Search Results for: Consultation

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What does the Ark Tribe case have to do with workplace safety?

Australian trade unions, particularly those in the construction sector, have strongly supported Ark Tribe in his battle with the Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC).  Outside of the world of Australian construction trade union politics, the Ark Tribe issue has been difficult to understand without over-simplifying the issue. In 2008, Ark Tribe attended a union … Continue reading “What does the Ark Tribe case have to do with workplace safety?”

OHS regulator reveals a blog about OHS fraud and crime

Spying on people can be entertaining as can be shown by the popularity of hidden camera video on tabloid news shows but there is always a whiff of unfairness and distaste about the practice. For the last couple of months, Washington State’s Department of Labour & Industries has been running a blog written by its … Continue reading “OHS regulator reveals a blog about OHS fraud and crime”

What can OHS professionals learn from government program failures?

Marcus Priest of the Australia Financial Review wrote a good article on 2 June 2010 (only available through subscription or hard copy) that illustrates the managerial deficiencies of the Australian Government by looking at the lessons from two governmental investigation reports concerning a large-scale construction program for existing schools and the home insulation scheme.  Priest identifies several issues that … Continue reading “What can OHS professionals learn from government program failures?”

A wicked OHS problem in more ways than one

A new survey on CEO attitudes to safety has been released by Peter Wagner & Associates entitled “Safety – A Wicked Problem, Leading CEOs discuss their views on OHS transformation“. There is some interesting information in report but Wagner is being generous in the report’s title.  There are some CEOs who seem knowledgeable on safety management who … Continue reading “A wicked OHS problem in more ways than one”

The risk of being over-policied

The latest OHS podcast from Boardroom Radio reinforces the need to enforce company policies.  The impliacation is that it is very easy to equate legislative compliance with the existence of a policy instead of the implementation of a policy. The need to keep polices and procedures simple was mentioned but there is the risk that brevity does not … Continue reading “The risk of being over-policied”

Is illiteracy a big safety risk?

In a couple of years all Australian States will probably have OHS laws which require active consultation on workplace safety matters.  But how effective will the consultation be if a noticeable part of one’s workforce struggles with literacy? For many years OHS included a gentle and steady push for OHS information to be provided in Languages Other Than English (LOTE). … Continue reading “Is illiteracy a big safety risk?”

OHS needs plain language, consultation and corporate engagement

An earlier article today provided a reminder of a County Court judge’s criticism of OHS management-speak in a 2004 decision concerning the death of Robert Sergi on a rail bridge construction project near Geelong. In response to some of the safety initiatives outlined to the Court by the lawyer for Leighton Contractors Ross Ray SC, … Continue reading “OHS needs plain language, consultation and corporate engagement”