Recently the Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) conducted a lunchtime online seminar on leadership. The speakers were prominent Australian women – Naomi Kemp, Diane Smith-Gander, Kirstin Ferguson and Queensland Minister Grace Grace. Although the seminar was hosted as part of the Women in Safety and Health group, these events are open to everyone. … Continue reading "“Hmm, do tell me more” – safety leadership"
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“Hmm, do tell me more”– safety leadership
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“Too little, too late” but potential in primary prevention
On Australia’s Women’s Safety Summit, Wendy Tuohy contemplated, in The Age, after the first day; “It may turn out to be too little, too late, but if there’s real commitment behind Morrison’s lines, we could conclude it’s a start.” There are few signs of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment. Women will continue to work in … Continue reading "“Too little, too late” but potential in primary prevention"
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Break the (structural) bias
March 8 is International Women’s Day, one of the biggest celebratory and lobbying days of the year. The media releases and public statements have already started rolling out over the weekend. Today and tomorrow, important speeches will be made and many will focus on workplace issues, and the subset of occupational health and safety-related matters, … Continue reading "Break the (structural) bias"
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Venus and Mars = HR and OHS but doesn’t have to
Twenty years ago, John Gray published a bestseller that discussed the binary split between Men and Women, a division that was allowed to reflect humanity’s biology and social constructs until very recently. Since the publication of “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus”, our understanding of gender has almost been revolutionised from the reality … Continue reading "Venus and Mars = HR and OHS but doesn’t have to"
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Hope clearly did not work. What’s next?
In the Weekend Australian newspaper, workplace relations journalist Ewin Hannan reported on a presentation (paywalled) made by the Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke to the Attorney-General’s Department staff. (Safe Work Australia, currently, exists in this department) From Hannan’s report, the focus seems to have been on industrial relations but it’s useful to consider … Continue reading "Hope clearly did not work. What’s next?"
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‘Enough was Enough’ over a decade ago and the mining industry failed to act then
The recent report on sexual harassment at West Australian mine sites deserves national attention for several reasons. The stories are horrific, partly because many of us thought such stories were in the distant past. The fact that many are recent should shock everyone into action. The report “Enough is Enough”is highly important, but its newsworthiness … Continue reading "‘Enough was Enough’ over a decade ago and the mining industry failed to act then"
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Worksafe Victoria’s new gendered violence campaign
WorkSafe Victoria has actively campaigned against occupational violence for the last few years. The pandemic, understandably, brought the focus onto violence against emergency services workers and healthcare staff. Recently the campaign has focussed on gendered violence at work. The intention is to be inclusive, to address the variety of violent acts and the variety of … Continue reading "Worksafe Victoria’s new gendered violence campaign"
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Evidence provided for structural change in construction safety management
In July 2022, RMIT University release a three-part series on physical and mental health in Australia’s construction industry consisting of Evidence, Exploration and Evaluation. By themselves, they make a strong case for structural reform of the construction sector to improve workers’ mental and physical health. Australia is undergoing a boom in project-based construction work. Many … Continue reading "Evidence provided for structural change in construction safety management"
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Lymph v Blood – OHS at the Jobs & Skills Summit
If Industrial Relations is the lifeblood of the economy and the nation, then Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is the lymphatic system, a less well-known supplementary system without which blood circulation fails and the body stops working. Australia’s Job and Skills Summit that has just concluded focused on the blood. Media analysis offered mixed interpretations. … Continue reading "Lymph v Blood – OHS at the Jobs & Skills Summit"
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Is Safety Leadership for everyone or just the executives?
At last week’s Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation conference, I bumped into Jen Jackson, a young creative thinker on occupational health and safety (OHS) and the author of “How to Speak Human”. We had a quick chat about OHS leadership and gender issues. Below is an edited transcript with a link to the … Continue reading "Is Safety Leadership for everyone or just the executives?"
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OHS and the weekend newspapers – 1
This is the first of, hopefully, many articles about what some of the weekend newspapers and media say about issues related to occupy national health and safety (OHS). It will not be comprehensive but short takes on what I see in the newspapers. [Note, the article below mentions suicide and workplace bullying] Workload and Suicide … Continue reading "OHS and the weekend newspapers – 1"
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“occupational health is distinct from safety”
Professors Helen Lingard and Michelle Turner have just published a book that was long in development called “Work, Health and Wellbeing in the Construction Industry“. The best advice for reading this book is, for most readers, to ignore the construction context. This book is extremely topical for all industries in Australia as it considers gender, … Continue reading "“occupational health is distinct from safety”"
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“..what it means to act like a man and what it means to work safely..”
Ten years ago, I was enlightened by a presentation on masculinity and occupational health and safety (OHS) by Dean Laplonge at a safety conference in Canberra. He has continued researching that interconnection, and visiting WA and recently released his latest report written for WorkSafe WA after a series of “roadshows”. After years of scandals in … Continue reading "“..what it means to act like a man and what it means to work safely..”"
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Making Noise – Asian migrant workers
Racism is a word increasingly thrown around these days, the most current incarnation being in the controversy surrounding whether or not to allow Australia’s indigenous peoples a formalised Voice to Parliament. Unfortunately, Australia has no patent on this illogical and offensive tendency. In Asia, it is often aimed at other Asian races of what is … Continue reading "Making Noise – Asian migrant workers"
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Effective safety signs
Safety signs can be a mix of symbols, colours and words. On a recent vacation in the United Kingdom, I saw a configuration of pedestrian crossing signs that challenged my interpretation of signs I had seen since I was a child. I wondered if this new configuration still communicated the essential safety message. In 2016, … Continue reading "Effective safety signs"
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“Backbone of the Nation” and safety
In 1984 I was in England during the miners’ strike, a period of profound social and political change in the United Kingdom. The politics of that period have always fascinated me, but my profession has also caused me to look at some of the attitudes to occupational health and safety (OHS). While holidaying recently in … Continue reading "“Backbone of the Nation” and safety"
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A broad perspective on Work, OHS and Mental Health
A whole generation of workers has grown up believing that if they are having a hard time at work, if they are not coping with the workload or the sexual advances of their boss, or their difficult workplace, or the discrimination they feel about their gender or their sexuality, that it’s their fault, and it’s … Continue reading "A broad perspective on Work, OHS and Mental Health"
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Useful but limited information on discrimination and harassment in Australia’s tech industry
A not-for-profit organisation, Grapevine, released a short annual report on workplace discrimination and harassment notifications. The report received some attention in Australian media as these workplace hazards continue to be topical. The issues blend into the occupational health and safety (OHS) discipline, but the discussions were marked for omitting the OHS and regulatory context. According … Continue reading "Useful but limited information on discrimination and harassment in Australia’s tech industry"
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New class action on sexual abuse in Australian mining
Many of the prominent Australian mining companies are in the process of changing their cultures to minimise the risk of sexual assaults and harassment after several recent damning inquiries into worker health and safety. Everyone seems to agree that cultural change can take a long time. I am not convinced. Change will take time if one operates … Continue reading "New class action on sexual abuse in Australian mining"
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