New Team Members

Amelia Simony
Associate Director, FEFO Consulting

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Amelia Simony as Associate Director at FEFO Consulting based in Brisbane, Queensland.

Amelia is a passionate advocate for improving safety culture through authenticity and trust. She is an industry-trusted health and safety professional and brings with her a diverse range of health, safety and environment expertise. Amelia will sit on the FEFO Consulting Senior Leadership Team leading our service delivery in Queensland.

Amelia has experience across a diverse range of high risk industry including construction, energy infrastructure, services, intensive agriculture and manufacturing for industry leading companies such as Lend Lease, Alstom, Downer, Teys and Spaceframe Buildings. Her expertise includes WHS and environmental risk management, systems, governance and contractor management. She is a member of the Master Builders Queensland WHS and Environment Policy subcommittees. 

Connect with Amelia on LinkedIn or arrange a short video conference meeting by contacting her directly at:

Ally Simpson
Copywriting and Marketing Coordinator, FEFO Consulting

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ally Simpson as Copywriting and Marketing Coordinator at FEFO Consulting based in Sydney, New South Wales.

Ally is currently studying a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Writing and Publishing at the University of Technology Sydney. With experience working in mental health advocacy and education, Ally brings her knowledge of health and wellbeing to the forefront of her writing for FEFO’s blogs, social media and newsletters.

Ally reports into the Operations Manager supporting the FEFO Marketing Strategy and Communications Plan.

Ally is passionate about mental health and works as an advocate with Batyr, running educational programs in schools across NSW, as well as teaching youth with disabilities in public schools as a Student Learning Support Officer.

Australian Small Business Champion Award Finalists

FEFO Consulting are excited to announce our latest achievement as Australian Small Business Champion Award Finalists!

With over 4,500 entries into the Australian Small Business Champion Awards, FEFO Consulting is honored to have placed as one of the finalists for the second year in a row.

Additionally, our tool the Health and Safety Index also placed as a finalist. We are looking forward to attending the presentation night on Friday 28^th of April 2023 at the Star Event Centre.

A massive thank you to everyone in our team who contributed to this project, we are eager to see what more we can offer our clients and the wider community through the success that comes from this.

Education Piece

SafeWork Australia – Australian Work Health & Safety Strategy 2023-2033

In February 2023, SafeWork Australia released the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023-2033 which sets out ambitious outcomes for work health and safety in Australia for the next 10 years.

At a glance, one target is to reduce worker fatalities caused by traumatic injuries by 30% and another is to build capability of PCBU’s, regulators and workers to ensure management of psychosocial hazards at work.

To help understand how psychologically safe your workplace is, the Health and Safety Index  has developed an organizational assessment tool to help companies understand what’s working well, blind spots and areas for improvement.

To learn more about psychosocial risk, go to our blog to download ‘How to complete a Psychosocial Risk Assessment’ Factsheet.

Click Here

Verification of Competency

Verification of Competency (VOC) Webinar

Terry Swanton and Amelia Simony from FEFO Consulting to deliver a risk-based approach in establishing a Verification of Competency (VoC) program that meets legal requirements and enables effective risk controls and a high-performance culture.

A Verification of Competency or VoC is a method of assessment which typically ensures that workers operating plant, equipment and other tools on work sites remain competent to do so – to keep themselves, others safe and solvent.

Learning Objectives

• Understand your legal obligations for VoC, including operator competency vs assessor competency
• Understand how to demonstrate due diligence and minimise risk of personal liability – facts vs myths!
• List options for taking a risk-based approach for establishing VoC safe systems of work
• Gain an understanding of leadership principles and methods of building a high-performance culture

Download 6 Steps to Verification of Competency (VoC) and contact us for training.

Download Now

Partner Spotlight

Mates

Here at FEFO Consulting we have partnered with MATES in Construction, using our complimentary expertise to educate our clients and community on mental health and suicide prevention.

MATES in Construction is a charity established in 2008 aimed at reducing the high level of suicide rates among Australian construction workers. MATES provide suicide prevention through development programs within the community, by supporting workers in need through case management and a 24/7 hotline.

They work across Queensland, New South Wales, The Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

To learn more about MATES in Construction, contact them here

Dates for the Diary

Hear are a few exciting dates for the diary in 2023!

April

• NZ National Health & Safety Leaders’ Summit
  27-28 April, Auckland
  
• Contractor Safety Facilitated Online Training
  18 April, 12.30 – 4.30pm (AEST)
  
• Bullying & Harassment Online Facilitated Training
  19 April, 12-1pm (AEST)
  
• Verification of Competency Online Facilitated Training
  20 April, 1 – 5pm (AEST)

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

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Psychosocial Risk

FEFO Consulting collaborated with several partners to deliver a 4-part webinar series of psychosocial risk. These webinars outlined options to identify psychosocial hazards and manage associated risks.

