Only a day or two after writing about fines applied in Victoria over ignoring improvement notices from OHS inspectors, a similar case has been reported by SafeWork South Australia. According to SafeWorkSA: “Gillman-based Adelaide Ship Construction International Pty Ltd was fined $13,500 after pleading guilty to failing to comply with three Prohibition Notices issued by SafeWork SA. The [...]
All posts for the month January, 2010
Operating cranes without a certificate costs $13,500
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 29, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/29/operating-cranes-without-a-certificate-costs-a13500/
Dignity At Work, different UK and Australian approaches
On 26 January 2010, a fascinating document was released from England concerning workplace harassment and violence. This builds on earlier work in Europe and has led to the joint guidance on “Preventing Workplace Harassment and Violence“. The guidance has the demonstrated support of employer, employee and government representatives who have committed to “…ensuring that the risks of encountering harassment and violence [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 29, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/29/dignity-at-work-different-uk-and-australian-approaches/
Business assessment of OHS
Australia’s Productivity Commission released its draft report into Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety on 27 January 2010. The 432-page report will take some time to read and digest but below are the general key points of the report “This study compares inter-jurisdictional differences in occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation in [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 28, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/28/business-assessment-of-ohs/
Stress management may be only a chocolate cake away
Safety professionals often struggle to manage stress in their employees and themselves but new research has found links between the consumption of chocolate and a reduction in stress. The study in the Journal of Proteome Research entitled “Metabolic Effects of Dark Chocolate Consumption on Energy, Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects”
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 28, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/28/stress-management-may-be-only-a-chocolate-cake-away/
Prevention of depression is better than treatment
Depression as an occupational illness is one of the most difficult hazards faced by managers and safety professionals. Depression is hard to understand and it is often difficult to recognise an employee who suffers from the condition, let alone, figuring out how the workplace may contribute to the illness. [Mental health issues are going to [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 28, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/28/prevention-of-depression-is-better-than-treatment/
Survey shows continuing increase in mobile phone use while driving
The use of a mobile phone while driving can be very dangerous for other vehicles, pedestrians and drivers themselves. New communications technology has been devised to accommodate the less-new technology of mobile phones but in itself hands-free technologies are masking the risk. Although this hazard is across the driving community, there is particular relevance for workplace drivers as their status complicates [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 27, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/27/survey-shows-continuing-increase-in-mobile-phone-use-while-driving/
Compliance campaigns not toothless
Regularly Australian OHS authorities announce campaigns in certain regions or for certain industries. To some extent these campaigns are about raising awareness of OHS issues but the fieldwork by inspectors does have some real benefit for some employers and workers. Often these campaigns result in scores of improvement notices being issued. Safety improvements are a major part of this inspectorate [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 27, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/27/compliance-campaigns-not-toothless/
Inadequate support under a vehicle costs one life and £90,000
Newspapers regularly report of home mechanics being trapped or killed while working under their cars and the jack slips. This type of event is less likely in workplaces because workshops have hoists or pits where work can be undertaken under a fairly stable vehicle. However not all vehicle repair happens in a workshop. On 26 January 2010 a judge in [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 27, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/27/inadequate-support-under-a-vehicle-costs-one-life-and-90000/
Comcare comments on quad bike advisory
Considerable discussion has resulted in the quad-bike safety fraternity following the blog article about Comcare’s safety alert on 22 January 2010. Below is an official comment on the article. “Comcare is aware that a number of organisations in the Federal jurisdiction use quad bikes and are concerned some may be using them inappropriately without necessarily [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 27, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/27/comcare-comments-on-quad-bike-advisory/
Prosecution of manufacturer of plant
On 25 January 2010, Jalor Tools P/L was convicted of two breaches of the 1985 version of Victoria’s OHS Act following the death of Ekaterini Peripetsakis in the week before Christmas in 2006. Ekaterini was hit in the chest by a piece of the router tool that broke off at very high speed striking killing her. She [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on January 25, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/01/25/prosecution-of-manufacturer-of-plant/
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