Demonstrating health and safety innovation in the workplace (webinar)

Webinar details

Register to hear from three finalists in the Workplace Health & Safety Solution of the Year category at the 2025 WorkSafe Awards.

This award celebrates individuals and organisations that have developed, implemented and/or manufactured innovative solutions to address health and safety issues or hazards in their workplaces or for industry.

The finalists will share the story behind their entries, discuss their development and implementation, examine their impact on workplace health and safety and reflect on the value of participating in the WorkSafe Awards.

Speakers

Louise Inglese

CEO, GenieGrips Pty Ltd

Louise is the founder and CEO of GenieGrips, an Australian-owned family business dedicated to designing and manufacturing innovative forklift safety products. A working mother of three based in Melbourne, she established the company to address the critical issue of workplace accidents caused by unstable loads and pedestrian collisions involving forklifts.

Her flagship product, the GenieGrips Mat, was developed to provide extra grip on forklift tynes to prevent heavy loads from slipping, a leading cause of forklift-related fatalities.

Under her leadership, GenieGrips has expanded from its base in Dandenong South, Victoria, to serve international markets across the US, Europe, and the UK. Louise is a vocal advocate for practical safety measures and operator training, emphasizing that human error remains a significant factor in logistics safety despite advancements across the industry.

Tim Buruma

Director, TREECOACH by Natural Growth Partners

Tim is one of the Founding Inventors of Tree Coach, alongside his brother Rob.

After 20 years of planting trees for local councils and developers the pair identified the need for improvements in both tree establishment, planting techniques, and safer practices for them and their team of 35 workers in the horticultural field.

Newly planted trees need to be able to move in the wind and be effectively watered to establish more successfully and ramming heavy timber stakes with pneumatic rammers had to stop for their workers. TREE COACH, has now expanded its operations throughout Australia and NZ, with a pending USA launch in 2027 with manufacturing and distribution.

Jade Harris

Co-Founder & Inventor, The Buddie System (Doggin Safe Pty Ltd)

Jade is the Co-Founder and Inventor of The Buddie System, which he developed alongside business partner and Co-Founder Gary Panagiotidis.

Together, they created the world’s first wireless emergency stop system designed to improve safety during lifting operations and other high-risk work. After Jade survived a near-fatal lifting incident following a breakdown in radio communication, he and Gary set out to develop a simple, reliable backup system that could help prevent similar incidents.

Today, The Buddie System is being used by leading construction, mining and crane companies across Australia and internationally, helping protect workers and prevent potentially life-threatening incidents.