State honour for Glenelg Shire leader

A Glenelg Shire Council employee’s passion for workplace health and safety has shined this week at a state awards ceremony.

Michael Puche won Health and Safety Representative of the Year Award at the prestigious 2024 WorkSafe Victoria Awards, held last night in Melbourne.

Michael, a plant operator based at the Heywood Works Depot, was one of six finalists and was recognised for his unwavering dedication to OH&S and embedding a culture of safety across the organisation.

Glenelg Shire CEO Helen Havercroft said it was an incredible achievement and congratulated Michael not only for his award, but the positive impact he has made upon the safety of the workforce.

“Michael took out Health and Safety Representative of the Year Award for the pivotal role he has played in addressing safety hazards when completing road maintenance inspections,” she explained.

“This was no mean feat and saw Michael advocate for tailored software and embed a whole cross-departmental approach to a task with safety at the very core.

“Michael is also a constant loud voice for workplace safety issues – continually listening to his peers, mitigating risks and recommending improvements. He has not missed an OHS Committee Meeting since being elected, in itself a testament to his genuine passion for all things workplace safety.

“We congratulate Michael for this state-level recognition and the example he has set to make safety a priority in our organisation.”

The WorkSafe Awards annually celebrate excellence in workplace health and safety and return to work. More than 140 nominations were received from workplaces from across Victoria, including government, private business and not-for-profit.

For more information visit: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/awards