Our expert facilitators provide insights into Health and Safety Index benchmark results, industry trends and a range of psychosocial resources.

This webinar is part 1 of 4 and outlines the key differences between ISO 45003 and   SafeWorkAustralia:Model Code of Practice.

For a summary of video content, refer to our blog   psychosocial risk webinar series.

To download  the factsheet “How to complete a Psychosocial Risk Assessment”, click the button below

VoC

Verification of Competency (VoC)

Terry Swanton will leading an online training course on Verification of Competency (VoC) fundamental requirements, myths, failures and methods to build high-performance on 31 Jan 2023.

Terry will be sharing learning on:

• Material risk
• VoC Facts vs Myths
• Verifying Competency vs Critical Controls
• Compliance vs enabling High-Performance

To download the factsheet “VoC: Shifting from Compliance to High-Performance”, click the button below

To register for this training click here.

Click here to read more about VoC.

Chain of Responsibility Funding $4M

CoR Funding $4M

FEFO Consulting  was recently published in the Institute of Quarrying (IQA) Quarry magazine outlining Chain of Responsibility (CoR) tips. This article focused on ‘Turning Threats into Opportunities’ shifting mindsets from being Compliance focused to effective Leadership.

This CoR article also provides a link to the  Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) funding for over $4 million supporting new project to deliver a safer heavy vehicle. Submission close 20 February 2023.

To access this CoR article, click here.

Our Social Impact Goals 2023

Our Social Impact Goals 2023

FEFO Consulting is a purpose driven advisory firm. This year we have set ourselves a goal of sponsoring 12 young girls and boys through Plan International. Our sponsorship aims to support their education and to become self-sufficient. If you would also like to get involved click here to donate!

Meet the Team

Senior Leadership Team

FEFO Consulting’s Senior Leadership Team kicked off 2023 with our first strategy session of 2023 and aligned on our metrics that matter.

Firstly, our Senior Leadership Team grew in 2022 and were excited for 2023 and partnering with you. Come meet our Team;

• Mark Wright – Managing Director,
• Terry Swanton – Director,
• Rebecca Crompton – Director and
• Rachel Fitzgerald – Operations Manager.

As a business, we believe that setting Objective Key Results (OKR’s) that are both ambitious and verifiable are a great way to effectively support Business Strategy.

If you want to learn more about OKR’s and how they could identify potential opportunities in your business, check out our OKR vs KPI blog.

Leaders’ Summit

Leaders Summit (NZ)

Rebecca Crompton (Bec) is excited to be invited to be an opening speaker at the Health & Safety Leaders’ Summit in Auckland on 27-28 April.

Bec will be expanding on previous Balanced Scorecard OKR vs KPI  webinars to outline reliable methods of measuring health & safety performance informed by research and evidence related to resilient performance.   

Dates for the Diary

Hear are a few exciting dates for the diary in 2023!

Jan-March

• Verification of Competency (VoC) Online Facilitated Training
  31 Jan. 1-pm online (AEST)
  
• Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness Online Facilitated Training
  16 March, 12.30 – 4.30 (AEST)
  
• Chain of Responsibility Online Facilitated Training
  30 March, 1pm – 4pm (AEST)

April

• NZ National Health & Safety Leaders’ Summit
  27-28 April, Auckland
  
• Contractor Safety Facilitated Online Training
  18 April, 12.30 – 4.30pm (AEST)
  
• Bullying & Harassment Online Facilitated Training
  19 April, 12-1pm (AEST)
  
• Verification of Competency Online Facilitated Training
  20 April, 1 – 5pm (AEST)

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

E: info@fefo.com.au

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Webinar Series

Psychosocial Risk Series

This October, FEFO Consulting is partnering with myosh to deliver a series of Psychosocial Risk & Change Webinars. This 4-part webinar series will outline different methods of identifying psychosocial hazards and managing risks.

Our expert facilitators will provide insights into Health and Safety Index benchmark results, and options for identifying hazards and effectively manage psychosocial risks.

4 Webinars:

• ISO 45003 vs Model Code of Practice – 19 October
• Change Management – Managing Psychosocial Risks – 26 October
• Mental Fitness – Opening up Conversations – 9 November
• HR vs Safety – Psychosocial Ownership – 16 November

Safety Leadership Workshop

Facilitating Safety Leadership Workshop

FEFO Consulting was recently engaged by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a global property construction company to deliver a tailored Safety Leadership Workshop in Victoria. This focused on Great Leadership, a core module in FEFO’s Leadership Development Program to build safety leadership awareness and knowledge.

A key feature of this was the Health and Safety Index providing insights to each attendee’s safety leadership via the Self-Assessment tool.

