February 14, 2014

Graduate takes injury prevention to SES’ front line

State Emergency Services (SES) members in NSW are exposed to special workplace risks in unpredictable environments.

The SES is passionate about protecting the health and safety of its members – with the University of Wollongong now playing a vital role in taking injury prevention to SES’ front line.

Currently, the SES contributes about $30,000 a year in work integrated learning scholarships across various sectors of the University.

Master of Science (Occupational Health and Safety) student Tom Walker was the inaugural recipient of a $10,000 scholarship for OHS students from the State Emergency Services. Tom graduated in December with proud SES members among those watching on.

Tom’s project ‘fit4life’ was so successful that the SES has committed to a further scholarship with UOW for this year.

His project had at its core the goal of injury prevention. By using the SES’ online IT platform, Tom was able to develop user-friendly health and well-being information which was made available to the 10,000 NSW SES members. Many of these members are volunteers who are spread across NSW often in remote and rural locations.

Tom’s ‘fit4life’ program empowered SES members to look after their own physiological and psychological health and well-being.

He asked members to participate in a survey and discovered that many were interested in information about weight management, nutrition, physical activity and stress management.

“I found the overall experience has given me the confidence to use my theoretical knowledge in a fast-paced real world scenario,” Tom said.

“During my time with the SES I felt supported and respected to make organisation-wide decisions. I was well mentored by the NSW SES Workplace Health and Safety Manager, Gary Zuiderwyk, and his team.

“These days, simply a university degree without any networking and real-life practical skills can be overlooked in today’s job market. I would encourage any future students to embrace opportunities like mine and tap into relations that UOW has with industry.”