Dr Rod Gutierrez, Principal Psychologist for DuPont Sustainable Solutions is a keynote speaker at this year’s Safety First Conference & Expo in Melbourne.

Dr Gutierrez will speak on the vital topic of how to protect workers from psychological injury in the workplace.

His presentation is part of the OHS Safety Leaders – Psychological Injury Premium Forum.

Dr Gutierrez is one of Australia’s leading authorities in occupational stress and the management and prevention of psychological injury.

He is also lead designer of a new approach to safety management, the DuPont Integrated Approach (DnA) for Safety.

Dr Gutierrez has delivered human capital management solutions for clients across financial services, insurance providers, a variety of government departments as well as for rail, engineering industries.

He draws on cognitive psychology’s understanding of the way people think (and therefore behave) to achieve higher safety standards.

In particular, he observes organisations can promote wellness by helping altering an individual’s beliefs and thought patterns so that they choose to be well.

In his presentation Dr Gutierrez will outline the key steps for workplace safety professionals to succeed using his approach.

The Psychological Injury Premium Forum will focus on the increasingly important topic of Psychological Injury in the workplace.

The Forum will include industry experts sharing their expertise on key themes, including early recognition and prevention of stress and psychological injury including depression and anxiety, psychosocial risk factors, and ‘hands’ on approaches to responding to mental health concerns.

It will also include a topic specifically focusing on a major workplace safety concern: reengaging and motivating injured employees after they have returned to work.

This session will be the third of Safety First Conference’s Premium Forums providing opportunities for safety professionals to hear from and speak at a high level with leading workplace safety experts.

Each of the Premium Forum series is priced at $180, with discounts for registering for two forums (20% discount = $288) and all three forums (40% discount = $324).

These events alternate with free, drop-in conference sessions, as well as Safety First’s expo of dozens of innovative safety products and services.

In all, the Safety First Conference & Expo, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibtion Centre from May 26-29, is Australia’s first one-stop shop for safety professionals seeking the latest safety strategies and technology.

The event will be held in conjunction with National Manufacturing Week – Australia’s largest manufacturing event – and Austech, Australia's premier Advanced Manufacturing and Machine Tool Exhibition.

Entry to the Expo is free – and by registering now, you can access updates and extra services, including My Event Planner planning tool that also helps you build your industry network beyond the four-day event.

For details and registration visit: safetyfirstexpo.com.au.