Australia, as are many other countries, is in the transition phase for the latest Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – ISO45001. The Standard has been accepted by Australia as relevant to its jurisdiction and discussion seem quiet. However, the work of the technical committee on this Standard (SF-001) continues. The Head of …
Applying the most effective way to have companies comply with their occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations has been debated in Australia and elsewhere for years. The issue will arise again in 2019 and in relation Industrial Manslaughter laws as Australian States have elections, or the political climate suits. There are several elements to the …
The occupational risks of exposure to excessive heat have usually been assessed in remote locations in Australia, and almost exclusively for outdoor workers. The changing environmental conditions, regardless of the global cause, are changing the risk assessment of heat for outdoor workers and, increasingly, indoor workers such as those in food production or kitchens. Recently …
I learnt more about the politics of the United States from Doonesbury than I did from television news and analysis. I learn more about the politics of occupational health and safety (OHS) in the United States from Jordan Barab‘s Confined Space newsletter/blog than I do any other media source. Although the US’s OHS legal structures …
Surprisingly, the (conservative) Australian Government released its response to the final report and recommendations of the Senate Inquiry into Industrial Deaths in the week before Christmas. The lack of support for Industrial Manslaughter laws has not been received well by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) particularly after Australian Labor Party passed a resolution …
The consensus at the Australian Labor Party’s National conference is that party leader, Bill Shorten, made an impressive and detailed speech on Day One and that he has followed this up with an important speech about migration and other matters on Day Two. He, and the conference, has been described as “presidential” (in a non-Trump …
The trade union movement has often been instrumental in affecting and sometimes creating government policy on occupational health and safety (OHS). The latest generation of hazards – psychosocial – can be traced back to a survey late last century of workplace stress conducted by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). This week the ACTU …