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Do you make any money from this blog?
Recently there have been several local Australian kerfuffles about freelance writing. I have experienced similar issues and many readers I meet ask me this question – “do you make money from the...
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Quad bike safety discussion is maturing
New research into quad bike safety by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) shows increasing maturity in the discussions on the safety of quad bikes and farms. According to a 2 September report on...
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OHS and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Several weeks ago I was asked by a trade unionist to make a submission to the Australian Government explaining how the impending Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) would be bad for worker safety. I...
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Safe Work Method Statement templates cause concern
On 30 November 2012, SAI Global announced a commercial arrangement with SafetyCulture for the sale of generic Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), particularly for high-risk industries. This has caused...
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Economic austerity should not be allowed to override safety priorities
In 2012 many countries have been required to pursue economic austerity measures. A national or international economy rarely has any direct effect on safety management but the current economic status...
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Need to focus on safety first and compliance later
Several years ago, a WorkSafe Victorian executive saw “reasonably practicable” as a major legal advantage in safety regulation. It is of legal benefit, but does it make workplaces safer? Does it make...
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The “if you’re not sure, ask” campaign needs “if unsafe, fix”
WorkSafe Victoria has asked me in the past why I do not report on some of their successful activities and promotional campaigns. Recently WorkSafe Victoria has been running what appears to be a very...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Talking about safety – old skills in new ways
Australia’s latest Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has a strong background in technology investment and is urging the country to embrace innovation. This has generated a focus on information...
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Safety and The Three Little Pigs – WTF?
One of the benefits of the Internet is that people are able to distribute their thoughts in a variety of formats. (I am surely not the first to see some parallels with pamphleteering in the 1700s.) In...
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Stats show quadbikes remain the leading cause of deaths on Australian farms
Dr Tony Lower, Director of the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety has released his review of farm safety incident statistics for 2015. According to a media release (not yet online),...
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WorkSafe enters battle over quadbike safety
A decision by WorkSafe Victoria about the fitting of crush protection devices (CPD) to quad-bikes (All Terrain Vehicles/ATV) gained the major prominence in the latest edition of a major Australian...
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A top Business Blog for 2016
SmartCompany includes SafetyAtWorkBlog in its 2016 list of Best Business Blogs, saying: “Occupational health and safety consultant Kevin Jones brings two decades of experience to his editorship of the...
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