iWitnessed tool holds promise for workplace safety

On April 3, 2018, the University of Sydney launched a new app ”to assist victims and witnesses record information in a way that can help with convictions and prevent miscarriages of justice”. This immediately sparked my interest in using the app as a record of workplace incidents. iWitnessed is intended as a tool to assist …

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Excellent conference but OHS needs vision

Small regional conferences often work better than major city-based conferences as the atmosphere is more relaxed, delegates are more approachable and there is less pressure to attend some grand trade expo.  Riskology’s Sarah-Jane Dunford gambled on her first New South Wales Regional Safety Conference and Expo last week. (A short interview with Dunford is available …

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How bad is workplace mental health and what can be done about it

The recent RTW Forum in Melbourne had one speaker who analysed the workers compensation data for mental health claims.  Dr Shannon Gray was able to draw some clear statements on workplace mental health from Australia’s national claims data and provide clues on what the workplace safety profession needs to do to reduce psychological harm. Gray …

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New workplace mental health clinical guidelines provide clarity

In 2016, a survey of General Practitioners (GPs) conducted by Monash University identified that GPs frequently struggled with patients involved with workers compensation and that mental illnesses were particularly problematic. In January 2018 Monash University, with the support of major institutions and safety regulators, released various discussion papers seeking public input into the “draft clinical guideline …

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Out of Range – Work Risks of Wildlife Protection Officers

by Melody Kemp  “It was nine at night and the shooters had the advantage of superior fire power and night vision goggles …. We stood no chance. Two friends were killed…” David Paklett, a Wildlife Ranger working in Tanzania pulled up his trouser leg and showed me an ugly red scar that looked a bit … Continue reading “Out of Range – Work Risks of Wildlife Protection Officers”

Prosecution over fallen tree threatens small business viability

A recent occupational health and safety (OHS) prosecution in New Zealand illustrates many issues and attitudes to safety held by small business operators around the world. Stumpmaster was prosecuted after a bystander was injured and then hospitalised when the tree it was felling hit her. (WorkSafeNZ has issued a media release in the wake of …

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Rail-related suicides discussed at ergonomics conference

Rail-related suicides are tragedies that ripple throughout society affecting families of the suicides as well as the train drivers, their families and their colleagues. Various strategies are being trialled but often the results of interventions are hard to quantify.  At the annual conference of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia in Wollongong on 27 …

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