The Victorian Government has released the business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail project, a project that involves extensive tunnelling and high risk activities. Most of the discussion about safety in the document seems to focus more on end-user benefits than on those who will be constructing the project. The business case can be seen as a missed opportunity …
Workplace safety can have a bizarre logic. A recent example can be seen in the continuing controversy about the deaths of two workers on a construction site in Western Australia. In November 2015 two workers Joe McDermott and Gerard Bradley were crushed to death by a concrete slab while on a break at a Jaxon Construction site …
Australia conducted a Royal Commission in to the Esso Gas Plant explosion at Longford. Two people died and most of Victoria was without gas for around two weeks. The Royal Commission lead to a best-selling book by Professor Andrew Hopkins. In 2010, four young men died while installing home insulation as part of a government …
Susan Fleming, Managing Director of Acting Consulting Training Australia attended a breakfast seminar on November 10 2015 and has provided this guest post . “We have been shouting about safety for some time and in contrast whispering about well-being and health in the workplace. We need to address this as a matter of urgency” Judith …
Nigel Hadgkiss of Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC) took the opportunity of the SIA National Convention in September 2015 to explain his thoughts on occupational health and safety (OHS) and industry relations (IR). Hadgkiss (pictured right) argued that he had an obligation to protect the safety and health of his employees/inspectors from a major …
On the eve of its 2015 Budget, the Australian Parliament was debating an increase in enforcement powers of the Fair Work Building and Construction inspectorate and the resurrection of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). Occupational health and safety (OHS) is rarely mentioned in these debates but not so on 11 May 2015. Excerpts …
On 7 May 2015, Senator Doug Cameron (Australian Labor Party, pictured) launched a new book written by John Bottomley (pictured, centre) called “Hard Work Never Killed Anybody – How the idolisation of work sustains this deadly lie“. Cameron acknowledged the uniqueness of the book as ranging “…across, theology, Marxism, the Protestant work ethic, and the … Continue reading “Sen. Doug Cameron launches “Hard Work Never Killed Anybody””