2010 National Red Meat Industry OHS Conference Presentations

Download the conference program.

Conference presentations available for download

Injury management in the workplace

Suzana Strbac and Joe Fussell, Gow Gates Insurance

Workers' Compensation is usually one of the major costs to a Meat Processing business.

All employers are required to pay a basic premium based on their actual wages and industry type. Your industry rate is the benchmark against which your business will be measured when premium is calculated. This is known as your Workplace Industry Classification rate, gazetted by Workcover in each state.

Generally, employers who have a demonstrated poor claims history are penalised with an increase in additional premium payable due to the increase of claims costs. However, employers who have a demonstrated good claims history are able to lower the premium payable. These factors are taken into consideration when your premium is calculated.

To improve your performance, sound OH&S and Injury Management Practices are essential factors that will lead to a reduction in your premium.

Has PPE become the first line of defence rather than a last resort? A review of legislation, interpretations, work practices, research and opinions on Personal Protective Equipment.

Chris Torley, Fletcher International, WA

Market Research on the PPE industry cites PPE offers practical solutions to eliminating or at least minimizing the risk of accidents, injuries or infection.

It also recognizes the growing concerns about workers safety and a raised awareness of hazards and the need for controls that will meet compliance with health and safety legislation.

Purchase mandates introduced by government authorities, needs of an ageing workforce, product innovations in textiles and materials, comfort, style and communication are all factors that Market Researchers forecast will lead to further growth in PPE.

PPE manufacturers are further being credited with playing a major role in achieving a reduction in non fatal injuries and the costs associated with health care, workers compensations and productivity. 

Legislation on health and safety is gathering momentum, heftier penalties, company directors, managers and officials can now face criminal and personal litigation where damage or injury has happened as a result of failure to implement harm reduction measures or where PPE was not made available, not appropriate, not maintained, provided to workers without training, instruction or supervision.

A changing economy, recession, economic downturn, global warming, less abundance of resources are challenging  company directors and managers to manage risk and improve compliance through the most cost effective method.

Does PPE still deserve the short end of the stick?

Bullying and violence

Michael McGuren, WorkCover NSW

This presentation explored the Individual and Organisational costs of unacceptable behaviour. An outline of the Regulators approach will be followed by information relating to Prevention measures and useful Management strategies to effectively reduce unwanted behavioural impact in your workplace.

Safety Culture

Matts Kurki and Tim Edwards, TEYS Holdings (Bros) Pty Ltd

This presentation provides an overview of the approach and change management methodology that has laid the foundation for an improved safety culture within a large meat processor.

Manual assisted systems - benefits, learning and yield justification

Sean Starling, Scott Technology Pty Ltd

Scott Technology in 2001 commenced applying its 100 years of automation knowhow towards the meat industry.  Since 2001 Scott has now developed and is commercialising various solutions for the meat industry, from manual assist devices to fully automated solutions.  This presentation will cover off some of the manual assist solutions that are completed or under development, present the OH&S benefits and aim to demonstrate that in the area of providing manual assisted devices there is yield gain.  This benefit provides OH&S officers with an alternative way to justify investment in OH&S solutions aside from safety which at times is hard to quantify for capital expenditure requests.  Finally the presentation will outline some other interesting observations from the installation of manual assist devices that may provide food for thought for future industry investigations.

Knife sharpness: the perfect win-win for HR and Production

Peter Dowd, Anago Ltd New Zealand

Duller knives require more force, which results in "slips", injuries, poor yield, slower production, high turnover, high costs and lower profits. This is evidenced by internationally accepted research published in

Applied Ergonomics (vol. 24. pp. 375-382) stating that "blade sharpness did indeed have a significant impact on grip and cutting forces" and "sharper blades improve efficiency by reducing cutting time."

Dull knives are more prevalent than we would like to believe - surveys over the past decade have shown that over 80% of the workforce use inadequately sharpened knives, even in facilities where management were convinced that all staff kept sharp knives. Staff turnover levels are also commonly at levels of 25% or higher.

Peter will be discussed how knife sharpness impacts on both productivity and health & safety (including real-life examples) and showed how much can be made from this one simple improvement. He outlined a five step approach to moving your organisation towards the benefits that sharp knives provide and provide you with an opportunity to discuss concerns and barriers that you may face.