Below is the list of occupational health and safety (OHS) issues for the next three years, put to the Australian Council of Trade Unions and passed, at its Congress on 18 July 2018. Some were expected but others will cause concern, primarily, for business owners. Perhaps the major concern is that these commitments are to be rolled out nationally.
Category: conference
New President and new approaches to unionism
Day One of the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ Congress was memorable for a couple of reasons. The appointment of Michele O’Neil, pictured right, as the President was a notable achievement, one made more memorable as she denied any desire to move onto a political appointment. The other memorable event was a string of shopfloor representatives outlining their innovative approaches to the recruitment of members and the creation of (sub)unions for hospitality workers, hairdressers and indigenous workers in the Northern Territory.
Workplace safety was mentioned a couple of times in passing but occupational health and safety (OHS) seems to becoming more a thing that is, rather than a thing that is named. If we look for it, we find it.
Trade unions need to look for change beyond legislation
The 2018 Congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACT) is happening in the middle of a campaign to “Change the Rules”. These “Rules” are largely concerning with industrial relations, of which Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is a subset, or complementary, element. Legislation constantly needs challenging and review; much legislation, like Australian Standards, misses their expiry dates and persists too long, becoming increasingly seen as irrelevant.
OHS has the “luxury” of having been reviewed nationally within the last decade. For some Australian States this change was progressive but for most it was a catch up to contemporary standards and expectations. OHS laws have not progressed since and a lot of hope is placed on the current Independent Review of Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to enliven the discussions, yet that report is not due until 2019.
Trade unions have a great deal of faith in legislation to achieve change.
Exclusive reports from the 2018 ACTU Congress
Free Access
SafetyAtWorkBlog will be reporting from the biennial Congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. For the first time Trade unions have been pivotal for the creation and enforcement of occupational health and safety (OHS) around the world.
Most of the past reporting on these events in mainstream media has focused on politics and industrial relations. OHS tends to get overlooked so SafetyAtWorkBlog’s attendance will be important.
Articles from the Congress will be available only to Subscribers. Continue reading “Exclusive reports from the 2018 ACTU Congress”
Preview of Australia’s new work-related psychological injuries guidance
Peta Miller has worked at Safe Work Australia (SWA) for around 17 years. She leaves there at the end of June. One of her last public appearances for SWA was the National Health and Safety Conference in Melbourne in May 2018 at which she provided an outline of the new work-related psychological injuries guidance that has been signed-off by SWA but not yet released to the public.
This guide is said to be a large one but not one that requires a re-education on safety and psychological terms. There is discussion about applying the risk management Hierarchy of Controls to psychosocial hazard identification, the prevention of psychological harm through the design of good work and the identification of psychological hazards without the need to diagnose a medical condition.