Rarely does SafetyAtWorkBlog recommend the purchase of books but Federation Press is offering 50% off any Willan Publishing titles through to 17 December 2010. For those unfamiliar with this publisher, below are some of the titles that are relevant to occupational health and safety: Safety Crimes by Steve Tombs and David Whyte Workplace Violence by … Continue reading “Half price psychosocial hazard books”
The recent conference of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) gave considerable attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR). It could be argued that this shows the ASSE is years behind many others but it could also be argued that CSR has a practical longevity in workplace safety that may have faded in other CSR … Continue reading “CSR and public health”
The union campaign on the eradication of asbestos from the island of Tasmania has entered the national political arena in Australia. On 29 October 2010, the Australian Minister for Workplace Relations, Chris Evans, announced that Geoff Fary, Assistant Secretary of the Australian Council for Trade Unions, will chair the newly established “Asbestos Management Review” (AMR). … Continue reading “The asbestos Triffid goes national”
A recent asbestos-related prosecution by WorkSafe Victoria illustrates the prevalence of asbestos as an environmental, public and occupational problem. According to a media statement on 5 November 2010, “Joshua Luke Marshall, operating as Affordable Demolitions and Asbestos Removals, told two separate homeowners he was licensed by WorkSafe to carry out asbestos removal work, although he didn’t … Continue reading “Asbestos prosecution highlights community risks”
The latest podcast by the Health & Safety Executive includes an interesting interview with the chair of the HSE, Judith Hackitt. Hackitt admits that any review of occupational health and safety needed “someone who could look beyond the remit of the Health and Safety Executive and look at what the other factors are out there that create the problems … Continue reading “Lord Young OHS review welcomed by UK’s HSE”
Australian Professor Andrew Hopkins is currently in the United States advising the Chemical Safety Board in its investigation of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Several months ago it was rumoured that Hopkins would be part of the Commission of Inquiry, a rumour quickly denied by Hopkins and others. According to a media release from … Continue reading “Australian OHS expert in advisory role on Gulf oil spill”
For many years the Safety Institute of Australia has been uncertain in its media relations. On most of the important OHS issues in the last 10 years the SIA has either been silent for the fear of being “overtly political” or been too slow to react. Its past media releases have almost always been to … Continue reading “The Safety Institute discovers the media”