The Queensland Division of the Safety Institute of Australia regularly produces a newsletter/magazine of consistent quality and the November 2010 edition is available online. This edition includes an article by Warwick Pearse on the Montara oil spill. Pearse did not have the luxury of access to the final reports or government’s response but he makes sound recommendations. Kevin Jones
Any organisation that claims to be “considered by Industry and Governments to be the premier membership based organisation for the Safety Professional” establishes very high expectations in the community and its members. At the end of November 2010 the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) concluded what could be described as its annus horribilis with its 2010 Annual General … Continue reading “Australia needs a sound and credible OHS organisation”
The latest podcast by the Health & Safety Executive includes an interesting interview with the chair of the HSE, Judith Hackitt. Hackitt admits that any review of occupational health and safety needed “someone who could look beyond the remit of the Health and Safety Executive and look at what the other factors are out there that create the problems … Continue reading “Lord Young OHS review welcomed by UK’s HSE”
The Safety Institute of Australia has been investigating the development of a “core body of knowledge” for OHS in Australia for some years. Recently the institute released a discussion paper on the proposed accreditation idea for OH&S professionals. There is some similarity to moves in other countries such as the UK and to the situation in Canada. Regular contributor Col … Continue reading “What academic qualifications are needed to be a safety professional?”
Safety In Australia has posted an extraordinary article questioning the decision of the Safety Institute of Australia to proceed with a process to consider the expulsion of one of its members regardless of the member recently suffering a heart attack. The article says that the SIA has received a doctor’s letter saying that Phil Kamay, … Continue reading “Safety website says OHS association is heartless”
The Safety Institute of Australia‘s OHS Professional magazine has been out for a couple of editions now and the good news is that it is improving. The sad part is that it remains well-behind other OHS magazines. The latest edition has contributions, finally, from a freelance writer, Liam Tung. Liam is not an OHS professional, … Continue reading “OHS Professional magazine is a mish-mash”
There are a couple of actions in Australia’s OHS profession that are worth linking together. The first is occurring outside OHS as well and that is the demand for evidence-based decision making. The second is the push by the Safety Institute of Australia and others to establish a core body of OHS knowledge. On the … Continue reading “The importance of evidence in OHS decision-making”