For years Australian OHS legislation has focused on establishing a “safe system of work”. This focus is inclusive and is an understandable approach to safety regulation but it has also generated a fair share of confusion. If a business does not have a documented safety management system, does it have a system of work? Yes … Continue reading “A safe (social) system of work”
In 2007, Pedro Balading fell off the back of a utility vehicle while working in remote outback Australia and died. On 16 March 2010, the owner of the Wollogorang cattle station, Panoy P/L, was fined $A60,000 over the death. According to one media report: “Pedro Balading, a 35-year-old father of three, was a Manila piggeries supervisor who arrived … Continue reading “The fatal consequences of riding in the tray of a pick-up or ute”
In the February 2010 newsletter for Australian law firm, DLAPhillips Fox, Andrew Ball and Donna Trembath wrote about one of the important elements of the model Work, Health & Safety Act – due diligence. We look at how SafetyAtWorkBlog and other OHS information services can support due diligence on OHS matters. Ball and Trembath list 6 elements in … Continue reading “OHS due diligence and safety management”
WorkSafe WA has released a statement detailing the prosecution of Midland Bricks over a worker had his right arm and shoulder torn from his body by a machine in 2006. Midland Bricks was fined $A70,000 over the incident. The factors involved in this incident include the following familiar issues: pinch points machine guarding interlocks emergency stop buttons supervision documentation.
As one gets older, the “where are they now?” columns in the newspapers or the summer magazine supplements become more interesting. The articles of faded pop stars and political one-time wonders are diverting but every so often one makes you stop and think. OHS is not renowned for “where are they nows?”. The discipline and the profession has few celebrities but there are … Continue reading “The personal cost of surviving a major hazard explosion”
In early October 2009, Workplace Health and Safety in Queensland (WHSQ) released a raft of media statements about recent court cases involving OHS prosecutions. WHSQ seems to do this regularly rather than releasing each statement individual. Below is a quick cut and paste from the media reports: Brown Engineering & Construction Pty Ltd has been fined $38,000 after a worker … Continue reading “Recent Queensland OHS prosecutions”