If the prevention of depression is better than trying to treat it, how should a safety manager proceed when permissible work practices may be contributing to mental health problems in some workers? A new UK study announced today says “that excessive internet use is associated with depression”. The researchers say that “…some users have developed a compulsive … Continue reading “Internet addiction in the workplace”
Depression as an occupational illness is one of the most difficult hazards faced by managers and safety professionals. Depression is hard to understand and it is often difficult to recognise an employee who suffers from the condition, let alone, figuring out how the workplace may contribute to the illness. [Mental health issues are going to … Continue reading “Prevention of depression is better than treatment”
Further to the recent research and media blitz by Dr David Dunstan, the British Journal of Sports Medicine reports on some similarly themed research from Sweden. According to the BJSM “Doctors from the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, say that the term “sedentary behaviour” has come to mean … Continue reading “The risks in sedentary behaviour gain credence.”
Just as government is reigning in the excesses of the financial sector over the last decade or so, there is a strong movement to pull back on the workload excesses. Some of this is through the work/life balance movement.
In terms of occupational health and safety, this movement has a strong base that is reflected in a lot of OHS legislation where individual employees have a responsibility to ensure they are working safely and not putting themselves at risk. This can be a very difficult obligation when one is working in an organisation that does not grant safety or mental health or its social obligations much weight.
On 4 November 2009, the United States’ National Toxicology Program (NTP) upgraded formaldehyde to a “known human carcinogen”. This widely used chemical, principally in wood products, has been suspected of being carcinogenic for some time. The suspicion was a major reason why, in Australia, Comcare issued a cautionary safety alert on using some shipping containers … Continue reading “Formaldehyde upgraded to human carcinogen”
November 26 2009 was Go Home On Time Day in Australia. The intention of this day, organised by The Australia Institute, was to highlight the difficulty many workers face in a achieving this seemingly simple task. The Australia Institute’s expresses the aims this way: The typical full-time employee is working 70 minutes of unpaid overtime a day, which equates to 33 … Continue reading “Australia’s Go Home on Time Day”
Regardless of concerns over the veracity of data, Tourism Australia’s “No Leave, No Life” campaign is continuing to develop its media presence. The Seven Network announced this week that “No Leave, No Life” will form the basis of a television program to be broadcast from 5 December 2009. As is the nature of TV shows, … Continue reading “Annual holidays get a TV makeover”