Work Healthy Australia

27/08/2025

Meet a Provider: Matisse Perks

Matisse joined our team in 2021 as a Workplace Health Provider. She began pursuing a Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Queensland in 2022.

Matisse combines her clinical knowledge with a focus on pain management and injury prevention to help workers stay healthy and productive.

https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0888z0

24/08/2025

Pain is one of the biggest risks to recovery – and too often, it’s misunderstood.

Our innovative Workplace Pain Education training program equips your team with the tools to respond confidently and appropriately when workers report pain, and supports compliance with psychosocial risk obligations. Get in touch to find out more.

https://ap1.hubs.ly/y087ZN0

19/08/2025

Are you meeting your audiometric testing obligations?

Exposure to hazardous levels of workplace noise can cause irreversible hearing damage, and employers have strict obligations to assess and monitor worker hearing – yet many organisations remain unaware of the full scope of these requirements. Here, we outline those obligations and offer solutions.

https://ap1.hubs.ly/y087Rw0

Exposure to hazardous levels of workplace noise can cause irreversible hearing damage. Do you know your obligations as an employer?

12/08/2025

Safe Work Month 2025: Start planning now for an effective program

Safe Work Month presents you with an ideal opportunity to engage teams in meaningful safety conversations and activities.

Here are some suggestions for onsite activities that pack a punch, that you might consider adding into your plan for an October rollout.



https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0884Z0

10/06/2025

Men’s Health Week 2025 |
FACT #4: Your environment can impact your health.

Occupational hazards remain a major risk factor for men’s health, especially in physically demanding industries.

At Work Healthy Australia, we support male workers onsite by:

✔ Preventing and managing musculoskeletal injuries
✔ Providing job-specific early intervention
✔ Supporting safe manual handling and injury recovery
✔ Reducing lost time injuries through tailored health programs

This Men’s Health Week, we encourage employers to take action and invest in proactive strategies that keep men safe, healthy, and work-ready.

02/06/2025

"Exercise is the only ‘medication’ that creates change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental state.", says Nicola Ross, our South Australian workplace provider.

Nicola brings over two decades of clinical expertise to her role as a Workplace Health Provider, supporting South Australian businesses with proactive injury prevention.

Outside of work, she’s involved in her local community through surf lifesaving, demonstrating the same commitment to care and safety on the beach as she does in the workplace. We had a chat with Nicola about her role at Work Healthy Australia and her life outside of work.

Read the whole interview on our website: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y03-cy0

02/06/2025

Is sedentary work a hidden risk in your workplace?

46.9% of working Australians spend most of their day sitting — and it's taking a toll on productivity, injury rates and long-term health outcomes.

Whether it’s desk-based staff, machine operators or long-haul drivers, prolonged sitting can contribute to:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Poor mental health

Here are 3 practical ways to offset sedentary work risks in your workplace:

✅ Mini breaks – Walk for 1–2 minutes every 30–60 minutes to boost circulation and reduce fatigue.
✅ Walking or standing meetings – Change the culture around meetings and reduce cumulative sitting time.
✅ Sit-stand desks – Alternating every 1–2 hours helps activate and rest different muscle groups.

We’ve outlined all 6 strategies – plus external tips to boost physical activity culture in your workplace.

Read the full guide: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y03-hX0

20/05/2025

“Stay curious, cultivate a beginner’s mind in everything you do.”

This was the inspiring message shared by our Founder, Dr James Murray, during his keynote at Work Healthy Australia’s annual Staff Weekend.

The entire team came together to reflect on our collective achievements, strengthen our connections, and celebrate those who exemplify our values.

Congratulations to this year’s award recipients:
🏆 Karelien Vermaak – Work Healthy Australia Factor
🏆 Kate Campbell – Provider of the Year
🏆 Nicola Thomas – Rookie Provider of the Year
🏆 Michael Cutlack – Conscientious Award
🏆 Josh Williams – Compassionate Award
🏆 Allyson Newton – Courageous Award
🏆 Tina Asfar – Evolutionary Award
🏆 Darragh McGovern – All Star Award

We also acknowledge the incredible service milestones of:
⭐ 5 Years – Ben Kalyvas, Max Cohrssen, Vanessa Carroll, Dana Moore, Ronnie Chong, Jill Hagen
⭐ 10 Years – Darren Hartney

Thank you to all of our team members for your dedication and commitment to making a difference in workplace health.

19/05/2025

Meet Renae, one of our experienced clinicians supporting injury prevention, recovery, and return to work on-site.

With a background in allied health and deep experience in manual handling environments, Renae delivers both care and practical workplace insights.

Find out how her work makes a difference to businesses and their people.
🔗https://hubs.la/Q03m8nPM0

Have a site where your workers could benefit from support like this? Get in touch to learn how we partner with industry.

13/05/2025

Injury management often fails not because people don’t care, but because the right teams aren’t talking to each other.

What can go wrong:
- Injuries are reported late or missed altogether
- HR assumes Safety/OHS is handling recovery (and vice versa)
- No one owns the communication with the injured worker
- Psychosocial risks are overlooked in the return-to-work plan
- Light duties are delayed due to operational silos

What you can do instead:
✔️ Engage early with onsite health providers to bridge the gaps
✔️ Set up joint HR + Safety check-ins after any reported injury
✔️ Co-design RTW plans with input from both functions
✔️ Train line managers to reinforce a unified recovery message
✔️ Use a shared platform to track injury progress and psychosocial flags

🧩 Injury prevention is a team sport. Cross-functional collaboration is your competitive advantage.
🔗 Read the full article on our website: https://hubs.la/Q03m8fJc0

07/05/2025

Early reporting and treatment of injuries significantly reduce recovery time, improve return-to-work outcomes, and lower costs for employers.

According to a recent Monash University research study, workers who started physical therapy within 7 days of injury recovered in a median of just 8 weeks — compared to nearly 35 weeks when treatment was delayed more than 30 days.

Yet despite policies and good intentions, many injuries still go unreported, often until they become far more serious and costly to manage.

International and Australian research shows that early reporting and treatment:

✔️Reduce the duration of injuries
✔️Improve return-to-work rates
✔️Lower overall organisational costs
✔️Faster injury reporting = faster treatment = faster recovery

Injuries reported within 24 to 48 hours show significantly better outcomes.

Even a delay of a few days can increase claim costs and recovery time.

Supportive organisational culture plays a major role, particularly supervisors trained in early injury management. Research shows that early injury management can reduce compensation claims by up to 46% and improve return-to-work rates.
Early modification of duties for those with high reported pain often leads to faster resolution of symptoms.

To learn more, check our article "How early injury treatment saves more than time" https://hubs.la/Q03l94Zl0

27/04/2025

The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work, held on 28 April, promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases worldwide.

This year, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) wants to explore how AI and digitalisation are reshaping OSH systems across sectors and countries.

Emerging technology offers numerous advantages, such as enhancing safety in work environments. However, it must be carefully designed and properly monitored to prevent exposing workers to new or increased WHS risks.

Check our article on the challenges of technology when used indiscriminately: "The double-edged sword of workplace technology: why humans aren’t robots" 👇

https://hubs.la/Q03gjggH0