SafetyAtWorkBlog Progress

The middle of the year is a good place to measure progress.  Since its inception in February 2008, SafetyAtWorkBlog has been viewed almost 42,000 times.  The site has received almost 300 comments and 434 articles have been posted.

For a site that inhabits a niche area, does not receive advertising revenue and provides commentary and unique content almost all the time, the blog is a proud achievement.

Thanks to all the regular viewers.

Kevin JonesBlog stats

Safety At Work podcasts

As many will have noticed, I have been resurrecting some of the podcasts and interviews from several years ago and making them available, alongside new content, on SafetyAtWorkBlog.  Many of the old podcasts were available through iTunes at the time but that was before this blog and the multimedia options it presents.

Just as this blog has an RSS feed so do the podcasts.  If you want to subscribe to the audio through your media player, some of them allow this and the relevant feed is http://safetyatworkblog.wordpress.com/tag/audio/feed

Some of the podcast content may only have historical interest but I believe it is better to have this available universally on line than sitting in my archive.

Kevin Jones

Radio interview on harmonisation of OHS law

Last week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed byElanor McInerney of the 3CR radio program, Stick Together.  The interview concerned the harmonisation law in Australia and my thoughts on the risks and impacts it would have on Australian business and workers.

The radio program is now available as a podcast  (My part is around the 19 minute mark.) 

Please let me know if I am totally off the beam with my applications of the OHS laws and the political issues.

I thank Elanor and the producers of Stick Together for making this available so soon after the broadcast on 17 May 2009.

Kevin Jones

Writer and commentator services

Thanks to all those readers of SafetyAtWorkBlog, particularly those who make the effort to comment.

As well as these blog postings you will see articles appear in RTWMatters in support of its relaunched website as well as through the LabourStart website, a news site primarily for trade unionists and labour advocates.

There is also a nanotechnology safety article coming up in Safety Solutions magazine and some regular news contributions to the Employment Law Bulletin.

I am also proud of an article that was published by a prominent Australian business website Business Spectator and for the republication of a blog article to do with the Beaconsfield Mine at Crikey.com.

This may sound a lot of work but there is always room for more business and clients and as there is also a company to run.

On 19 March 2009 I spoke with Stephen Mayne (below on the right) at the 12th Annual Freelance Journalism Convention .

(L-R  Stephen Mayne and Kevin Jones hosting a workshop discussion athe 12th Freelance Journalism Convention on 19 March 2009)
(L-R Stephen Mayne and Kevin Jones hosting a workshop discussion at the 12th Freelance Journalism Convention on 19 March 2009)

If you like what you have read and have the opportunity for my writing services, please email me.

Kevin Jones

Comcare’s new role

The scuttlebutt in some Australian OHS circles is that Australia’s Comcare agency will be given a major upgrade through the National OHS Review recommendations that is nearing completion.

Although the Minister for Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, did not name the new agency that she intends to introduce through the Coalition of Australian Governments process, SafetyAtWorkBlog believes that Comcare will be upgraded to a fully functional national OHS authority.

Coincidentally, Comcare has begun promoting a series of national seminars for the month of March 2009.  According to the promotional blurb:

“During the seminar, participants will engage in workshops and listen to presentations from speakers from across the Comcare scheme as well as Comcare’s OHS Compliance Assistance and Prevention & Injury Management Services teams.”

If Comcare’s new status is announced prior to the seminars, I would suggest the seminars will be sold-out quickly.

Kevin Jones

HR vs. OHS

I have written elsewhere in SafetyAtWorkBlog concerning the silo mentality of managers in relation to human resources and OHS.  This weekend a reader posted the following comment on this blog:

“You are right about the divide between HR & OHS.  Fact is HR are the culprits of negligence, they exist to support Management.  Any one with a serious complaint thinks long and hard before sticking their neck out and going to HR…”

What struck me about this comment was that human resources was seen to be aligned with management whereas workplace safety was not.  A successful safety management system cannot exist in conflict with other management systems but how much compromise does OHS need to make to achieve an integrated management position?

I am sure that HR professionals would not perceive their position in the same way as above but I remember a colleague once saying that safety professionals were on the same level of influence to companies as hairdressers.  Perhaps OHS professionals are envious of the level of influence that HR professionals seem to have with senior management and say such things from bitterness.

At some time or other we all feel less than relevant to employers but  circumstances have a way of re-establishing relevance, sadly in OHS this is often and injury or a compensation claim.

I don’t believe that the disciplines of HR and OHS are incompatible but I have seen many instances in companies where the HR Manager sees OHS as divisive, particularly in the areas of stress and bullying.  I believe that HR professionals by-and-large have a poor understanding of how safety should be managed in companies but that is not necessarily the fault of the HR professional.  OHS professionals need to be far more analytical of their own actions and purpose within organisational structures and start being active.

Kevin Jones

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