As the Australian Safety & Compensation Council winds down before its transformation into Safe Work Australia, it is leaving with a flurry of activity. The legacy that had most immediate appeal was the revised Guidance Note for the Protection of Workers from the Ultraviolet Radiation in Sunlight. This is the most relevant and contemporary approach to … Continue reading “New UV Safety Guidance Note”
Frequently I receive audio media releases from the US about a range of workplace safety matters. These releases are scripted and can sometimes sound corny but within them is a usually a useful nugget of information. The latest one I received concerns presenteeism and mental health so, being so close to World Mental Health Day, … Continue reading “New presenteeism survey figures”
Today is World Mental Health Day and the media, at least in Australia, is inundated with comments and articles on mental health. This morning, Jeff Kennett, a director of beyondblue, spoke on ABC Radio about the increasing levels of anxiety that people are feeling in these turbulent economic times. Throughout the 5 minute interview, Kennett … Continue reading “When managing stress, are safety managers looking at the wrong thing?”
Survey findings released on 9 October 2008 by recruitment company Talent2 indicate that Australian employees are feeling stressed at work as a result of the effects of redundancies. John Banks of Talent2 said “… 71.7% say they currently do the job of more than one person, and this makes for a very stressful and unproductive … Continue reading “Inadequate resources generate workplace stress”
Several submissions, from those currently publicly available, to Australia’s National OHS Law Review have referenced OHS conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It is early days in the process of assessing submissions and one would expect more details on ILO Conventions to come from submissions of the ACTU and ACCI, both members of the …
Earlier this year, the Charlotte Observer began researching avian influenza but ended up with an expose about occupational health and safety in the US poultry industry, called “The Cruelest Cuts”. A recent podcast, and vodcast (I recommend the vodcast), highlights many safety management issues that are relevant to other industries and other jurisdictions Migrant labour … Continue reading “OHS lessons from investigations into the US poultry industry”
In 2000, sexworkers advocates in Australia published “A guide to best practice – Occupational health and safety in the Australian sex industry”. They tried for some time to have OHS authorities accept it as an industry-based code applicable to that particular State. As far as I know, they were unsuccessful but many of the elements … Continue reading “Independent okay for New Zealand’s sex industry”