Why is a government workers’ compensation agency promoting first aid when a different agency has had that role for over twenty years? And why do the program’s first aid kits contain commercial products that are no more effective in the first aid treatment of burns than water from the tap? On May 12 2011, WorkCover SA launched, … Continue reading “The Commercial Kitchens Campaign needs further examination”
A reader has been inspired by recent articles discussing OHS compliance to contribute their own article on some of the issues raised: “Compliance”, while being a way forward in OHS, misses the mark. We should ask the question: Why do regulators want compliance anyway? Compliance, or conformance as is alternatively used, is a means to … Continue reading “Compliance or Confidence?”
One always has to be careful about information released on April Fools’ Day but in 2011 an important pieces of safety information from the United States was released – a video message from the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). A reader also pointed to a set of OHS case studies from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMASS) released … Continue reading “Useful safety information from the US”
The December 2010 edition of WorkForce Management magazine (not available online) reports on a recent US survey concerning fatigue. The raw data is not available but the survey of 820 companies showed that over 80 per cent of respondents believed that fatigue was more of a workplace issue that in the past. This may indicate … Continue reading “OHS needs innovative thinking to manage fatigue”
“Undercover Boss” has become a popular television program in many countries over the last few years. The format is fresh and the results revealing. The eyes of each boss are opened to the deficiencies of a business and to the value of the workforce. Each episode ends with the reward of acknowledgement to the workers and new … Continue reading “Undercover Boss is an example of executive alienation”
Any organisation that claims to be “considered by Industry and Governments to be the premier membership based organisation for the Safety Professional” establishes very high expectations in the community and its members. At the end of November 2010 the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) concluded what could be described as its annus horribilis with its 2010 Annual General … Continue reading “Australia needs a sound and credible OHS organisation”
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”