On 9 July 2009 I wrote in SafetyAtWorkBlog “The Fair Work Act has no relevance to occupational health and safety, so why mention this on SafetyAtWorkBlog?” The Fair Work Act changes the negotiating and consultative structure of Australian workplaces stemming from changes in industrial relations law. A book that came across my desk this morning … Continue reading “An OHS look at the Fair Work book”
Just because Victoria’s WorkHealth program is not functioning anywhere near its initial intention, it does not mean that the issue of workers’ poor health is being ignored. In mid-June 2009, Australia’s federal government announced a targeted program called the Tradies Tune-Up. The funding for this program is very modest in comparison with WorkHealth’s proposed riches. … Continue reading “Worker health continues to get government support”
The SafetyAtWorkBlog article on OHS professional competence has generated some lively debate on a discussion forum of the American Society of Safety Engineers. Jim Leemann makes a fundamental point “Determining if someone is competent to do a job is totally different from determining if someone has mastered the competencies to do the job”. This is … Continue reading “Being competent is more than just passing the competencies”
The edge of panic is starting to appear in Australian concerns over swine flu. Some health officials, who should know better, are slipping slightly off message. The Queensland government’s chief medical officer has recommended that food should be stockpiled. This was quickly jumped on by the Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has tried to provide … Continue reading “Australian Prime Minister talks to the great unwashed”
Workplace safety and industrial relations are undeniably tied together in terms of policy development, legislation and implementation. This week the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) used the occupational safety record of the Australian construction industry to criticise the Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC). It should be stated here that SafetyAtWorkBlog does … Continue reading “The misuse of OHS in industrial relations campaigns”
The Australian newspapers in late-February shared the “outrage” of politicians and then the community over training that was provided to public servants by the American “happiness guru” Professor Martin Seligman. The cost to the taxpayer seems exorbitant but the psychologist was from the US and was training delegates for many days. It is not unusual … Continue reading “Happiness is a warm million”
It was predictable for the Opposition party to accuse Julia Gillard of arrogance for bypassing the Parliamentary process. Senator Eric Abetz wrote to the letters page of AFR on 21 January 2009, the text of the letter is below (although there were slight changes in the published version) “It is highly arrogant and misleading for … Continue reading “Gillard’s plans for new OHS agency – response”