The SIA Academy of University OHS Education and Research came about as a result of discussion among University-based OHS educators at forum held in Sydney in April 2008 where there was a high level of interest in establishing a "community of practice" for university-based educators of OHS professionals and OHS researchers. This interest level resulted in the release of the "Sydney Communiqué" that called for an "Academy of University OHS Education and Research".
Activities
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Research conference
A two day conference is scheduled was conducted in Melbourne on the 19th and 20th of April2010. The objective of this conference was to bring together researchers in the multidisciplinary field of occupational health and safety to explore the issues related to OHS research in Australia to clarify the current state of OHS research in Australia, including capacity and gaps, and to suggest a way forward to enhance the output and quality of OHS research in Australia. Day 1 targeted OHS researchers and educators; OHS PhD and masters holders working inside or outside universities; PhD and masters students studying OHS-related questions; and OHS policy makers. Day 2 was open to all participants of the Safety in Action Conference and showcased current OHS research including the inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition.
Click here for the proceedings for Day 1 of the conference 'Towards a Policy on OHS Research'
Click here for a summary of the research reports presented on Day 2 of the conference
Three Minute Thesis Competition
The Three Minute Thesis Competition is becoming a popular feature of many university research conferences. The objective is for researchers to present a compelling three minute oration on their thesis topic, and its significance, in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience. The presentations are judged by a panel with the winner receiving a prize.
While most Three Minute Thesis Competitions are only open to student researchers the competition conducted by the SIA Academy of University OHS Education and Research is open to both student and more established researchers investigating problems associated with workplace safety and health. The research must be current in that it is in process or has been completed in the last 12 months.
Three Minute Thesis Competition Winners 2011
Winner Established Researcher
Helen Kelsall of Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health for her presentation on Risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in the Australian Nurses’ Work and Health study. This longitudinal study is investigating the relationship between risk factors such as mental and physical health, health beliefs, physical and psychological factors, and musculoskeletal disorders in hospital-based nurses.
Winner Student Researcher
Elise Crawford of CQ University for her presentation on Optimising New Technology in Cognitively Complex Environments. Advancing technologies can offer safety critical organisations great benefits; however new technologies introduce significant risk. This study examines the points of view of key personnel to find ways to optimise adoption of new technology particularly in cognitively complex environments.
Click here to view a video of Elise’s presentation
Summaries of other Three Minute Thesis presentations can be viewed here
Three Minute Thesis Competition 2010
The inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition was conducted as part of Safety in Action 2010 with the winner being Dr Lara Wallis of La Trobe University with her thesis on Disability prevention in the Australian red meat industry.
Click here for a list of the Three Minute Thesis presentations