“…OHS is not fit for the 21st century. It is isolated, has a limited academic base and remit, uneven provision, lack of good quality data, a poor image and is perceived by many as the servant of the employer.” Professor Niki Ellis speaks frankly about the OHS discipline in Australia. Professor Niki Ellis recently was appointed the … Continue reading “Professor Niki Ellis hits out at the state of OHS in Australia”
Several weeks after UK Prime Minister called a general election and several months since David Cameron spoke volubly about the importance of occupational safety and health, workplace safety is yet to get a mention in the British election campaigns. Croner and LabourNet reports that Mick Holder of the Hazards Campaign, said: “While there isn’t anything positive for workplace … Continue reading “Workplace safety still missing from British election and political radar”
If Victoria is the jurisdiction with the least changes needed to meet the new Work Health & Safety Act, it is worth looking at a recent enforcement activity. On 21 April 2010, WorkSafe Victoria announced an enforceable undertaking with the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development (DEECD). According to the WorkSafe media release this agreement “…requires all equipment … Continue reading “Is the Education Dept getting off lightly?”
In April 2010, the Australian Government is busy negotiating a new health reform package. It is likely that the next stage of the reforms will be in the Australian Senate which brings Nick Xenophon into the negotiations. On 21 April 2010, The Australian reported Xenophon saying: “…he had “an open mind” on the deal brokered by the Prime Minister … Continue reading “How revolutionary could the Work Health and Safety Act be?”
Communicating Safety: Cracking the Code 2 – 5 May 2010 Cypress Lakes Resort, Hunter Valley NSW The upcoming Annual NSW Minerals Industry Occupational Health and Safety Conference will feature a mix of guest speakers, experts and case studies from the mining industry to challenge your health and safety thinking, as well as the prestigious OHS … Continue reading “Kevin Jones speaking at NSW Mineral Conference”
New survey data on business attitudes to safety was revealed at the Safety In Action Conference on 20 April 2010. The data was released jointly by the Australian Institute of Management and the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA). In short there was not much that was new in the survey data but the survey was important for several reasons.
Following the post on the 2010 British election campaign a reader pointed out that David Cameron’s reviewer of OHS, Lord Young, spoke at the 2010 conference of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) in late March 2010 and ruffled some feathers. Lord David Young described the public perception of OHS as “at best, as an object of ridicule and, at … Continue reading “Lord Young smashes bridges instead of building them at IOSH conference”