Search Results for: psychological health

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Workplace bullying needs prompt and concise action to be effective

It is very important to treat media reports of bullying with a great deal of scepticism.  An article in the Herald-Sun on 20 July 2010 is a good example of the collation of new and old information intended to generate alarm or outrage. Werribee Secondary College has had several incidents of occupational violence and school violence.   All schools … Continue reading “Workplace bullying needs prompt and concise action to be effective”

ICAP Congress of Applied Psychology is a neglected OHS resource

In July 2010, Melbourne Australia is hosting the 2010 conference of the International Congress of Applied Psychology.  What was an OHS consultant at this conference?  The question should be why wasn’t OHS consultants at this conference? This conference is not about workplace safety, per se.  It is about how people think and communicate.  It provides … Continue reading “ICAP Congress of Applied Psychology is a neglected OHS resource”

OHS Canaries and Apathy

Guest author, Yossi Berger writes: “What’s the point of tellin’ them the same thing over and over when nothin’ changes?  I open my mouth about safety again I could lose me job” he said, “Why would I bother?”[a] Introduction Words and names can be used as sneaky accomplices to construct popular or inaccurate narratives.  When … Continue reading “OHS Canaries and Apathy”

Prisons are another world when implementing workplace safety

The new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) into prisoner health and welfare makes no mention of workplace safety, even though most prisons in Australia have formal work programs for commercial gain. The report “The health of Australia’s prisoners 2009” details the health and welfare status of Australian prisoners with some … Continue reading “Prisons are another world when implementing workplace safety”

All exposure standards must consider hours of work

The last sixty years’ of research into the effects of hours of work, shiftwork, associated workload, fatigue and affects on social life and families has produced many findings, but no general detailed agreements.  There are interesting debates about who and what to research, what methods to use, what to measure and how to interpret results.  … Continue reading “All exposure standards must consider hours of work”

Shiftwork saviour? – Caffeine (sort of)

Caffeine is a commonly used stimulant in many workplaces around the world.  As such, it is often considered to be the friend of the shift worker and a new analysis of research findings may make that friendship stronger. According to a new study from Cochrane researchers: “The results of this systematic review suggest that caffeine … Continue reading “Shiftwork saviour? – Caffeine (sort of)”

Compensation denied because police officers only saw the aftermath of fatal incident

In 2003, emergency responders attended a major rail incident at Waterfall in New South Wales, in which multiple passengers were injured and seven died.  According to a 14 April 2010 article in The Australian (page 7, not yet(?) available online): “The officers [David Wicks and Philip Sheehan] were among the first at the scene of the … Continue reading “Compensation denied because police officers only saw the aftermath of fatal incident”