SafetyAtWorkBlog has been informed that Cath Bowtell has been appointed the new executive director of WorkSafe Victoria. Bowtell’s name may be familiar to some Australians due to her recent contest to be the next President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Cath Bowtell is due to take on the position in the middle of 2010.
If Victoria is the jurisdiction with the least changes needed to meet the new Work Health & Safety Act, it is worth looking at a recent enforcement activity. On 21 April 2010, WorkSafe Victoria announced an enforceable undertaking with the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development (DEECD). According to the WorkSafe media release this agreement “…requires all equipment … Continue reading “Is the Education Dept getting off lightly?”
Day 2 of the Safety In Action Conference is almost over and I am confused. Some speakers say that safety cannot be improved without commitment from the most senior executives of a company. Others are saying that safety improvement can be best achieved by trusting employees. One speaker questioned the validity of the risk management approach to safety. A colleague argued … Continue reading “Australian safety conference – confused but in a good way”
On 25 March 2010, at the first of ten workplace bullying information seminars, WorkSafe Victoria, claimed to have a world-class approach to combating workplace bullying. The Europeans may dispute the claim but there is no doubt that WorkSafe is on the right path in responding to the unprecedented community interest in the issue. In a packed hall in the City of … Continue reading “Unprecedented interest in workplace bullying”
Through March 2010, WorkSafe Victoria is running a series of seminars on the issue of workplace bullying throughout Victoria. In support of the campaign, the OHS regulator has a series of ads in the newspapers (pictured below left) Cheekily the Community & Public Sector Union has “piggybacked” on the promotional campaign emphasising that the Victorian … Continue reading “Public sector union capitalises on WorkSafe bullying campaign”
On 16 March 2010, two farmers outside Rainbow in Victoria were killed when the windmill they were moving touched live overhead electricity cables. According to preliminary reports from the emergency ambulance service, two work colleagues went to the rescue and were injured themselves. A video report is available HERE. According to media information from WorkSafe Victoria: “A father and … Continue reading “Two farmers dead and two injured from contacting overhead electricity cables”
The media on 11 March 2010 was reporting the discovery of a the body of a hotel worker in a beer cellar of a Victorian hotel. WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the possibility of carbon dioxide. As with so many cases of confined spaces, a second man was lucky to be alive after venturing into the … Continue reading “Gas, lungs, ladders, fruit picking and concrete pumping – latest workplace incidents”