Ben joins the College as Senior Work Health and Safety Officer. He and his family have just moved here from Dunedin, New Zealand, where he was the Health and Safety Compliance Officer at the Chemistry Department of the University of Otago.
What is your role and what does your work focus on?
I’m a Senior Work Health and Safety Officer. I’m here to help make sure that you all go home alive and in one piece. Every university has it’s own style of H&S, and while I’m still finding my feet at Flinders, I can say that generally I’m here to help with incident/accident investigations, hazard identification, managing corrective actions and workplace inspections.
Where did you work before joining CMPH?
I worked in the Chemistry Department at the University of Otago, located in Dunedin, New Zealand. I did my Bachelors, Masters and PhD at Otago, before working there as a teaching lab tech and finally as the Health and Safety Compliance Officer. I’m a big believer that if you hang around a place long enough, they start paying you!
What journey brought you to this point in your career?
I’m lucky enough to be married to a brilliant woman. She got a lecturer position in the College of Science and Engineering at the end of last year, so she and I and our two children (7 and 4) relocated to Adelaide. The WHS Unit had a vacant position, so I applied and got it!
What is something you love most about your work?
Two things:
- I really enjoy interacting with people. Universities draw in people with such a diverse range of interesting backgrounds and worldviews.
- I enjoy solving the complex problems that arise from the intersection of cutting-edge scientific research and work health and safety laws. The laws generally are not written with what we do in mind!
How do you like to relax or spend your spare time?
I like to watch American Football (Go Ravens!), go to the gym, and paint Warhammer 40000 miniatures. Perhaps one of you will be able to explain this flock-of-seagulls-chasing-a-chip game of AFL to me!