‘Terry and the FEFO team once again delivered this project ‘at speed’ and really catered to the audience’

To learn more about our Leadership Development Program and how we could tailor a safety leadership program AT SPEED for you:

WHS Codes & Information

WHO Guidelines on Mental Health at Work

In September 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published The WHO guidelines on mental health at work. This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations that cover:

• Organisational interventions
• Training managers
• Training workers
• Individual interventions
• Return to work
• Employment – people living with mental health conditions

The purpose of this guideline is to improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions as well as enable people living with mental health conditions to thrive in work.

To help understand psychosocial hazards and risk management, join FEFO consulting 4-part webinar series on Psychosocial Risk – during October and November partnering with myosh:

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

Subscribe: Click here

IQA Online Workshop

This is why The Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) has partnered with FEFO Consulting,  Marina Reid Wilson, Registered Psychologist with a Masters of Science in Coaching Psychology to deliver a Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness Online Workshop for all levels of people within an organisation. 

So gather your colleagues to learn about: 

• Understand the prevalence of mental ill-health and its impacts 
• Recognise signs & symptoms e.g. typical psychosocial risk factors 
• Respond with the right professional help and resources 
• Prevent by designing healthier workspaces that promote wellbeing for teams and individuals 
• Support team members with their return to work 

Date: Thursday 17 November 2022

Time: 9:00am-1:00pm (AEDT)

Location: Online

Go to Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness Online Workshop to register for this course!

About the facilitator: 

Marina Reid Wilson is an experienced Registered Psychologist and Masters-qualified Coach with over 15 years’ experience in executive coaching, workshop design and facilitation, and psychological assessment.  She has special interest in leadership development and assisting her clients to build resilience, develop emotional agility and flourish in stressful environments.

Additional IQA Courses: 

• Chain of Responsibility (CoR): 30 Nov 
• Bullying and Harassment: 8 Dec
• Contractor Safety: 13 Dec

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

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Q9. What do our clients say?

We value the needs of our stakeholder and encourage transparent and candid feedback.

Safety in Design Review

New Code

New Code of Practice vs ISO 45003: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

In July 2022, SafeWork Australia released new Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work. This new Code of Practice outlines psychosocial factors in the workplace:

• Design or management of work
• Process and system
• Working environment
• Plant and equipment
• Interactions, cultures, values and behaviours.

For more information on this new Code of Practice and comparison to ISO 45003, refer to our blog, ISO 45003 vs Code of Practice: Psychosocial hazards at work.

For a detailed comparison, download a copy of our Psychosocial Hazard Factsheet: ISO 45003 vs Code of Practice:

Contact us to understand more or request a demo of our Psychosocial Diagnostic (Dx) Survey.

OKR’s

Facilitating Safety Strategy with OKR’s

FEFO Consulting was recently engaged to assist a large organisation going through significant growth with a Health & Safety Strategy. This involved a series of site visits and workshops to engage frontline operations in the development of Objectives and Key Results Areas (OKR) and actions for improvement.  

To learn more listen to our webinar on OKR vs KPI: Measuring Health and Safety Metrics that Matter or contact us.

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

E: info@fefo.com.au

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Psychosocial Recent Trends

In recent years, the attention on mental health in the workplace and community has increased substantially. Greater levels of attention is a positive step to improving a very challenging and often stigmatised topic. The Health and Safety Index benchmark results 2020 vs 2021, reported improvements in responses to “I feel comfortable talking about mental health” ↑ up 5%. This was the greatest positive improvement of all 55 benchmark questions.  

Despite this improvement, the actual Health and Safety Index benchmark results for “feeling comfortable talking about mental health” are in the bottom quartile, indicating we have a long way to improve compared to other health and safety behaviours, conditions and practices.

We have also seen the introduction of several international and domestic guidance materials from regulators to assist with managing psychosocial factors in the workplace, e.g.

• ISO 45003: International standard for managing psychosocial risk at work
• SafeWork NSW: Code of Practice for Managing psychosocial hazards at work
• Western Australia Department of Mines: Code of Practice: Psychosocial hazards in the workplace
• WorkSafe Victoria: Proposed OHS Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulations
• SafeWork Australia: Model Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work (Code of Practice).

This article specifically provides a comparison between:

• ISO 45003: Occupational health and safety management – Psychological health and safety at work – gives guidance on managing psychological health and safety risks; and
• SafeWork Australia: Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work.

For a detailed comparison, press the download button to receive a copy of our Psychosocial Hazard Factsheet: ISO 45003 vs Code of Practice.

Standards vs Code of Practice

In general terms, Codes of Practice provide detailed information on how you can achieve the standards required under Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws. Codes of Practice do not replace the WHS laws, but can be help provide an understanding on how to apply legal requirements.

