On 23 May 2011, prominent Australian business writer, Robert Gottliebsen published an article in BusinessSpectator entitled “Saying no to Canberra’s IR dopes“. The article was uncharacteristically contained major errors on the application of new harmonised OHS laws. The article generated considerable discussion on some Australian OHS discussion forums but the article’s website has attracted only one comment. SafetyAtWorkBlog is in [...]
All posts for the month May, 2011
SafeWorkSA responds to Gottliebsen OHS article
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 31, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/31/safeworksa-responds-to-gottliebsen-ohs-article/
Australia’s Safety Institute bemoans the politicisation of OHS
The Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) is a very quiet organisation for one that claims to be “Australia’s professional body for health & safety professionals”, particularly considering Australia is undergoing a gentle revolution of its workplace safety laws. But SIA’s recently appointed national secretary, Stephen Thomas, has spoken out, reportedly as an SIA spokesperson, about [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 30, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/30/australias-safety-institute-bemoans-the-politicisation-of-ohs/
New South Wales gets a win-win on OHS laws
The Australian Government must be either issuing a sigh of relief or clapping their hands together following the passing of the model OHS laws by the New South Wales (NSW) government last week. NSW was a belligerent signatory to the agreement for nationally harmonised OHS laws but the laws passed with sufficient tweaking to make [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 30, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/30/new-south-wales-gets-a-win-win-on-ohs-laws/
New OHS info on Working Alone and Occupational Violence
One of the most difficult safety management challenges is the control of hazards associated with working alone. The most effective control is to not work alone, but the difficulty comes because this option requires expenditure. WorkSafe Victoria recently released an information sheet on this hazard and listed the following hazard control options: Buddy system Environmental design Communication [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 29, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/29/new-ohs-info-on-working-alone-and-occupational-violence/
The Commercial Kitchens Campaign needs further examination
Why is a government workers’ compensation agency promoting first aid when a different agency has had that role for over twenty years? And why do the program’s first aid kits contain commercial products that are no more effective in the first aid treatment of burns than water from the tap? On May 12 2011, WorkCover SA launched, [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 27, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/27/the-commercial-kitchens-campaign-needs-further-examination/
TV report into SafeWorkSA’s performance
On 20 May 2010, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation televised a story on the South Australian 7.30 program about the supposedly poor investigative performance of SafeWorkSA. The article was framed by a mother’s grief, the grief of Andrea Madeley over the loss of her son, Daniel. The story was some weeks coming as the story’s production [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 23, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/23/tv-report-into-safeworksas-performance/
Source data from within the quad bike safety stoush
SafetyAtWorkBlog was able to contact the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ Rhys Griffiths this afternoon seeking clarification of the FCAI’s withdrawal from quad bike safety discussions reported yesterday. Prior to withdrawing, a document was read to the quad bike safety working group. The document has not been released publicly but below is the gist. Further [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 20, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/20/source-data-from-within-the-quad-bike-safety-stoush/
Quad bike manufacturers walk out of safety working group
In early 2010, Australia’s Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA) established a trans-Tasman working party to look at the safety issues of quad bikes, often called all-terrain vehicles. The working group is in the final stages of its report and a major motorcycle industry representative has not liked the findings and has apparently withdrawn from the working group. A report on [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 19, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/19/quad-bike-manufacturers-walk-out-of-safety-working-group/
Compliance or Confidence?
A reader has been inspired by recent articles discussing OHS compliance to contribute their own article on some of the issues raised: “Compliance”, while being a way forward in OHS, misses the mark. We should ask the question: Why do regulators want compliance anyway? Compliance, or conformance as is alternatively used, is a means to [...]
Posted by Kevin Jones on May 19, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/19/compliance-or-confidence/
Regulating The Great Leap Forward (Into The Bleeding Obvious)
Col Finnie has provided the following article in response to OHS compliance checklists: It’s gotta be time to bite-the-bullet. The wish-fulfilment approach – that people will apply some sort of system to how they look after safety because that’s the only sensible way to do it – well, that’s not working, particularly it seems, in the [...]
Posted by colrf on May 18, 2011
http://safetyatworkblog.com/2011/05/18/regulating-the-great-leap-forward-into-the-bleeding-obvious/
http://au.loadedweb.com/
