Guest author, Yossi Berger writes: “What’s the point of tellin’ them the same thing over and over when nothin’ changes? I open my mouth about safety again I could lose me job” he said, “Why would I bother?”[a] Introduction Words and names can be used as sneaky accomplices to construct popular or inaccurate narratives. When … Continue reading “OHS Canaries and Apathy”
An earlier article today provided a reminder of a County Court judge’s criticism of OHS management-speak in a 2004 decision concerning the death of Robert Sergi on a rail bridge construction project near Geelong. In response to some of the safety initiatives outlined to the Court by the lawyer for Leighton Contractors Ross Ray SC, … Continue reading “OHS needs plain language, consultation and corporate engagement”
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 … Continue reading “Important OHS law reformer, Jeff Shaw, dies”
Slips, trips and falls are often the neglected “bastard son” of occupational health and safety but the can cripple and can, literally cost an arm or a leg. The traditional approach to control these hazards have been to make the working environment safer by mopping up spilled liquids, for instance, or be using a piece … Continue reading “Biomarkers for musculoskeletal disorders”
The quad bike safety issue is hotting up on a range of fronts in Australia with the trade unions taking an active interest, meetings between bike manufacturers and safety designers, and the SafetyAtWorkBlog email box filling up with background content and opinion. One of these emails reminded me of some court action that was taken … Continue reading “Quad bike safety sensitivities”
OHS professionals are very keen on advocating a change in workplace culture as a base requirement for safety improvements. They also regularly quote the need for “top-down” leadership (however that is defined) to generate the cultural change. SafetyAtWorkBlog has already may some comments about leadership today but an interesting article has been brought to our attention that, although … Continue reading “Understanding the new world of the CEO”
On 14 September 2009, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) released a series of radio advertisements that call on the government to not reduce the occupational health and safety conditions of Australian workers. An article about the ads with interviews with the major political players is available on ABC Radio for a short time. … Continue reading “Union opposition to Australia’s OHS laws – new radio campaign”