Author: Kevin Jones

The Politics of Working From Home Continues to Miss the OHS Arguments

Working from home (WFH) is being sold as a cost-of-living fix and a family-friendly reform—but the Victorian government’s proposed WFH legislation misses a critical point: it’s also an occupational health and safety issue. While politicians tout productivity and convenience, they largely ignore the psychological benefits, consultation obligations, and uneven access that make this policy far more complex than a Monday morning commute.

You had to look hard for mentions of the occupational health and safety (OHS) legitimacy of the proposed law changes in Parliament this month.

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Audio summary on Quad Bike Safety

I have been writing about the safety of quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles for many years. The debate over quad bike safety was one of the most complex and vicious I have ever seen. In some minds, the issue has been resolved in Australia, but farmers continue to die from these vehicles.

Below is a brief 5-minute video about some of the OHS issues associated with these vehicles. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, especially if you think a book about the issues would be worthwhile.

The audio will be available soon on the SafetyAtWorkBlog SoundCloud feed.

SafetyAtWorkBlog followed the quad bike safety saga, and dozens of exclusive articles are available for subscribers.

Why Leaders Still Miss the Hazards That Matter

We know what employers/leaders do or do not do about psychosocial hazards at work and the psychological impacts. But there is still insufficient discussion on why those leaders make those choices. Recently, Dr Caroline Howe came close to answering the “why” in a blog article for her Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Institute.

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Audio summaries and podcasts

I have had a very positive response to my short audio summaries of SafetyAtWorkBlog articles available through SoundCloud. These free 5 or 6-minute monologues are intended to be short, thought-provoking chats about various aspects of occupational health and safety.

Almost a dozen have been posted over the last few weeks on topics such as suicidality, farm safety, compliance, ethics, COVID-19, seminars, and new books.

If you are interested in quick digestible thought pieces, please consider a free subscription through SoundCloud.
Stream SafetyAtWorkBlog | Listen to podcast episodes online for free on SoundCloud

Kevin Jones

Someone should have read the instructions – OHS in COVID times

Ask someone to depict occupational health and safety (OHS) in a drawing, and the image is likely to include a hard hat, maybe some safety glasses, or hearing protection. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) dominates the concept of OHS and how people perceive OHS, even when PPE is the last hazard control option to be considered in providing safe and healthy work.

Our relationship with PPE has forever been changed by everyone’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survivors of the pandemic are loath to reflect on those few intense years, but OHS needs to talk about the pandemic and what went right and what went wrong. Here’s a short start to the conversation.

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Holding Space for the Ridiculous in Workplace Health and Safety

One of the most divisive speakers at last week’s Research Summit organised by Safe Work Australia was futurist Reanna Browne. Some delegates found her approach to research to be offensive. Others thought she was granted too much time. Some were confused.

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Insights and Innovation from the 2025 Victorian Safety Symposium

The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) state branches conduct local single-day symposia annually. These networking and professional development sessions are important opportunities for practitioners of occupational health and safety (OHS) to connect and learn.

The good presenters were very good at the Victorian Branch symposium in September.

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