Occupational Health and Safety Representative - Bryan Woollard - Galvin Park Secondary College

Galvin Park Secondary College would like to nominate our Occupational Health and Safety representative, Bryan Woollard, for his continued support of all within the workplace. Bryan raised the issue of rain damage and mould within the workplace and worked constructively with the college leadership, regional OHS representatives, and the Australian Education union OHS representatives to ensure the workplace was a safe environment for staff, students and the community.

Who is your Designated Work Group (DWG) and when were you elected?

Designated Work Group: Staff, students and the community using the Galvin Park Secondary College school site. Bryan represents 110 staff, approximately 1000 students, various agencies, including, contract staff who use the site on a daily basis, the Victorian School of Language staff and students who use the site on a Saturday. Bryan has been their designated Occupational Health and Safety representative for the past 2 years.

How do you represent your DWG?

Bryan Woollard represents the school community on the Occupational Health and Safety committee. This entails Bryan completing School audits and ensuring the college operates within the guidelines of the DEECD Occupational Management System. He also ensures that all information and guidelines are displayed and procedures are understood and followed by all staff in reporting of OHS concerns. Bryan also represents staff on the Management committee (Principal Advisory Group) and is the Chairperson of an elected staff group who's key focus is to improve staff morale in order to improve overall organisational health.

What are the achievements you are most proud of in your role as HSR?

Bryan Woollard should be acknowledged for his role in ensuring a safe working environment. Due to roofing issues on the majority of school buildings GPSC faced severe rain damage in classrooms and staff work spaces. This continued over a period of months which caused mould and electrical damage and collapsing ceiling. From June 2011, Bryan issued PIN notices on school buildings that saw staff and students moved to safe buildings provided by the DEECD and to other schools. In the May budget the college was given $14 million to repair and modernise the school.

What has been the most difficult part of your role?

The most difficult part faced by Bryan in his role was to audit the workspace and ensure that all documents relating to air quality were completed, produced and reported to staff in a timely manner. Another difficulty faced by Bryan was dealing with individual staff reactions and feelings when told that certain areas were to have a PIN notice and that they were not allowed to take items from the buildings - which included personal items. Bryan worked with the DEECD employee health service to support staff during this time.

*Disclaimer:
The publishing of entries on the WorkSafe Awards website and or/the granting of an award does not constitute any endorsement by WorkSafe Victoria of a product, method or service, or the occupational health and safety performance of the workplace. Monthly Champions must undergo expert review to progress through to the stringent validation and judging process and can only progress to the next stage of entry once WorkSafe are satisfied that the entry/entrant has met the relevant award category criteria and terms and condition of entry.

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