five Australian universities, including an Industry Fellow position within the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland. Sara’s research areas focus on the business architecture of good work design across many diverse industries. Sara is a Certified Professional Ergonomist, an advisory panellist for Australia’s only certified WellnessWise^TM Practitioner training program, and part of the international advisory committee for the WELL Movement concept, International Well Building Institute^TM. Sara is a series co-editor for the Workplace Insights books by Taylor & Francis and a book co-editor of two books in the series: Ergonomic Insights and the Healthcare Insights book (manuscript recently submitted, in publication now).

A manual task risk management program is a central part of good work design. These programs can reduce risks of musculoskeletal and psychosocial disorders to protect workers. These approaches, if communicated well, can meet other sustainable business objectives that include worker health, wellbeing, inclusivity, productivity, and efficiency.

Sara will use narrative storytelling to explain the work realities of three fictional but relatable characters from different industry segments. Their experiences will inform the recommendations to manage their risks of musculoskeletal disorders that impact on other hazard exposures, business objectives, and values. You will learn the 3M’s: the Meaning of the worker experiences, how to interpret the findings so that work can be Manageable, and an action plan to design better Manual tasks.

Marion Burgess has been working in the area of workplace noise for many decades. This has included measurements of worker noise exposure and research into noise control measures. She has been involved with many education programs ranging from tool box talks to workers, training for those undertaking noise assessments through to professional occupation hygienists.

In this presentation Marion will discuss the effects of high noise exposure and why it is essential to manage and protect workers from excessive noise. As noise induced hearing loss is a preventable injury, she will also outline the advances in noise control measures that can be implemented in workplaces.

Jahin Tanvir is the CEO of the Australian School of Entrepreneurship, award-winning keynote and three-time TEDx speaker. Jahin was named as a 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians in 2022, at the age of 21-years-old.

Jahin will delve into how employers can better engage young people and ensure their wellbeing and health is at the forefront of discussions. Particularly with mental health being a substantial issue for young people, this high energy and interactive presentation will explore 5 ways in which workplaces can adapt and manage for young employees and create a safe and sustainable working culture.

Dr Gregory Zelic kicked off his professional journey as an Academic: teaching, mentoring and exploring the edges of behavioural neurosciences for 10+ years. He joined the public sector few years ago, determined to commit his skills and efforts towards improving lives.

Today Gregory is a proud public servant and team leader at the Centre for WHS, where he is directly responsible for the Research and Development program, and the Data Science program.

Diving into the focuses of the Centre for Work Health and Safety, Dr Zelic spoke to our view for addressing the future of work, including:

• staying ahead of the game through rigorous evidence collection of current and emerging trends
• reassessing and preparing for the future of regulation by understanding how we can keep up with rapidly changing worlds of work
• embracing opportunities into the future, including new ways of working and technologies that will allow us to progress in ways that we have never been able to.

A/Prof Carlo Caponecchia is an academic at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He has a background in psychology and works in human factors and safety. He has particular interest and expertise in psychosocial risks and safe systems of work. Carlo is a member of the Standards Australia committee on occupational health and safety management and was part of the ISO TC283 working group responsible for the development of ISO45003. He is the current President of the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment.

In this talk we’ll explore elements of work design, how it fits within work health and safety practice, and why it should be the primary strategy for organisations to use when improving mental health at work. The talk will outline examples of how work can be re-designed, as well as reporting on a tool that was developed to increase confidence and skills in work re-design for managing psychosocial risks.