Craig Donaldson interviewed Joydeep Hor, managing partner of Australian law firm Harmers on employment issues related to the swine flu outbreak. Joydeep rightly points out that HR and OHS processes should not differentiate between swine flu and other workplace illnesses. Hor briefly discusses the employers duty of care and how to question one’s traditional approaches to … Continue reading “Presenteeism and swine flu”
On the eve of the ACTU Congress, the construction unions have threatened disruptions to building sites in, not surprisingly, New South Wales. This State was always going to be the one with the most to give up for the sake of national harmonisation of OHS laws. It is reported in the Australian Financial Review on … Continue reading “Trade union OHS protests are shortsighted”
Guards around power tools or over moving parts of equipment (e.g. covers over compressor pulleys) are there for seriously good reasons. Injuries and deaths from people getting cut or caught in machinery keep happening all the time. It’s a common misunderstanding that bits of clothes caught in moving machinery can’t be that dangerous, after all … Continue reading “Guarding – last line of defence”
The 2008 Safety In Action Conference in Melbourne Australia included a single-day stream of prominent CEO’s talking about safety. I suggested to the stream host that it would be a good idea to have each of them respond to a question-without-notice in order to personalise each speaker. This video shows Dr Ziggy Switkowski‘s response. Kevin … Continue reading “Safety In Action Conference 2008”
Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) has released a report of its own OHS performance based on data from 2005 to 2007. NOPSA has been in the public eye far more than normal due to the Varanus Island explosion and the various investigatory reports. The report seems to indicate that, as a regulator, NOPSA … Continue reading “Offshore industry regulator performance”
Some time ago SafetyAtWorkBlog was critical of OHS regulators releasing swine flu information because the advice was not being easily translated in the workplace, and some of the advice was just silly. Much better advice is available from the New South Wales government however, curiously, the Workplace Guide to Managing Influenza Pandemic has been issued … Continue reading “The latest OHS advice on managing swine flu”
The West Australian government has finally decided to prosecute Apache Energy over the Varanus Island explosion in 2008. Many people are asking if the effort is worth the bother as the maximum penalty possible is a measly $A50,000. Comparing the disruption to the state’s gas supply to the Esso-Longford explosion, which generated a Royal Commission in … Continue reading “A slap on the wrist – Varanus prosecution”