South Australia still has not passed the Work Health and Safety legislation that would bring it into line with most of the other States of Australia. A major obstacle to the Bill’s progress in the South Australian Parliament is the “dithering” of Independent MP John Darley. On 28 June 2012, Darley spoke to the WHS … Continue reading “John Darley’s delay on Work Health and Safety laws is unproductive”
Articles and reports about decent work, dignity at work and mental health issues are increasingly appearing on my desktop. Perhaps this indicates a convergence of perspectives to a better understanding of the human imperative in the modern workplace. It may be a realisation of where and how work fits the human condition. On May 1 … Continue reading “Workplace safety and the human condition”
Recently SafetyAtWorkBlog suggested the need for a new approach to OHS advertising. Around the same time the Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) launched the latest stage of its lobbying campaign against one of Australia’s largest mining companies, and a longtime target for unions, BHP BIlliton. This time the CFMEU connects the Pike River … Continue reading “Australian union campaigns on mine safety using Pike River mother”
“When we look at global trends it’s clear that Australia’s labour laws are not the primary cause of the contraction in manufacturing.” Shelley Marshall, a Monash University researcher and Fair Wear Australia spokesperson made this statement at an Australian Senate inquiry on 2 February, 2012. The statement, reported in The Australian Financial Review (not available online), … Continue reading “The lobbying for “control” impedes corporate and OHS growth”
South Australia’s Parliament has delayed the introduction of its Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act until 2012 by postponing debate on the WHS Bill until February 2012. The instigator for this action was the opposition (Liberal) parliamentarian, Rob Lucas, who SafetyAtWorkBlog has written about previously. Lucas has issued a media release that states “The Weatherill … Continue reading “South Australia’s postponement of harmonisation shows the political weaknesses of the process”
Australia has embraced a bizarre safety concept of “pro-activity” that is confusing our understanding of intention in the next phase of OHS laws, active safety management. It is essential to have an active safety management system, a safety management system that is not passive. Having a positive duty for safety, as required by the upcoming new Australian OHS laws, … Continue reading “Pro-active safety means nothing”
In January 2011 WorkSafe indicated its intention to prosecute the Department of Corrective Services and others in relation to death of Mr Ward. A $A285,000 penalty was imposed on 7 July 2011. SafetyAtWorkBlog reported on the WorkSafe actions at the time but an excellent clearinghouse for information on this case is the website of the … Continue reading “Government department fined $285k over prison van death”
