Our recent STAR Award winner for Excellence in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) goes to Michael (Mick) Chai, Construction Manager, Victorian Heart Hospital (VHH).
The award is given to a person or team who develops innovative ways to improve the quality of healthcare and service delivery. This includes identifying and eliminating risks in the workplace, supporting employees to report issues and then taking action to “fix” the issue, and putting in place employee wellbeing activities and tools that support improved mental health and psychological safety.
The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team nominated Mick for going above and beyond throughout the design, build and commissioning processes of the Victorian Heart Hospital. The team wanted to celebrate the way Mick consults the right stakeholders, upholds a high expectation of health and safety with contractors, and controls hazards at every stage. Mick also has a friendly approach with a sense of urgency in identifying hazards.
In the weeks prior to opening, the OHS team were on site completing risk assessments and identifying hazards that Mick helped close out. There were a number of controls recommended on various risk assessments, and Mick did an outstanding job of ensuring he understood what needed to be done, explaining what was practical with timeframes and resources and closing the loop.
Given the already busy nature of commissioning a project such as a new hospital, Mick’s efforts in the OHS space were, and continue to be, exceptional. The OHS team enjoyed working with Mick throughout this project and look forward to more positive work in this space. They say that he really does strive to ensure we take care of everyone.
About receiving the STAR Award, Mick says he is “absolutely stunned and pleased at the same time.” He was happy to be nominated and appreciative of his colleagues.
“I would like to acknowledge the Capital Projects Team for their greatly appreciated assistance prior to Go Live 1 and 2, and Charlotte Stead, OHS Advisor, and the OHS Team.”
Congratulations to Mick for winning this STAR Award!
If you would like to nominate a colleague or team, you can do so at any time by visiting the STAR Awards portal. For more information about the STAR Awards program, Monash Health Employee Recognition Program page.
Approved by Chris McLoughlin, Executive Director, People and Culture