Any optimism that one may have felt over the appointment of Cath Bowtell as the executive director of WorkSafe Victoria may be very short-lived if the reports on the cover of The Age newspaper are to be believed. The Age reports that Cath Bowtell is the frontrunner for a seat in the Australian Parliament following [...]
All posts for the month June, 2010
Safety needs to be seen to be more than politics
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 29, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/29/safety-needs-to-be-seen-to-be-more-than-politics/
New UK podcast on drilling regulation
HSE podcasts are almost always worth listening to. The June 2010 podcast capitalises on the topicality of offshore oil drilling generated by the BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico. The podcast is available for listening online The important element of the podcast is whether such deepwater drilling incidents could occur elsewhere? This is useful not only for the [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 29, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/29/new-uk-podcast-on-drilling-regulation/
More OHS charges laid over insulation installer deaths
The OHS investigation process into the deaths of installers of insulation in Australia has led to charges being laid against Arrow Property Maintenance Pty Ltd. On 28 June 2010, Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General has charged the company with breaches of both the Electrical Safety Act 2002 and the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 following [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 28, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/28/more-ohs-charges-laid-over-insulation-installer-deaths/
New suicide report has something to say about workplace mental health
Work-related suicides have been in the press a lot in Australia over the last six months. In June 2010, the Australian Government released a report into suicide called The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia. It covers suicide as a social issue broadly but there are some mentions in the report about work-related suicides that are worth noting. On social costs: “Ms [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 28, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/28/new-suicide-report-has-something-to-say-about-workplace-mental-health/
Explosive impacts from the Quin Investments prosecution still to be felt
The Quin Investment prosecution in South Australia is a good indication of the importance of workplace safety and equipment maintenance. On 24 June 2010, Quin Investments and one of its directors Nikolai Kuzub were found guilty of breaches of OHS law in South Australia by Industrial Magistrate Ardlie. The incident involved an explosion at an explosives factory [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 26, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/26/explosive-impacts-from-the-quin-investments-prosecution-still-to-be-felt/
Safety professionals and regulators must think more broadly and for the future
The European Agency for Occupational Safety & Health at Work has released its Annual Report for 2009/10. Most of the content should be familiar to those who follow EU-OSHA through their blogs and publications but it provides a good indication of the future of OHS in Europe and the methods that will applied in that future. One significant achievement [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 24, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/24/safety-professionals-and-regulators-must-think-more-broadly-and-for-the-future/
Teacher stress, resilience and protective factors
Teaching is a stressful occupation. Any occupation that requires one to not only talk to people but to educate them, is stressful. Imagine having to do this every week day in front of over twenty people who do not want to be there. During your lunch break, instead of putting your feet up and reading [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 23, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/23/teacher-stress-resilience-and-protective-factors/
When information supply is NOT consultation
In Australia there is a purposely created commonality between the developing OHS law and industrial relations law on certain issues. Consultation is one of those matters and, although a decision by the Federal Court of Australia on 11 June 2010 relates to the Fair Work Act, safety professionals and business owners should take note. On [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 23, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/23/when-information-supply-is-not-consultation/
Freelance writing services
The SafetyAtWorkBlog is establishing its presence as an important independent media service about safety issues. There were 18,000 readers in May 2010, the same month the 1,000th article was uploaded. But all of this is self-funded from ancillary consulting and writing work generated through the blog and more funding is required. So if you have need for professional writing, editing or publishing services [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 22, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/22/freelance-writing-services/
CSB agrees to investigate the root cause of the BP Deepwater disaster
The chairman of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), John Bresland, has formally announced his organisation’s investigation into the BP/Deepwater oil rig disaster. The experience and professionalism of the CSB is evident in correspondence to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce where the scope is defined and additional resources anticipated. The letter identifies those current investigations that may need wrapping [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on June 22, 2010
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2010/06/22/csb-agrees-to-investigate-the-root-cause-of-the-bp-deepwater-disaster/
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