Melody Kemp in Vientiane writes: The apoplectic brouhaha that greeted Wikileaks in the past few months has shown us the power of the internet to upstage, discomfit and enrage. Governments like corporations operate under a variety of ‘commercial-in-confidence’ scores, the cadence of which changes with the degree of self interest at hand. That Wikileaks has … Continue reading “The Social Media is the Message”
OHS: The Pearl Harbour Syndrome[i] – Poverty of Expectations – The Japanese attack on US forces at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday 7th December 1941 was a military disaster for the US described as a totally unforseen and unforeseeable attack. It shocked the American people and brought the US into WWII (essentially … Continue reading “OHS: The Pearl Harbour Syndrome”
Emergency service organisations, like the military, are susceptible to accusations of bullying due to the hierarchical command structure on which they are based. For decades this type of structure has been seen as a requirement for efficient emergency response or other activities under tight timelines and high expectations. It would not take much to perceive … Continue reading “Another Australia emergency organisation faces bullying claims”
Workplace suicides are in the news at the moment due to Foxconn and, to a lesser extent, France Telecome. There is enough media attention for companies to start to evaluate their own risk exposures. Through LinkedIn, Tom Boudreau of R&R Insurance Services, issued the following advice under the title “Do Employers Have a Duty to Prevent Workplace … Continue reading “Suicide advice shows reactive thinking”
In 1975 five Australian reporters were killed while covering the armed dispute between the Indonesian military and, what used to be called “freedom fighters”, the Fretilin in East Timor. An indication of how circumstances can change is that José Ramos Horta, the current President of East Timor was a founder and former member of Fretilin, the … Continue reading “The new generation of foolhardy reporters”
Matthew Knott’s article in the Australian newspaper (21 July 2008 ) included telling comments from Barry Willis, a 64-year-old former maintenance worker at Amberley air force base. The article says “workplace health and safety was non-existent: open cans of chemical sealant were stored in the refrigerators where the men kept their lunch.” I have been … Continue reading “OHS in the 1970’s”