All work is stressful but by educating ourselves and with the support of colleagues and a strong and healthy professional association, it should be possible to function safely. That is the ideal but reality often seems to fall short. Recently I was contacted by a person who had heard me speak about workplace bullying and … Continue reading “The stress of the wrongly accused”
In response to a recent post about Workplace Suicides, Rosemary McKenzie-Ferguson provided a lengthy comment that I believe deserves a post of its own: The hardest funeral to say “a few words” at is the funeral of a suicide victim. The hardest thing to do is look into the hearts of the family and friends of the person … Continue reading “WorkCover and Suicides”
In July 2010, Melbourne Australia is hosting the 2010 conference of the International Congress of Applied Psychology. What was an OHS consultant at this conference? The question should be why wasn’t OHS consultants at this conference? This conference is not about workplace safety, per se. It is about how people think and communicate. It provides … Continue reading “ICAP Congress of Applied Psychology is a neglected OHS resource”
Work-related suicides have been in the press a lot in Australia over the last six months. In June 2010, the Australian Government released a report into suicide called The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia. It covers suicide as a social issue broadly but there are some mentions in the report about work-related suicides that are worth noting. On social costs: “Ms … Continue reading “New suicide report has something to say about workplace mental health”
On 7 May 2010 Judge Lacava of the County Court of Victoria increased the $A25,000 fine applied to A Bending Company to $A75,000. WorkSafe’s Acting Director for Health and Safety, Stan Krpan, said in a media release: “The fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions [DPP] found the original penalty inadequate, and the increase in … Continue reading “What is the OHS “public interest”?”
A short time after a traumatic death of a family member will cause the family to feel they are in a mental spin. Not only are the usual funeral arrangements required but there can seem to be involvement in a personal loss from a mess of government departments and legal bodies. It is not expected that all … Continue reading “Guidance on the impacts of a workplace death”
A 19 May 2010 SafetyAtWorkBlog article commented on a new eye safety campaign by the Optometrists Association Australia. The eye safety brochure included several statistical references upon which clarification was sought. Shirley Loh, OAA’s National Professional Services Manager has provided references, and we thank her for her efforts. A couple of quotes in question were: … Continue reading “Eye injury campaign evidence clarified”