The inaugural 2018 NSW Regional Safety Conference & Expo was recently held at the brand-new Wests NEX in Newcastle. The event aimed to inform those within the industry how to create safer, happier and healthier work environments.
Held on 15 and 16 March, the two-day event featured speakers by leading WHS industry experts, from a range of different areas including legal, leadership, hygiene, mental health, technology, damage costs, fatigue monitoring, our ageing workforce and much more.
Sarah-Jane Dunford, founder of the event and owner of local WHS consultancy Riskology, said the focus of the conference was to bring together local WHS professionals, business owners and managers.
“Deciding to host the conference in a regional location provides an overall lower price point for attendees and their organisations, without diminishing the quality of the event,” she said.
“Newcastle is easily accessible by road, rail or plane and there are a wide range of accommodation options close by, in the heart of the city.
“Plus, Newcastle is a stunning part of the world, with so many leisure activities available to enjoy before or after the event.”
The conference was opened by keynote speaker Therese Rein, who spoke about purpose based leadership. Her background as an entrepreneur, a business owner, a psychology student, a rehabilitation counsellor – just to name a few – made her talk invaluable.
The last talk of the conference was by Darren Flanagan, an emotional end to the second day of the conference. His dramatic retelling of his experience with the Beaconsfield mine ‘great escape’ left the audience astounded – and seriously considering how important safety truly is.
Local speakers included Charlotte Thaarup-Owen (The Mindfulness Clinic), Jackie Dujmovic (Hover UAV) and Jaelea Skehan (Everymind), who were joined by over 20 other national speakers.
The event was supported by corporate sponsors AGL, Hume Doors, uvex and Enviroculture Maintenance Services.
IMAGE | Sarah-Jane Dunford (centre) with representatives from AGL.