Mainstream press around the world reported on the fire in a Russian nightclub over the weekend in which 100 people were killed. One report says the nightclub owner has been arrested quotes the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as saying “All that has happened can only be described as a crime….I think this is absolutely clear….You have noted … Continue reading “Nightclub fires and evacuations”
In late November 2009, the Victorian State Emergency Services (SES) was convicted of OHS breaches over the death of one of its volunteers and was fined $A75,000. The SES has chosen to allocate $A150,000 to a review of its safety management after strong criticism from the Mildura Magistrate, Peter Couzens. In answer to the title of this … Continue reading “How much does poor safety management cost?”
Workplace fatalities have markedly increased in Victoria over the last couple of months. According to WorkSafe Victoria information nine people have died within the last two months bringing the current total to 27 for 2009. Victoria has a high awareness of the need for safety in the workplace, principally due to the advertising campaigns of WorkSafe which began, in one form … Continue reading “Safety awareness ≠ safety (always)”
For over 40 years, the Australian State of Victoria has had several safety organisations that exist under the radar. In the 1960s the Department of Labour & Industries supported the generation of safety groups but many groups simply appeared. These groups are, what in contemporary times would be referred to as, networking groups. The members were from a range of … Continue reading “Grass Roots Safety”
Regularly in OHS submissions to the government and on OHS discussion forums, safety professionals state that industrial relations should be kept separate from workplace safety issues. In a perfect world ? Possibly, but there was a court decision on 13 November 2009 in Australia that shows that this separation is not possible in the modern … Continue reading “Crushed finger leads to claim and Court”
WorkSafe Victoria is investigating two gas leaks that occurred on 6 November 2009 at the Longford gas plant owned by Esso. This plant was subject to a fatal explosion in 1998 and was recently written about on SafetyAtWorkBlog. According to an ABC news report on 11 November 2009, repairing one leak led to a consequent … Continue reading “Gas leaks at Esso’s Longford plant”
The Australian State of Victoria has been in a fortuitous position with a Coroner, Graeme Johnstone, who was a staunch advocate of safety in the public and workplace spheres. Johnstone was a strong and physical presence at many conferences and in the media. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a more obvious and influential … Continue reading “New coronial approach should lead to greater safety information”