Duty of Care – Page 84 – SafetyAtWorkBlog

Australian MP mentions workplace bullying but is short on practical controls

On 18 March 2010, the last sitting day of that session of Australia’s Parliament, Labor Member of Parliament , Bill Shorten, spoke about workplace bullying and the OHS prosecutions that stemmed from the bullying and suicide of Brodie Panlock. Some of his short speech rehashed details of the workplace bullying prosecutions but, according to the draft of Hansard (page 93), Shorten made some useful remarks:

“I rise to speak on the issue of workplace bullying. We would not think it was acceptable for people to come to work and be exposed to asbestos or toxic chemicals. We should not think, therefore, that it is appropriate for them to be exposed to the toxic behaviour that is sustained and malicious bullying. I believe that this kind of bullying is something which can be eradicated. We have changed attitudes on smoking in the workplace and on sexual harassment; there is no reason why we cannot eliminate forever bullying in the workplace.

Bullying is an absence of kindness and Continue reading “Australian MP mentions workplace bullying but is short on practical controls”

Workplace bullying and restorative justice – how to help the families left behind

A feature article on workplace bullying in The Age newspaper on 10 March 2010 has the additional or secondary benefit of again raising the relevance of “restorative justice” to the issue of occupational safety and health.

The main element of the article is the McGregor family who had two children commit suicide over related issues. The son, Stuart McGregor, described as being chronically depressed, was being bullied at work. He confided in his sister, Angela McGregor, over the issues. Angela had been bullied at school. Alannah killed herself. A month later, Stuart followed.

WorkSafe investigated the bullying at Stuart’s place of work, substantiated Stuart’s claims are is determining what further action to take. The newspaper reports that there may be insufficient evidence to pursue the case through the Courts.

What the reporter, Helen Westerman, does is to relate the grief and hurt of the parents to the potential benefits of the application of “restorative justice” in workplace incidents. Continue reading “Workplace bullying and restorative justice – how to help the families left behind”

Non-mainstream media acknowledges the realities of workplace fatalities

Bernard Keane writing in online newsletter, Crikey, is one of the few who has reported on the Australian Government’s insulation scheme debacle and kept the fact of worker deaths as more than just a moral sideline to the issue.

On 3 March 2010, Keane wrote a very good article which draws on the political and media attitudes to worker deaths over the last decade in Australia. He highlights the political expediency of selective reporting and commentary on safety issues. Many of the comments and assertions made at the Cole Royal Commission are still reiterated today and form the basis of some political party policies.

Given the recent media coverage on workplace bullying, Keane’s reminder on the deaths and suicides in the Australian Defence Forces and the political reticence to do anything on the matter, is timely.

It is only six weeks before the International Workers’ Memorial day, (28 April 2010). The 2010 commemoration is likely to be one of the most political events since it began almost two decades ago.

Some of the statistics that fueled the outrage against then-Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, are seriously questioned in this blog article at Pollytics.com.

Kevin Jones

“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”

Could a prisoner’s death in a prison van be a breach of OHS laws?

ABC television program Lateline broadcast on 2 March 2010 an article (video available) about the death of 59-year-old Mark Holcroft in the back of a prison van in 2009.

Holcroft was a low risk inmate serving 7 months for a drink-driving offence. He was several weeks into his sentence when he was being transported with six other prisoners to a low-security farm. From the information made available by ABC, as Holcroft was dying in the van, the other inmates banged on the walls of the van and yelled to attract the drivers’ attention. The van was equipped with a camera in each of the four corners of the van’s security compartment. One inmate repeatedly signed at the cameras to attract the attention of the drivers. Continue reading “Could a prisoner’s death in a prison van be a breach of OHS laws?”

Workers’ compensation for travel time injuries will need resolving

Following on from BHP Billiton‘s shift to employees over contractors, a media report on 21 February 2010 illustrates changes in shift lengths that one union says may increase fatigue in the workplace.

BHP Billiton says the company has a fatigue management policy and procedure that can allow for the flexibility of the new shift options but the CFMEU is very concerned about the safety impacts of the shift options. The Mining Industry Road Safety Alliance illustrates a major flaw in the process that is often reflected in issues of shiftwork and fatigue management in other industries – increased risk in travelling to and from work. Continue reading “Workers’ compensation for travel time injuries will need resolving”

Public relations, OHS and a workplace death

In October 2009, Matthew Fuller was electrocuted while installing metal foil insulation in the roof of a house in Queensland. He was a subcontractor for a registered insulation installation company called Countrywide Insulation.

Countrywide and its owner have been heavily criticised in the Australian media. But Countrywide has “hit back” at critics with a media release on 16 February 2010, the only content on its webpage. The release has a contact number for a representative of the Phillips Group public relations company. The text of the release is below and is an interesting study in what is omitted and timing. Continue reading “Public relations, OHS and a workplace death”

Category: Duty of Care

Australian MP mentions workplace bullying but is short on practical controls

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Workplace bullying and restorative justice – how to help the families left behind

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Non-mainstream media acknowledges the realities of workplace fatalities

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“Imagination at work” but not safety

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Could a prisoner’s death in a prison van be a breach of OHS laws?

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Workers’ compensation for travel time injuries will need resolving

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Public relations, OHS and a workplace death

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