Trish Dean is a safety professional with more than 30-years’ experience in the field. She is TAFE Gippsland’s Return to Work and WorkCover champion.
Her role spans across the whole Institute in the WHS team, which has allowed her dynamic and motivated attributes to shine. Trish’s daily challenge is to ensure our staff have the very best chance of returning to work as soon as possible and she is there to support them at every step of the way.
Tasks range from attending medical appointments, following up with insurers, collaborating with all stakeholders and even being the one to break the news when there is an unpopular decision to make. .
A significant initiative that Trish has implemented in the ‘Managers Guide for Return to Work Process’. This initiative provides all the information required for managers to best support an employee in their return-to-work journey and outlines the resources and support options available from the WHS department. She has included early intervention tools and a focus on mental health and wellbeing in the process, something that is more important than ever in 2020.
Her most recent initiative was the bushfire counselling sessions provided at our Bairnsdale campus for staff and students affect by the East Gippsland bushfires. Trish was a key part of the team in setting up these sessions to allow free and confidential face-to-face counselling with specialists in bushfire post-trauma.
Trish Dean is an integral part of our WHS team and consequently is also an admirable recipient of the Staff Member (Non-Teaching) of the Year award in 2020.