business – Page 211 – SafetyAtWorkBlog

Man survives trench collapse, employer fined £3,500

Trench collapses can be one of the most horrifying incidents on a construction site. The UK’s Health & Safety Executive has released photos of the trench in which a worker, Mark Miller according to one media report

“…suffered a broken leg and bruising, and was incredibly fortunate to survive the horror of being buried alive.”

The same media report from Cambridge News says

“The court heard Mr Miller was saved by Hill [the contractor and Miller’s employer],…. after he rushed to free the trapped worker.

Robin Cooper, prosecuting, said: “He was buried up to his abdomen and felt his left leg break. More earth then collapsed on him and buried him to above his head.”

Continue reading “Man survives trench collapse, employer fined £3,500”

“Imagination at work” but not safety

GE Capital placed a full-page pictorial advertisement in The Age newspaper on 4 March 2010 (page 5 of the business section). The ad, partly reproduced below, promotes the company’s financial services with the corporate slogan of “imagination at work”. Sadly safety at work wasn’t included in the ad.

SafetyAtWorkBlog readers are asked to list the workplace hazards in this picture. Continue reading ““Imagination at work” but not safety”

OHS due diligence and safety management

In the February 2010 newsletter for Australian law firm, DLAPhillips Fox, Andrew Ball and Donna Trembath wrote about one of the important elements of the model Work, Health & Safety Act – due diligence. We look at how SafetyAtWorkBlog and other OHS information services can support due diligence on OHS matters.

Ball and Trembath list 6 elements in the definition of due diligence (in bold):

Acquire and have up to date knowledge of work OHS matters.

This first element is where business and OHS information sources are going to be crucial supporters. OHS law in Australia has always supported the need for companies and safety professionals to maintain a current state of knowledge. There have always been newsletters on OHS issues but it is very easy to fall into a habit of reading only the information that will assist one in their job rather than getting information that relates to safety throughout a workplace. The use of Health & Safety representatives or OHS Committees can be important in maintaining a “corporate” state of knowledge. Delegation of reading information can be very useful and HSRs and OHS Committees are probably the most neglected preventative tools in the safety professionals toolbox. Continue reading “OHS due diligence and safety management”

Workplace bullying data from Denmark

In occupational health and safety (OHS) and other workplace research, Scandinavia is often quoted. The application of research findings to other nations is of dubious value but often Scandinavian research provides clues to potential OHS hazards or control options.

In February 2010, the European Working Conditions Observatory published online a research report into workplace bullying. The report says

“Investigating the impact of bullying on psychological stress reactions according to the Impact of Event Scale, the NFA study finds that negative acts which potentially isolate the individual at the workplace, acts directed towards the person and unreasonable workloads induce most psychological stress.” Continue reading “Workplace bullying data from Denmark”

A discussion on ethics and OHS decision making

In 2004, I was asked to make an OHS-themed presentation to a group of paramedic students on ethics and from a small business perspective. Some of the information may have dated slightly but I post this to stimulate discussion. Below is an edited version of that 2004 oral presentation:

Quite often, when we have an ethical dilemma, “should I do this or should I do that?” we often go away somewhere to think. In the short term, you “sleep on it” and when you wake you may have a solution or, at least, a different perspective on the problem. Often we try to clarify our perspective. I don’t know many people whose job it is to develop ethical statements or programs who sit at a table and talk about ethics. More often, we go away and think about the issue and then come back and discuss, compare and refine our problem. We frequently do this with our colleagues and by using our social network.

For an example, recently a colleague asked for me to sign off on a safety manual for some Australian contractors who are installing equipment for an American company in Australia. It is one thing to deal with companies in your native country but dealing with overseas companies is very different. With local companies you can solve problems by meeting with the Manager or CEO but when it is an American company, from such a litigious society, how should a small business proceed? Should I accept the contract? Is the risk worth the money? I am not sure. Continue reading “A discussion on ethics and OHS decision making”

iPods, child labour and excessive working hours

A media report in The First Post on 1 March 2010 includes some good news and some bad news.

Apple has addressed some child labour concerns in several Chinese factories that manufacturer its products – the good news. The bad news is that children were allowed to work in these factories in the first place.

This illustrates not only the importance of policies on contractor management, supply chain responsibility and corporate social responsibility but the vital significance of auditing and enforcement.

Apple’s Supplier Responsibility 2010 Progress Report is available online.

A curiosity in the media report is the mention of maximum working hours. Apple sets a maximum working week at 60 hours. The Chinese Government applies a 49 hour week. To which “law” does a company comply? Should a supply company be in a position of choosing? Should Apple even consider setting a working hour for its workers that exceeds the limit set by a country’s government?

Kevin Jones

Some families in South Australia blame WorkCover for their partners’ suicides

In January 2010, Today Tonight in South Australia aired a disturbing report about the workers compensation reforms in that State. It talks to two widows who blame WorkCover SA as contributing to their husbands’ suicides. One man left a suicide note explicitly blaming WorkCover SA, emphasising his point by jumping to his death from the sixth floor of the WorkCover office building.

The video report is available HERE under the title WorkCover Suicide.

One of those interviewed in the story is Kevin Purse who undertook a report into the SA workers’ compensation system on behalf of SA Unions. Continue reading “Some families in South Australia blame WorkCover for their partners’ suicides”

Category: business

Man survives trench collapse, employer fined £3,500

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“Imagination at work” but not safety

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OHS due diligence and safety management

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Workplace bullying data from Denmark

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A discussion on ethics and OHS decision making

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iPods, child labour and excessive working hours

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Some families in South Australia blame WorkCover for their partners’ suicides

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