On 11 January 2009, John Read posted an article on office design. The first paragraph is below: “Paying attention to office design and building maintenance are imperative parts to doing business that many company owners ignore. The layout of office interiors can have a deep consequence on the disposition and productivity of staff members and … Continue reading “Office design hype risks”
Every year newspapers and organisations undertake a “year in review”. OHS regulators are no different. As more statistics become available of the next few weeks, SafetyAtWorkBlog will provide the latest OHS statistics for 2008. The most recent are below. Western Australia According to a media release by WorkSafe WA: “In 2005/06, WA recorded 12 traumatic … Continue reading “Australian 2008 workplace statistics”
Work tools, such as the company car and the mobile phone, can be fun and functional but when used at the same time, the combination is deadly. According to media reports a study by the Federal Department of Transport survey of 1500 drivers has shown that [in Victoria] about 61 per cent said they had used a … Continue reading “Mobile Phones and Driving”
On 4 January 2009, the Sunday Age contained a curious article based around some quotes from Eric Windholz, acting executive director of WorkSafe Victoria. The article reports Eric as saying that when workers return to work after a holiday break they can be careless. “People come back, they’ve taken their mind off the job, they’ve had … Continue reading “Managing Safety After A Vacation”
WorkSafe Victoria is marketing well by tweaking their OHS advertising messages to fit the economic or seasonal requirements of workers and workplaces. In mid-December 2008, the “Homecoming” ads have been updated to provide a more obvious link to people working during the holiday season. John Merritt, CEO of WorkSafe, tries to link their two ongoing … Continue reading “OHS advertising”
It is relatively easy to manage a workplace in an urban environment. The buildings stay in one place, the neighbours are almost always the same and the weather bureau provides plenty of warnings. But in isolated areas, particularly in Australia, it seems the work environment is often more exposed. Certainly this was the case in … Continue reading “Deaths in isolated work camp from tropical storm”
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”