Safety first at Banksia Hill: 7 new OSH Reps join the ranks.

It has been a hard year for members at Banksia Hill. With more than 20 incidents in the past few months, and 45 assaults for the year, staff are desperate for some action from the Minister and the Department.

But in the meantime, 10 courageous members are taking it upon themselves to bring some hope to WA’s only juvenile detention facility.

After successfully completing OSH training with Unity Training, 7 new OSH representatives will rejuvenate numbers and bring a fresh perspective to tackling some of the hazards within the centre.

The training equipped representatives with core OSH knowledge and skills, as well as tailored expertise to deal with the specific kinds of incidents and hazards unique to Banksia Hill, including assaults to officers and dealing with debris following an incident.

Denise Mercer from Unity Training was very pleased with the graduates.

“The training went well. One Rep mentioned it was the best course they had ever participated in,” she said.

“The contents was specific to their industry, which made the scenarios and case studies reflect what YCO’s do day-to-day.

“The reality is that every employee has the right to be safe at work. These members may work in a job that is deemed to be high risk, but this doesn’t mean they should be put at risk.”

Anthony Snellin, John Stubbs, Shane Wood, Trevor Stewart, Alan Thomas, Caroline Hillcoat and Robyn Caines will join the ranks as OSH representatives at the centre.