HR needs to broaden its pool of risks

Human Resources (HR) professionals often have an enviable degree of influence over the decision making of company executives. In modern parlance, they are “influencers”; as such it is useful to keep an eye on the advice offered by the association that represents HR professionals, the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI).

Recently, freelance journalist, David Barbeler wrote “A comprehensive look at what lies ahead for workplaces in 2020” in AHRI’s HR Magazine. Given that the article is headlined as comprehensive, there are several peculiar occupational health and safety (OHS)-related omissions, especially workplace sexual harassment, Industrial Manslaughter, suicide and mental health.

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

Industrial Manslaughter exemption for mining looks over

Many advocates see the introduction of Industrial Manslaughter laws as a glorious moment that will change the world for the better, in other words, a silver bullet. But if it is a silver bullet, it is being shot into the political murk. Queensland’s expansion of its Industrial Manslaughter laws to the mining and resources industries was presented to Parliament on February 4, 2020, and is likely to pass with the support of those industries.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) laws should apply to businesses and workers without exception. Queensland’s exemption of the mining and resources sector from Industrial Manslaughter laws was always a nonsense but that nonsense made good political sense in an election year.

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

OHS podcast that analyses academic papers

Two workplace health and safety researchers, David Provan and Drew Rae have teamed up for a weekly podcast called “The Safety of Work”. I haven’t got through all of them yet, but the format seems to be that each episode looks at an interesting occupational health and safety (OHS) research to see how the evidence or findings can be applied in the real world.

Given the recent themes of this blog I paid attention to Episode 11 on Production v Safety. (Episode 12 on Zero Harm is this week’s edition)

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

Australia flags more inclusive strategies for suicide prevention

In late January 2020, the Australian Health Minister, Greg Hunt, announced new funding for suicide prevention programs. As the announcement occurred during the increasing concerns over the coronavirus, media attention to the funding announcement was minimal and this overlooked an important shift in suicide prevention strategies.

Six months ago the Prime Minister appointed Christine Morgan as his Suicide Prevention Adviser. As part of the funding announcement, Morgan spoke about a major change to suicide prevention strategies that acknowledges that not all suicides result from mental illness – a reality that has been emphasised by some Australian researchers for over several years. Significantly Christine Morgan is reported in Newscorp media as saying:

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

New air quality standards for outdoor work

On January 30 2020, the Victorian Trades Hall released a new “approved safety standard” on air quality risks for outdoor workers. It is the latest of a series of alerts and guidelines generated by the persistence of bushfire smoke in urban areas of, especially, New South Wales and Victoria. Bushfire smoke is only going to become more frequent in Australia, and its persistence over weeks, requires a coordinated discussion on how Australian workplaces and practices need to change to adapt to the new climate.

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

On safety, the PM says it’s all about the economy

Source:istockphoto

Australia’s conservative Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, spoke at the National Press Club yesterday and his speech showed that if occupational health and safety (OHS) is to progress over his term of government, economic arguments will be the most persuasive.

Subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.
Subscribe Help
Already a member? Log in here

Welcome and Thanks

A December special offer brought in a lot of new subscribers to the SafetyAtWorkBlog. Welcome and Thanks.

Some readers will notice that this January the blog has produced thirty articles of unique content, news and commentary. This is excellent value for a month’s subscription of around $26.00 but subscribers don’t only receive new articles.

Subscribers have full access to thousands of articles written over the last decade or so and they are encouraged to use the Keyword search to follow the thematic threads of many work health and safety issues that have evolved over that time.

SafetyAtWorkBlog has become an important information resource and a joy to keep writing, but it needs subscriptions to continue to do this so please, if you can afford a monthly or annual subscription, start your year with access to a unique OHS information library.

Over the next two months, there will be articles about:

  • Industrial Manslaughter
  • Ethics
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Bullying
  • Workplace Mental Health
  • Sexual Harassment at Work

Don’t miss out on leading thoughts and new information about the hazards you are expected to understand and manage.

Kevin Jones