Pressure is increasing on the manufacturers of quad bikes in Australia and from a variety of sources. The Weekly Times newspaper continues, almost fortnightly, to report on the safety debate about the use and design of quad bikes. The 9 June edition has a double-page spread on the issue with many direct quotes from “players” … Continue reading “Quad bike manufacturers resist the inevitable”
On 1 June 2011 the Australian television program 7PM Project ran an article about “Brodie’s Law” – an increase in the penalties for bullying and stalking. I was approached to be interviewed for the program due to my comments on this blog. I turned down the opportunity for a number of reasons, my time had already been … Continue reading “Will Brodie’s Law deter workplace bullying?”
Workplace incidents and injuries often occur as a result of inadequate resourcing in staff and time but few OHS consultants are comfortable recommending to clients that additional staff are required or that shifts should be reconfigured or, possibly, that a certain business activity (or the business itself) should be cancelled. Yet identifying the “root cause” … Continue reading “Looking at the root causes of workplace violence”
In July 2010, Melbourne Australia is hosting the 2010 conference of the International Congress of Applied Psychology. What was an OHS consultant at this conference? The question should be why wasn’t OHS consultants at this conference? This conference is not about workplace safety, per se. It is about how people think and communicate. It provides … Continue reading “ICAP Congress of Applied Psychology is a neglected OHS resource”
Caffeine is a commonly used stimulant in many workplaces around the world. As such, it is often considered to be the friend of the shift worker and a new analysis of research findings may make that friendship stronger. According to a new study from Cochrane researchers: “The results of this systematic review suggest that caffeine … Continue reading “Shiftwork saviour? – Caffeine (sort of)”
In 2003, emergency responders attended a major rail incident at Waterfall in New South Wales, in which multiple passengers were injured and seven died. According to a 14 April 2010 article in The Australian (page 7, not yet(?) available online): “The officers [David Wicks and Philip Sheehan] were among the first at the scene of the … Continue reading “Compensation denied because police officers only saw the aftermath of fatal incident”
On 15 March 2010, the Australian Government congratulated the winners of, and participants in, the 2009–10 National Work–Life Balance Awards. According to a media release from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations: “The Awards…. recognise family friendly practices like flexible working hours, options for working from home, paid parental leave, job sharing, onsite carer’s … Continue reading “OHS awards consider work/life balance but not vice versa”