At the Safety Show this afternoon, prominent Australian labour lawyer, Michael Tooma, spoke bluntly and confrontingly about workplace bullying in front of several hundred trade show delegates. For those companies who value a safety culture or are trying to create one, Tooma stated that if work colleagues do not stand up to bullying or report … Continue reading “Workplace bullying continues to be a hot topic in Australia”
In response to proven breaches of occupational health and safety laws, judges usually apply financial penalties to companies and individuals. These penalties, like all court-ordered punishments are to deter the offenders from re-offending but also to show others the consequences of their actions. But what if an insurance company would pay for that penalty in … Continue reading “Insurance over OHS prosecution hits the deterrence effect”
28 April is the annual day of remembrance for those people who have died at work. It has various names depending on local politics but the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, established by the International Labour Organization. This year ceremonies are being held on many days around April 28. On Wednesday 24 April, Australia’s Workplace Relations Minister, … Continue reading “Australian IR Minister calls for dignity, respect and trust in workplace safety”
Such are the warning signs It stopped at 2.32 pm of an ordinary day. One string of events ended abruptly at the pinch point of a groaning conveyor belt when his arm was ripped off. Do you think of Swiss cheese models of risk alignment? Of complexity or failure to learn? Of the Moura coal … Continue reading “The smell of ‘corruption’”
Workplace safety apps are a fairly new addition to smart technologies and they are of variable quality and application. Below is a quick review of some. Glossary One of the earliest OHS-related apps and most basic was Derek Viner‘s Safety101. This is essentially nothing more than a glossary of risk and safety terminology. It has not been … Continue reading “Workplace safety apps reviewed”
There was a brief ABC report from Western Australia on 12 November 2011 about a young man receiving serious burns from an industrial explosion. Information is scant on this incident in the press but SafetyAtWorkBlog has been told that the incident occurred at drinks after work. As the incident is not considered related to work, … Continue reading “Explosive near-miss deserves safety investigation”
More often than not people are disappointed by the sentences handed out by Courts on OHS breaches. Even with sentencing guidelines, the ultimate decision rests with the judgement of the Court. Today’s $A84,000 fine against Santos Ltd appears low considering that the incident had the potential to be catastrophic and the company has just reported … Continue reading “Santos slapped with stale celery over near-miss”