In the ongoing debates about workplace safety, a critical question is often left unasked: What are employers doing to ensure safe and healthy work environments, and why are their responsibilities so frequently underplayed in public discourse? Too often, when workplace safety issues arise, the conversation quickly shifts to affordability and government intervention.
Continue reading “Employer Responsibility in Workplace Safety is Being Overlooked”Category: Leadership
Deterrence Delayed, Lives at Risk—Will Victoria’s Leaders Respond?
The Victorian Government has yet to respond to a report on occupational health and safety (OHS) sentencing and penalties that it received over the Christmas period. The longer it takes to respond to the Sentencing Advisory Council recommendations, the more delayed the action required to improve the systems, which can deter employers from ignoring their OHS obligations and the longer unnecessary risks to work health and safety persist.
In 2018, before the introduction of Industrial Manslaughter laws, Dr Gerry Ayres of the CFMEU and I spoke about the importance of deterrence. In that interview, he pointed out that financial penalties fail as deterrents for several reasons:
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Safety With Minimal Jargon: Tim D’Ath’s Refreshing Approach
Late last year, Tim D’Ath added to the occupational health and safety management (OHS) literature with a modern, open-minded (and short) book called “Humanising Safety”. His perspective cuts across many of the heady discussions of Safety I vs. Safety II, safety cultures, and organisational versus individual approaches… I found his clarity of advice refreshing, as he focused on core harm prevention principles while acknowledging the difficulty of communicating these principles to employers who have been taught to view OHS as a nuisance to be avoided whenever possible.
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Burnout Lessons CEOs Still Haven’t Learned
Business newspapers and websites often report on executives revealing their own burnout and how they have changed their lives as a result. The changes they make indicate their decisions that led to their mental health crises and epiphanies. But executives lead by example, so how many of the employees are emulating the executives’ mistakes? Shouldn’t the executives redesign their companies’ systems of work to prevent anyone else from suffering from burnout?
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Is Defence Above Safety Scrutiny? Lambie Wants to Know
Senator Jacquie Lambie has been a staunch advocate for improving the occupational health and safety (OHS) of Australia’s defence force personnel. In 2022, she gave a confronting presentation to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, and she continued her advocacy on day 1 of the 48th session of the Australian parliament by asking reasonable questions that could also be posed in non-military industries.
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Rethinking Workplace Well-being: Insights from Adam Grant
In an era where employee mental health is increasingly recognised as critical, organisational psychologist Adam Grant offered useful insights into creating healthier, more productive workplaces at the Psych Health and Safety conference (PHSCon) in Sydney.
Grant argued that investing in employee well-being is not just a compassionate gesture but a strategic imperative. Companies must move beyond superficial benefits and focus on fundamental work design that empowers employees and supports their psychological health.
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Can I be convinced EUs are good?
In the realm of occupational health and safety (OHS), Enforceable Undertakings (EUs) have emerged as a significant alternative to prosecution for companies that breach safety legislation. Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up with Naomi Kemp to explore the concept of EUs, their implications for workplace safety, exceeding compliance, and the restoration of relationships following incidents.
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