Search Results for: "Human Resources"

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Singapore’s Prime Minister speaks about business leadership

At last week’s Comcare conference there was considerable discussion about leadership and social capital.  Coincidentally, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower is running a Human Capital Summit this week. The summit program indicates how these two concepts are dominating human resources and, through osmosis, other management streams such as OHS. Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s Prime Minister provided the opening address on 29 September 2009.  In the speech … Continue reading “Singapore’s Prime Minister speaks about business leadership”

HR management needs to engage with safety management

Businesses, more often than not, place OHS as a subset of the Human Resources Department.  This gives the HR manager considerable organisational clout but often keeps the importance of OHS constrained. This structure may be functional but also reinforces that the belief that safety can be addressed in HR terms and that is not necessarily … Continue reading “HR management needs to engage with safety management”

Why isn’t safety and health a continuum in a worker’s life?

Several years ago I attended a safety seminar hosted by Seacare.  Maritime safety is not part of my “brief” but safety is, and I was seeking alternate perspectives on my specialist area.  Seacare conducted a session where the treatment and management of an injured worker was work-shopped from incident to return-to-work. It was the first time … Continue reading “Why isn’t safety and health a continuum in a worker’s life?”

Do health professionals make the best OHS leaders?

David Michaels has been nominated by President Obama as the new Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Department of Labor.  (A brief profile of Michaels is available HERE.)  A posting at a US Workers’ Compensation website links through to a discussion on the potential impacts of the Michaels’ appointment. There … Continue reading “Do health professionals make the best OHS leaders?”

John Merritt and ‘reasonably practicable’

On 4 August 2009, John Merritt, Executive Director of WorkSafe Victoria, spoke at an OHS function hosted by the Australian Human Resources Institute in Melbourne.  John is a lively speaker whose passion for workplace safety is obvious. I had the opportunity to ask the following question “How is reasonably practicable NOT a ‘get-out-jail-free card’?” Many … Continue reading “John Merritt and ‘reasonably practicable’”

When employees are their worst enemy.

A recent article in a rehabilitation newsletter reminded me of a client from several years ago. Several employees in a small item packaging line were reporting wrist and forearm soreness toward the end of their shift.  They believed that the line speed was too fast for them to comfortably work their full shift. In consultation … Continue reading “When employees are their worst enemy.”

Integrating climate change impacts into OHS and business management

Today the European Policy Centre in Brussels released the report Climate change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions. The findings of this report do not directly affect workplace safety but do indicate new ways in which businesses must manage the economic and social hazards that climate change produces.  These new ways of management must be anticipated and … Continue reading “Integrating climate change impacts into OHS and business management”