I bought tickets to the Jane Woollard play Prophet & Loss in almost total ignorance of the play and, as a result, sat in the old church on a cold Winter’s night wondering what I was in for. The program was detailed but I hadn’t time to read it. I knew the play was about … Continue reading “Prophet and Loss – review”
Last week the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, spoke at the ACTU Congress for 2009. Industrial relations was clearly the principal agenda issue but Gillard did mention OHS. The relevant OHS text of her speech is below. For those wishing more information about her rowdy reception, coverage is available at several Australian news sites. The … Continue reading “Australian Minister’s latest comments on OHS law reform”
In 1975 five Australian reporters were killed while covering the armed dispute between the Indonesian military and, what used to be called “freedom fighters”, the Fretilin in East Timor. An indication of how circumstances can change is that José Ramos Horta, the current President of East Timor was a founder and former member of Fretilin, the … Continue reading “The new generation of foolhardy reporters”
Safe Work Australia is a fairly new configuration for Australia’s OHS department but it’s awards have been going for some years. On 28 April 2009 the awards were held in Canberra. The timings don’t seem quite right but that is the scheduling of these sorts of things in Australia. The award winners from the State … Continue reading “Safe Work Australia Awards 2008”
Mental health in the workplace is one of those recent manifestations of psychosocial hazards. It continues to evolve and during this process one is never quite sure where the best and most relevant information can be obtained. Cnfusion for the safety professional can come from new, slightly off-topic, issues that can skew the public perception … Continue reading ““Getting back on the (trauma) horse””
Below is an edited summary of the findings from the latest compendium of statistics issued by the Australian Safety & Compensation Council. The stats relate to 2006-07 primarily but with some comparative data from 2000-01 onwards. The full report is available for download as is a media statement from the Council Chairman, Bill Scales. 132 … Continue reading “Latest Australian OHS Statistics”
According to an AAP report on 10 March 2009, a harness saved one worker when a gantry collapsed. Several videos of the incident’s aftermath are available. The media report said “An elderly man plunged 40m headfirst to his death while his traumatised workmate was left dangling from a safety harness after a work platform suspended … Continue reading “The importance of a harness”