Safety in the Hunter region has been brought to the fore once again with the 2023 Hunter Safety Awards announcing the winners of their 13 award categories on Friday 17 March.
Businesses and individuals from across the Hunter were recognised for their efforts and achievements during the Hunter’s biggest night in the work, health, and safety (WHS) calendar.
Businesses and individuals from Newcastle were notably successful on the night.
Hosting over 350 attendees, the event was held on Friday, 17 March 2023 with Hunter Safety Awards Founder, Sarah-Jane Dunford saying it was a pleasure to have so many likeminded individuals and businesses together for a night dedicated to keeping so many industries in the Hunter safe.
“We’re so glad to be able to hold this event once again to recognise the amazing work that is happening in the work, health and safety space,” Sarah-Jane said.
“There are so many safety-conscious individuals and businesses in the Hunter Region that deserved to be recognised and we’re grateful the event can provide that recognition for them.”
Now in its seventh year, the Awards recognised businesses across 13 different categories of health and safety.
Danny Payne was awarded WHS Student of the Year for his work and studies in the work, health, and safety space.
He is currently an online student at Central Queensland University studying a Post Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.
The judges were impressed with Danny’s dedication to his studies and his passion for learning and challenging himself while working full-time as an HSEQ Manager at HL Mullane & Son in Sandgate.
On top of working full-time and studying, Danny is also currently renovation a house while living with his wife and two young children.
“I am incredibly proud to be a part of the HL Mullane & Son team,” Danny said.
“It’s a real honour to be standing up here this evening, I’d like to say congratulations to Liam and Willow, the other finalists for this award.”
The University of Newcastle walked away from the night with the Most Innovative WHS Idea award for a Large Organisation. The University consulted with a student to develop a modular remote access control system to manage who has access to specialised equipment.
As the College of Engineering, Science and Environment requires that only trained and competent students are to handle hazardous equipment, it is important for the university to reduce the level of risk to student by adopting this system which ensures equipment is isolated unless individuals have met competency requirements.
This isolation system provides a greater degree of flexibility and modularity to the work for both staff and students.
Amanda Hill, WHS Manager at the University of Newcastle said, “The university is fortunate to be able to collaborate with our academics, technical staff and students to develop innovate ideas.”
Josh Bywater the student behind the innovative system said, “The commitment the university has towards the safety of the students inspires us to achieve what we do.”
Machinemonitor Pty Ltd was awarded the Best WHS Management System for Small to Medium Enterprise for their structured safety management system, achieving a high standard of safety performance across their organisation.
As part of their WHS management system, all employees are informed of their responsibilities in terms of work, health, and safety in the workplace, and ensuring that all employees are equipped with the knowledge to handle the hazards they are exposed to.
“It’s a huge honour to accept this award,” Aurelio Ciarrocchi, COO and Matthew McBean, Group QHSE Co-ordinator of Machinemonitor Pty Ltd said.
“It took 15 years to develop this system and we encourage all our people to challenge the system, from the undergrads to the CEO. Our improvement system shows our dedication to safety.”
“This was the first time we entered the awards, and to be recognised for the work we’re doing is tremendous,” Aurelio concluded.
IMAGE | 2023 HSA, Most Innovative WH&S Idea Winners, Morgan Engineering
