Clik here to view.
How good intentions can lead to workplace deaths
The recent coronial finding into three workplace deaths related to an Australian government economic stimulus package in 2009 has muddled the safety profession over the political context and the OHS...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Labour productivity is “soaring” in a period of IR/OHS variability
Mental health, happiness, well being, safety, red tape …. each of these have been linked to productivity recently in Australian discourses but, as has been mentioned previously, productivity has a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Focus on Safety and compliance will come
Everyone wants clarity. We want the comfort of knowing we are doing the right thing or that we are meeting the targets we and others set. Workplace safety is no different but it has been complicated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Judicial inquiry into insulation dominated by election campaign politics
Australia’s conservative opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has announced that he intends to conduct a judicial inquiry into the government’s handling of the home insulation program (HIP) that resulted in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MP wants to close a dodgy loophole but vision is what’s needed
One of the most discussed posts on this blog concerned an insurance company that paid the fines awarded against a company director. The company director had been found guilty of OHS breaches that led...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Politics before safety in South Australia
Occupational health and safety (OHS) eyebrows were raised in Australia recently as a State Government suspended the application of three construction-related codes of practice, principally, on the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coroner calls for fresh approach to OHS in small business
Ever since the UK Government reduced the occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations on small business, there have been concerns that a similar strategy could occur in Australia. Of all the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Self-employment should not be seen as a work/life solution
Work/life balance is a close cousin to occupational health and safety (OHS), particularly health. It is often the gateway people use to reduce occupational health risks such as stress and other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Safe Work Method Statements – their role, their use and their curse
Paul Breslin caused a stir in Australia’s OHS sector in 2013 with his costing of one element of managing high risk workplaces, the Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS). In 2014, an update of Breslin’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Integrated approach to OHS and wellbeing to be promoted in Australia
Later this month, the Victorian WorkCover Authority (VWA) will be releasing a document entitled “Integrated approaches to worker health, safety and well-being” (pictured right, but not yet available...
View ArticleClik here to view.
EU-OSHA releases a business case for safety and health at work
One of the most ignored, but important, elements of occupational health and safety (OHS) management is the business case. Work on this issue is being completed in Australia by Safe Work Australia but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
AiGroup pushes for harmonised OHS laws during Victoria’s election campaign
Later this month, Victoria is conducting its regular State election. Workplace safety has not been mentioned by any of the candidates but at least one industry association has mentioned occupational...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Australia’s 20 Best Business blogs
SafetyAtWorkBlog is proud to have been listed as one of Australia’s Best Business Blogs by business resource website SmartCompany.
View ArticleClik here to view.
“The regulator should be respected, but not feared”
How different can occupational health and safety (OHS) regulators be? A review into WorkSafe Victoria was announced in February 2015 but the review into its equivalent in South Australia, SafeWorkSA,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Business report is contradictory on OHS
The Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) has released its small business blueprint. The document continues the misunderstanding of industry and business groups in respect to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The ripple effect of workplace suicides
Suicide is a reality in many workplaces. Work may exacerbate the stresses and psychological conditions leading to people thinking of suicide and it can create those stresses. Most workers at risk of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blog in OHS small business research
Recently a reader brought to our attention a research report from Edith Cowan University that used SafetyAtWorkBlog as an important source of occupational health and safety (OHS) dialogue. “A ‘Once in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coronial findings and research – another step on the rocky road
The final report into quadbike safety has finally been released by the University of New South Wales in a series of five papers and in the wake of Queensland coronial findings into nine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hackett bemoans fluffy OHS cost estimates
The quest for accurate determination of the costs of poor occupational health and safety (OHS) has been a regular discussion point in this blog but the quest may be a never-ending one and ultimately...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leadership or cowardice?
Few would argue against the need for occupational health and safety (OHS) regulation for high-risk work but many are arguing against OHS laws on the basis of low-risk workplaces. It seems logical that...
View Article