2010 APPEA Safety Conference

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Speakers

Keynote Speakers for the National Oil and Gas Safety Conference include:

Wednesday 11 August (DAY 1) - Dr Jop Groeneweg

Jop_Groeneweg Jop Groeneweg is a leading psychology researcher in the field of human error and violation. Jop is an Assistant Professor at the Unit of Cognitive Psychology and Unit of Psychometrics and Experimental Design and project manager of Human Error at the Centre for Safety Research at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Jop is also author of the book "Controlling the Controllable – Preventing business upsets", and as a member of several committees of the Dutch National Health Council he advises the Dutch government on safety and occupational health matters.

Jop Groeneweg frequently gives presentations and lectures about human factors in safety at international conference and symposia, hence the reason we are extremely proud to be able to welcome Jop to our 2010 APPEA Safety Conference. Jop will address delegates on recent developments in the prevention of human errors which lead to the loss of business process control. He will describe the role of safety culture in accident prevention and offer some thought provoking insights into the future of safety risk management through the management of human behaviour.

This keynote address will draw upon his broad research experience ranging from North Sea oil installations, to the swamps of Gabon, the deserts of Oman, the jungles of Sarawak all the way to the mountains of Canada.

Thursday 12 August (Day 2) – Dr Kathryn Mearns

KJMearns Kathryn Mearns is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen and co-director of the Industrial Psychology Research Centre. She also holds an adjunct professorship in Human Factors/Organizational Psychology at the University of Bergen. Her research interests encompass human factors in industrial safety, safety culture and climate, safety leadership, trust, risk perception and psychological aspects of workplace well-being. Dr Mearns is Editor-in-Chief for Safety Science and a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). She has worked on a range of projects in high hazard/high reliability industries including the offshore industry, shipping, air traffic control and power generation.

This keynote address will discuss experiences from the UK and Norwegian oil and gas industry with regard to measuring a range of 'leading performance indicators' (LPIs) for both health and safety in order to try and understand the 'warning signals' that people can give to alert us to potential safety failures. The work conducted has been challenging, and Kathryn will share insights with delegates about how her research can be used to 'close the loop' between failure and success from a human factors perspective.

HSR Forum (Tuesday 10 August) – Margot Halbert

Margot_Halbert Margot Halbert is a communications expert from Positive Persuasion, a boutique communication and leadership development company, which specialises in influential communication and presentation skills. For 20 years, Margot's team has worked with Australian clients across industries including resources, finance, construction, retails and professional services.

Margot's session at the HSR Forum 'Tools for Talking – Stepping up the Safety Conversation' is bound to be a highlight for those attending. Margot will work closely with delegates to inspire, encourage and ignite their confidence in the way that they communicate. Health and Safety Representatives are the potential conduit for great decision making. In order to be effective, however, they need to be able to get the ideas from the team on where the issues are and how they might be solved, and then be able to elevate these to management so decisions are made, and actions are taken. HSRs attending this session will take away practical tools and ideas to help them in their role, ensuring that better health and safety outcomes are achieved.