workplace – Page 175 – SafetyAtWorkBlog

Eliminate the safety risk – sack the worker

A curious workplace safety and industrial relations issue has appeared in the Golden Circle factory in Queensland as reported in the Courier-Mail. 57-year-old forklift driver, Lance Pedersen has been sacked because he was found to be morbidly obese and with osteoarthritis in his knees.

The newspaper article raises many personnel management issues and there are sure to be more issues that have not been reported but a remarkable quote is reported from a company spokesperson:

“Golden Circle has an obligation to ensure the health and safety of all our employees,” the spokesman said. “We are therefore unable to continue to employ Mr Pedersen.” Continue reading “Eliminate the safety risk – sack the worker”

Eye safety campaign – a good start but shortsighted on safety

On 19 May 2010, the Optometrists Association Australia (OAA) launched a national eye safety campaign. This campaign is worthwhile but illustrates some of the shortcomings of this type of campaign.

The OAA media release states:

“Sixty per cent of all eye injuries happen at work, .. warn optometrists who are urging every workplace to put eye safety procedures in place as part of a new national campaign.

Optometrists Association Australia (OAA) and HOYA Lens Australia will launch ‘Eye accidents change lives forever’ a comprehensive workplace eye safety campaign this week.” [links added]

The need for eye safety procedures is clear but the recommended action is too narrow. The entire focus of the campaign is to increase awareness of eye hazards and to increase the usage of safety eyewear. There is no focus on the reduction of the hazard itself, just the protection of the worker’s eyes. Continue reading “Eye safety campaign – a good start but shortsighted on safety”

Safety leadership and change through informal networks

Australia is behind in many things and in front of the rest of world in others. A recent visit by Jon Katzenbach, senior partner with Booz & Company, to Australia indicates that we are lagging on the issue of organisational change.

According to an article in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on 11 May 2010, Katzenbach talks about changing people’s behaviours in companies by using informal networks and identifying “pride builders”. The article is not available freely online but the core elements of the article reflect Katzenbach’s thoughts in a 2007 article in Fortune magazine.

Katzenbach discusses the frustration of the CEO Of Bell Canada. Michael Sabia had tried to change the behaviour of his customer relations staff with top-down leadership techniques but they weren’t working. Bell Canada needed to look at leadership in a different way and found that there were people in the organisation who staff admired, who instilled a sense of pride in other employees. As a result behaviours changed, sales and profits increased. Continue reading “Safety leadership and change through informal networks”

The need to integrate worker safety in ‘green building’ design

The safety profession needs better integration with the environmental initiatives and requirements imposed on business. In many industries compliance management across the quality, environment and safety disciplines has existed in an integrated fashion for years but many professionals in each discipline are unreceptive to change, some deny the need for change.

Australia, over the last few years, has seen an increase in attention to the safe design of workplaces and buildings. This has paralleled the growth in sustainable and energy-efficient building designs. In many circumstances,t the advocates and practitioners of these skills do not talk to one another. One local example can be used to illustrate this inter-disciplinary blockage. Continue reading “The need to integrate worker safety in ‘green building’ design”

Important OHS law reformer, Jeff Shaw, dies

Around 15 years ago, occupational health and safety law in New South Wales looked exciting. The NSW Standing Committee on Law & Justice was investigating OHS, and not just the laws. There was a potential for the inquiry to make New South Wales a leader in innovation in this sector.

On 11 May 2010, the news broke that a leading supporter for the review, Jeff Shaw, had died. Although his legal career ended in controversial fashion, Shaw’s activities in relation to industrial relations and OHS were notable. SafetyAtWorkBlog looks briefly at Jeff Shaw’s OHS legacy. Continue reading “Important OHS law reformer, Jeff Shaw, dies”

Non-fatal injuries summary

Below is a summary of non-fatal workplace incidents handled by Victoria’s Metropolitan Ambulance Service over the last few weeks.

Many of these incidents gain no media attention principally due to the fact that the workers did not die but the incidents are of relevance ot safety professionals and provide a better perspective on the frequency of workplace incidents.

Hand injuries

The first case saw advanced life support paramedics from Footscray called to an Altona North address at 8am.

The Paramedic, Cameron Joyce, said when they arrived they were told the 42-year-old woman had been working with machinery when the accident happened. “‘The woman told us that the fingers on her left hand were crushed for only two or three seconds. Continue reading “Non-fatal injuries summary”

Case study of existing hazards in the new legislative context

Last month Joe Catanzariti of the Australian law firm, Clayton Utz, wrote a short article that links two OHS issues in a manner that others should follow.

Catanzariti made the jump from a prosecution under current New South Wales OHS legislation (according to many the most draconian in Australia) to identify how such a decision would be made under the harmonise OHS law system through the Work, Health and Safety Act. The perspective needs to be applied more as it assists greatly in transitioning our understanding of “old” law to the new. Continue reading “Case study of existing hazards in the new legislative context”

Category: workplace

Eliminate the safety risk – sack the worker

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Eye safety campaign – a good start but shortsighted on safety

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Safety leadership and change through informal networks

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The need to integrate worker safety in ‘green building’ design

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Important OHS law reformer, Jeff Shaw, dies

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Non-fatal injuries summary

Hand injuries

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Case study of existing hazards in the new legislative context

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Hand injuries

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