A new statistical perspective on work-related injuries and illnesses

In late October 2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released a summary of the latest work-related injury and illness data, although it was easy to miss as few, if anyone, reported on it. On first view, that mental health is barely mentioned in the Summary is surprising and the workers compensation data raises interesting …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

Misunderstanding sleep – Part 2

Most non-transport industries do not look for the lack of sleep or fatigue as a factor in their investigations.  Unless a formal investigation is undertaken, fatigue is rarely mentioned and, if it is, it is categorised as a “contributory factor”, which often means it is given such a low priority that nothing will be done …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

Misunderstanding sleep – Part 1

On the corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets in Melbourne is a monument to the 8 Hour Day.  This represents a social structure of work that equates to Eight hours of work, Eight hours of recreation, Eight hours of sleep, The concept started in Australia in the mid-1800s and was intended to reduce exploitation and …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

Bad bosses

Benjamin Artz, Amanda H. Goodall  and Andrew J. Oswald determined that “There are no published papers — to our knowledge — that assess in an internationally consistent way the rarity or commonness of ‘bad bosses’.” So they undertook there own research, published under the title “How Common Are Bad Bosses?”,and focused on these criteria in determining a bad …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

Start the bullying epidemic without me

Australia has been told for a long time that workplace bullying was an epidemic.  Recent data seems to indicate that workplace bullying is a persistent problem which, to some extent, has blended into the miasma that is work-related mental health.  The Fair Work Commission released its 2017/18 Annual Report on October 18 (not yet online) …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

WorkSafe acts on allegations of gruelling workplace conditions in a Victorian law firm

On October 12 2018 the Australian Financial Review (AFR) published an exclusive article about an investigation by WorkSafe Victoria into excessive working hours at an Australian law firm, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM). The article was later expanded on line. There are several curious elements of this report that could reflect other workplaces that may …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.

By looking at the silicosis tree, we might miss the forest of dust

Rumours of a TV report on the increasing hazards of silicosis have floated around for a week or so.  On October 10 2018, the show appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 7.30 program.  But the story is much bigger than the ten minutes or so on that program. The focus is understandably on silica but …

Login or subscribe to SafetyAtWorkBlog to continue reading.