Worth noting, Victoria will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate the specific requirement for psychosocial risk assessments.

Similarities: ISO 45003 and Model Code of Practice

There are many common areas between ISO 45003 and the Code of Practice. Both documents address psychological health sources of harm and potential risk factors covering both job demands and job resources. Both of these documents provide guidance on the management of psychosocial workplace factors in relation to:

• Design or management of work
• Process and system
• Working environment
• Plant and equipment
• Interactions, cultures, values and behaviours.

Interestingly, both documents are very limited in their guidance on worker impacts and outcomes.

Differences: ISO 45003 vs Model Code of Practice

Despite ISO 45003 being 50% smaller by page number compared to the Code of Practice, it really provides a detailed outline managing psychosocial risks. Key distinctions with ISO 45003, are as follows:

ISO 45003

One of the most obvious differences between ISO 45003 and the Code of Practice is the structure of the guidance. ISO 45003 provides broader considerations to enable alignment with ISO 45001 OHS management systems (Plan-Do-Check-Act). This guidance is great for organisations with mature systems who can simply integrate the management of psychosocial factors into existing systems and practices. For more information on the relationship with ISO 45001, refer to our ISO 45003 vs 45001 blog.

ISO 45003 provides a greater guidance on the following areas:

• Job Demands: Greater focus on job security, uncertainty regarding work availability, non-standard employment that is low paid and/or insecure and working in situations that are not covered or protected by traditional employment laws or social protections.
• Job Resources: Greater focus on team and work group cohesion. It also provides a more detailed outline of leadership behaviours and activities Leaders can undertake.
• Worker Outcomes: Satisfaction, engagement, and productivity, poor behaviours, e.g., substance misuse
• Definitions: Provides more comprehensive definitions, e.g., wellbeing, physical, mental, social, and cognitive health.  

Model Code of Practice

Compared to ISO 45003, the Code of Practice is structured to align with operational risk management principles (ID-Assess-Control-Review-Record-Investigate). Other key differences are the emphasis on trauma, emotional demands, and empathetic leadership. Although trauma is often associated with acute events, it also can be chronic or cumulative, e.g., “compassion fatigue” and repeated exposures to emotional situations. Compared to ISO 45003, the Code of Practice has a greater focus on the following areas:

• Structure: Aligned with risk management principles of hazard identification, risk assessment, risk control Review-Record-Investigations
• Job Demands: Greater focus on trauma and emotional demands
• Job Resources: Greater focus on empathetic leadership
• Appendix: Provides an example Risk Register.

Summary: ISO 45003 vs  Model Code of Practice

A summary of key differences between ISO 45003 vs Code of Practice are outlined in Table 1 below

For a more detailed comparison, press the download button to receive a copy of our Psychosocial Hazard Factsheet: ISO 45003 vs Code of Practice.

So how can you use this information?

FEFO Consulting has partnered with the Health and Safety Index to design integrated online assessments to measure health AND safety performance supported by reliable benchmarks.

If you need help with Health and Safety, Wellbeing or Psychosocial maturity assessments, risk assessments, strategy, training, or other specific interventions – contact us today via  email or call +61 1300 909 649

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Strategy at Speed

Agile Health & Safety Strategy 2022-23

To take advantage of the strategic benefits of speed, organizations need to marry fast strategy to fast execution.

In a tempo-driven organization, everyone’s attention is focused on the strategic Objectives and Key Results (OKR) and how to achieve them effectively at speed.

For more information refer to our Agile Health & Strategy blog or download our OKR template by clicking below.

Sacrificing Safety. When the strategy goes wrong.

Grosvenor coal mine explosion in Queensland in 2020

When the strategy goes wrong.

Anglo American’s Grosvenor coal mine explosion in Queensland in 2020 is ultimately attributable to overwhelming production pressures. Underground coal mining is a particularly dangerous activity, requiring delicate engineering judgements to manage a variety of hazards in an ever-changing geological environment. These judgements need to be protected from commercial pressures.

However, Anglo had set production targets and provided incentives to reach and exceed these targets, which inevitably corrupted judgements about how to produce coal safely. The Grosvenor explosion demonstrates how disastrous these targets and incentives can be in highly hazardous environments.

Sacrificing Safety draws on the Board of Inquiry Report into the Grosvenor accident, and also on insights from other hazardous industries, particularly the oil and gas industry. The author was originally appointed to the Board of Inquiry, but withdrew, in circumstances that are explained in an appendix. Source: wolterskluwer For more information, refer to Professor Andrew Hopkins new book Sacrificing Safety: Lessons for Chief Executives

M: +61 (0) 417 570 143

E: info@fefo2025l.kinsta.cloud

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