“We are the safest” – No, only half right

Governments around the world love to be able to claim their State or Country as the safest in the world, when they can.  Australia has been plagued by such claims between various States but a report released on July 6 2016 shows that such claims are only half the story. The Institute for Safety, Compensation …

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Legal advice seems to miss the OHS point on workplace bullying

Australian law firm Minter Ellison has produced a useful article (not yet available on their website) on a recent workplace bullying prosecution. However the document displays a perspective that is becoming increasingly common in Australia labour law practices....

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Stress advice that builds on what came before

In occupational health and safety (OHS), as in most things, it is possible to learn more from what is not said than what is said. Recently WorkSafe Victoria released a guidebook for employers on “Preventing and managing work-related stress”. Given the current community focus on stress, health and wellness, discussion of this document’s release has …

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Irony in tragedy masks an interesting legal career

On Sunday 23 May 2016, Queen’s Counsel Ross Ray died after being pinned under a rolled over quad bike on his Victorian hobby farm.  According to one early media report, he was not wearing a helmet nor was his quad bike fitted with a crush protection device (CPD). In the past he has represented quad bike … Continue reading “Irony in tragedy masks an interesting legal career”

Breakfast seminar provides OHS tidbits

In May 2016, the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) held their annual safety breakfast.  The speakers were the usual blend of WorkSafe representative, SIA, Herbert Smith Freehills and remuneration survey results but there is always bits of useful information for the old hands and a lot of information for new … Continue reading “Breakfast seminar provides OHS tidbits”

What better way to thank your Mum than by staying safe at work?

WorkSafe Victoria has often been a leader in advertisements about occupational health and safety (OHS).  It has had mixed success since its Homecoming campaign, as it tries different strategies in the vital social media and internet communication world. It’s latest campaign, Work Safe For Mum, has been running for around a week before Australia’s Mother’s … Continue reading “What better way to thank your Mum than by staying safe at work?”

Could safety by algorithms be next?

It seems to be increasingly important for occupational health and safety (OHS) to focus on the human and the humanity of the worker but this seems out of touch with the world of Human Resources (HR) and recruitment that is increasingly being dominated by impersonal algorithms.  Recently BBC’s Global Business program looked at Recruitment By Algorithm. According to Global … Continue reading “Could safety by algorithms be next?”