Two ERH staff members have been shortlisted for a WorkSafe Victoria annual award. Picured is: Melissa Courts, Sue Healey, and Kim Lord.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
Two Echuca Regional Health (ERH) staff members are among seven people in Victoria shortlisted for a WorkSafe accolade.
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Sue Healey and Melissa Courts are candidates for the Health and Safety Representative of the Year award.
They were selected out of around 150 nominations submitted to the annual award ceremony for their work as HSRs in the hospital’s Cancer and Wellness Centre.
Both Ms Healey and Ms Courts work in separate areas of the centre, but realised they were having the same issue with trolleys used to transport equipment.
Ms Courts and Ms Healey pictured with one of the heavy trolleys that were in use for over two years.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
“They (weighed around) 76kg, and we were pushing them continuously all day,” Ms Courts said.
The trolleys also ran the risk of having multiple drawers opening and tipping over, which happened on one occasion.
An assessment on the trolleys found they were a major risk for staff injury, and some investigation revealed they were being used against manufacturer recommendations.
“They’re actually meant to be a stationary stock trolley. They’re not meant to be pushed or removed at all,” Ms Courts said.
After the issue was identified, around 18 months of consultation followed, with the pair considering modifications, contacting other hospitals for advice, and communicating with staff and external parties.
In the end, the solution ended up being readily available in the centre.
Smaller trolleys used by consultants were swapped out with the larger, heavier trolleys, offering a cheap and timely solution.
Ms Healey said that the change was important as it has improved workflow in the centre, and accounts for every staff member’s physical ability.
“Someone with a shoulder or back injury will feel it the most, so we have to cater for that,” she said.
“Around practices, we have to look at what controls we can put in place, or how to eliminate a risk completely based on the person who’s going to benefit from it the most.”
Occupational health and safety manager Kim Lord said Ms Healey and Ms Courts showed commendable motivation to their roles.
“These two girls are exemplary, and they’re taking on things that have never been challenged before,” Ms Lord said.
“They’ve had a really challenging process through this, with co-workers and management, and they’ve been the meat in the sandwich.”
Ms Lord said the outcome speaks to a larger cultural issue in hospitals of workers accepting that injuries are to be expected.
“It looks like a small change to people, but that’s the win,” she said.
“What the girls had to do to get that — they were fantastic. Hence, why I thought they deserved to be nominated.”
The winners of the annual WorkSafe Awards will be announced at an event in Melbourne on Thursday, February 27, which Ms Healey and Ms Courts will attend.
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