Course 1
Assuring Safe Drinking Water: Practical Risk Management - Knowing your system.
Assuring Safe Drinking Water is a practice-oriented course for drinking water and public health professionals using a case-study learning approach based conceptually on the IWA best selling book, Safe Drinking Water - Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations and experience / advances in practice since its publication in 2004. The course reviews the basic input knowledge for safe drinking water, relevant case studies of disease outbreaks and other water quality incidents including those related to potable water reuse, capabilities and limitations of water safety barriers, recurring themes in failure scenarios, management systems and effective governance, and other critical elements to assure safe drinking water such as staff training, corporate culture and consumer relations. Learning will include brief small group exercises to apply knowledge to relevant local issues. Would your routine reporting / governance arrangements have forewarned of trouble ahead? If not, what would your organisation need to do? At the conclusion of this engaging learning experience, participants will be better equipped to exercise their duty of care to their customers.
Teaching staff
Emeritus Prof Steve Hrudey (Professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, Canada), Professor Don Bursill (Uni SA) and Dr Richard Walker (WaterCorp, WA)
What will I learn?
This is a 2-day practice-oriented course for drinking water and public health professionals using a case-study learning approach based conceptually on the IWA best selling book, Safe Drinking Water - Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations and experience / advances in practice since its publication in 2004. The course reviews the basic input knowledge for safe drinking water, relevant case studies of disease outbreaks and other water quality incidents including those related to potable water reuse, capabilities and limitations of water safety barriers, recurring themes in failure scenarios, management systems and effective governance, and other critical elements to assure safe drinking water such as staff training, corporate culture and consumer relations.
How will I learn?
A case study learning approach based on authentic water system failures offers an opportunity for water providers to learn from real problems experienced by others. That learning can be translated into specific actions and management systems for reducing risk at your own water system. Learning will include brief small group exercises to apply knowledge to relevant local issues. Would your routine reporting / governance arrangements have forewarned of trouble ahead? If not, what would your organisation need to do? At the conclusion of this engaging learning experience, participants will be better equipped to exercise their duty of care to their customers
Is there any assumed knowledge?
There are no formal pre-requisites, but delegates will benefit from having experience of working in or with the water utility sector or in the public health sector.
Course starts at 8:30am (registration) for a 9am start and finishes at 5:30pm on day one and is 9am to 5pm on day two.
Course 2
Principles of Risk Assessment and Management.
Offered each year since 1991, this course provides a general introduction to the concepts of risk assessment and management. Updated annually to include examples of current relevance to all those interested in environmental health including: water quality, food safety, air quality and contaminated sites. Sessions will also include real-life scenarios and a step-wise approach to issues involved in carrying out real risk assessments from experts.
Attendees are encouraged to try out what they have heard in a choice of group projects to cover issues of relevance to everyone attending. This year issues will cover site contamination, air quality, micro contamination in salad foods & recycled water risks.
Teaching staff
Dr Andrew Langley (Queeensland Health) and Assoc Prof Peter Di-Marco (Principal Toxicologist, Golder Associates Pty) will be joined by a team of expert locals including the editors of the new OUP text ‘Environmental Health in Australia and New Zealand' Assoc Prof Nancy Cromar (Flinders University) and Assoc Prof Scott Cameron (Adelaide University and ANU)
How will I learn?
A variety of teaching methods will be used, including lectures, panel discussions, tutorials and small group work. The focus of teaching is on active participatory learning.
Is there any assumed knowledge?
There are no formal pre-requisites, but delegates may benefit from having a basic understanding of toxicology and epidemiology.
Dinner function
A dinner function will be held on Wednesday 21st November, 7pm, the cost of which is included in the course fees.
Course starts at 9am and finishes at 5:30pm daily. Registration is at 8:30am on day one.
Course 3
Risk Communication in Practice: engaging the public
Returning again by popular demand, but with a new ‘Oz-look' since 2004, this practical and thought-provoking 3-day workshop will provide key insights and tools for organisations and individuals who are working on controversial issues involving the public or other concerned stakeholders. This workshop is not-to-be-missed if your job includes investigating disease outbreaks, regulating toxic chemicals or food products, cleaning up contaminated sites or other problems where public opinion or news media attention are high and your organisation's trust or readiness may be low. The workshop will be facilitated by Alvin Chun, Director, National Center for Risk Communication and Public Involvement, USEPA who has been running these sessions in Adelaide since 1996. Along with Australian expert Angela McLean who has expertise in dealing with local scenarios, we will discuss lessons learned from real-life examples of relevance to both Australian and US situations and explore important concepts for building trust and working with angry people and the media so that acceptable solutions can be achieved. You will be given the opportunity to not only see and hear these concepts, but to try them out and be coached to build your own confidence.
Teaching staff
Alvin Chun, Director, National Center for Risk Communication and Public Involvement, USEPA, will be joined by a local team who will provide Australian relevant materials and insight.
How will I learn?
The course will be run in workshop mode, with a mix of one-on-one role plays, small group tasks and larger focused discussion and debate. The focus of this course is on active participation.
Is there any assumed knowledge?
There are no formal pre-requisites, but delegates should come ready to take part, have fun and learn lots of new skills.
Course starts at 9am and finishes at 5pm daily. Registration is at 8:30am on day one.
