In April 2002, I interviewed Lawrence Lorber of US law firm Proskauer Rose on workplace bullying. It was at the height of the Enron collapse and corporate behaviour towards staff was gaining a lot of attention. Over the last fortnight I have been researching some of the management books and concepts concerning leadership, emotional intelligence, … Continue reading “Workplace bullying – interview with Lawrence Lorber (2002)”
Over this last weekend, asbestos-safety advocates, ADSVIC, took advantage of the topicality of the navy’s poor management of asbestos by including half-page ads in major Australian newspapers. The ads focused on the risks associated with DIY home renovators but law firm, Slater & Gordon, related their asbestos information sheet directly to the media attention about … Continue reading “Those at risk of exposure to asbestos”
Over the next few weeks, many Australian law firms are running information seminars on the government’s Fair Work Bill. This legislation will change the way that workplaces are managed, particularly in the area of personnel management. The overlap with OHS will come through the increasingly contentious issue of “union right of entry”. Frequently unions request … Continue reading “OHS impact of the Fair Work Australia Bill”
Mallesons is the next Australian OHS law firm to issue a statement on the first report by the National OHS Law Review panel. The report is not much more than a summary, as commentary is kept to a minimum. What is interesting is that they mention the alternate sentencing options of adverse publicity orders remedial … Continue reading “Legal summary on OHS Review report from Mallesons”
According to today’s The Australian, Australian trade unions has “panned” the first report by the National OHS Law Review. Here is what the ACTU Assistant Secretary Geoff Fary said, “We are pleased that the Panel Report has recognised that breaches of OH&S laws are criminal rather than civil matters. These recommendations are a step … Continue reading “Statements on Australia’s OHS review report”
The first report of the National OHS Law Review panel was presented to the Australian Government yesterday. The best initial assessment of the report can be found at a safety blog operated by Deacons law firm. In that report by Michael Tooma and Alena Titterton, the following points are made: there should be a general … Continue reading “National OHS Law Review – First Report released”
Survey findings released on 9 October 2008 by recruitment company Talent2 indicate that Australian employees are feeling stressed at work as a result of the effects of redundancies. John Banks of Talent2 said “… 71.7% say they currently do the job of more than one person, and this makes for a very stressful and unproductive … Continue reading “Inadequate resources generate workplace stress”