The media on 11 March 2010 was reporting the discovery of a the body of a hotel worker in a beer cellar of a Victorian hotel. WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the possibility of carbon dioxide. As with so many cases of confined spaces, a second man was lucky to be alive after venturing into the … Continue reading “Gas, lungs, ladders, fruit picking and concrete pumping – latest workplace incidents”
It is always an option to do nothing. The status quo can be very attractive but if one chooses to not control a workplace hazard that one is aware of then the penalty must be accepted and the responsibility accepted. WorkSafe Victoria has provided details (not yet online) of a case where a director of a food … Continue reading “The cost of doing nothing”
A feature article on workplace bullying in The Age newspaper on 10 March 2010 has the additional or secondary benefit of again raising the relevance of “restorative justice” to the issue of occupational safety and health. The main element of the article is the McGregor family who had two children commit suicide over related issues. The son, Stuart … Continue reading “Workplace bullying and restorative justice – how to help the families left behind”
In 2004, I was asked to make an OHS-themed presentation to a group of paramedic students on ethics and from a small business perspective. Some of the information may have dated slightly but I post this to stimulate discussion. Below is an edited version of that 2004 oral presentation: Quite often, when we have an … Continue reading “A discussion on ethics and OHS decision making”
WorkSafe Victoria reported investigations into a tractor-related death near Yackandandah that occurred on 28 February 2010. The media release (not yet available online) says: “WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the death of a man who died when a tractor he was driving tipped over in north-east Victoria yesterday. The man, aged in his 20s, had been moving bee … Continue reading “Tractor death – ROPS but no seatbelt”
Recently SafetyAtWorkBlog discussed the quality of media releases on OHS matters. A very good one was received the other day from Firefly Marketing. The noticeable quality of this release is that although its purpose is to promote a conference, the release provides fresh and unique comments that have stand-alone benefits. The statement includes several comments concerning workplace … Continue reading “Good bullying advice needs grounding in prevention”
WorkSafe WA has released a statement detailing the prosecution of Midland Bricks over a worker had his right arm and shoulder torn from his body by a machine in 2006. Midland Bricks was fined $A70,000 over the incident. The factors involved in this incident include the following familiar issues: pinch points machine guarding interlocks emergency stop buttons supervision documentation.