In 2004, I was asked to make an OHS-themed presentation to a group of paramedic students on ethics and from a small business perspective. Some of the information may have dated slightly but I post this to stimulate discussion. Below is an edited version of that 2004 oral presentation: Quite often, when we have an … Continue reading “A discussion on ethics and OHS decision making”
On 15 February 2010 Safe Work Australia (SWA) released a report entitled “Asbestos Exposure and Compliance Study of Construction and Maintenance Workers“. It found, according to the SWA media release: “Most tradespersons were aware of the potential health risks of asbestos. This high level of general awareness is not accompanied by the knowledge of how to recognise … Continue reading “Asbestos awareness high. Safety? Not so”
Safe Work Australia has released a couple more of its annual statistical reports about workplace injuries and fatalities. The report that covers 2006/07 ( Work-Related Traumatic Injury Fatalities, Australia 2006-07) included this information in the Summary of Findings “[In 2006–07]…a total of 453 work-related traumatic injury fatalities in Australia during 2006–07. In 2006–07, just … Continue reading “Australian OHS statistics just released”
The Australian State of Victoria has been in a fortuitous position with a Coroner, Graeme Johnstone, who was a staunch advocate of safety in the public and workplace spheres. Johnstone was a strong and physical presence at many conferences and in the media. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a more obvious and influential … Continue reading “New coronial approach should lead to greater safety information”
At The Safety Conference in Sydney in October 2009, Dr Ian Woods, a senior research analyst for AMP Capital Investors, will advise Australian employers that the cost of workplace injuries on their businesses could be around 6% of their profit. According to a media release in support of the conference Dr Woods signals three occupational … Continue reading “Injuries cost business 6% of their profit”
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”
I’m a big fan of minimising the rehashing of OH&S guides. In my WorkSafe Victoria days (the latter ones when I was doing guidance material editing) I did what I could to encourage adoption of other people’s good work. And just today I found an example of a British Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guide … Continue reading “What a good safety management system looks like”