The treatment of burns in a workplace setting has always been a contentious matter between first aid trainers and equipment suppliers. First aid says that initial treatment of burns should be the application of cold running water but equipment suppliers often include burn treatment creams. What’s the evidence for burn creams? In December 2010, the Cochrane Library produced a … Continue reading “The evidence on first aid treatment of burns”
Workplace fatalities are terrible, lingering tragedies that generally don’t teach anything new about OHS failures. I couldn’t find anything new in the frightening detail in the article below (dated 14th December 2010) or in scores of Google searches of industrial/occupational fatalities; though disease fatality epidemiology can be informative. If all workplace fatalities in Australia were … Continue reading “How much significant information do workplace fatalities provide?”
On 17 December 2010, the parents of Luke Adams were abused outside a court in Melbourne, Australia. The mother of the killer of Luke Adams berated the parents after her son received further time in jail. SafetyAtWorkBlog touched on Luke Adams’ death in an article in 2009 in which we pointed out that several violent … Continue reading “Preparing for occupational violence in fast food outlets”
One of the fastest growing areas of occupational health and safety is psychological wellbeing. This goes under many different titles, brands and trademarks but mental health seems to be the dominant term at the moment. On 22 December 2010, the Australian Government faced the reality of the issue and created a mental health working group … Continue reading “Mental health initiative needs broader remit”
Yossi Berger recently criticized the award-winning “Homecoming” ads of WorkSafe that have been rebroadcast in the US. Berger said that the awareness raising ads do not contribute to saving lives. Workplace Health & Safety Queensland has produced a series of survivor stories that, if the wider working community gets to see them, are an enlightening view of … Continue reading “Powerful OHS stories on YouTube”
Two years ago, Rachel Maddow in the United States reported on the performance of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) under President George W Bush revealed by the Washington Post. Cavelight Films is in the process of completing a film, Cost of Construction, First video below) which looks at the big OSHA and political context as it relates … Continue reading “New documentary of the politics of OHS regulation in the United States”
Late on 7 December 2010 Safe Work Australia released draft OHS regulations and Codes of Practice for public comment. The documents released are: Issues paper Model WHS Regulations How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks How to Consult on Work Health and Safety Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Facilities for Construction Sites Managing Noise and Preventing … Continue reading “OHS harmonisation documents released for public comment”