SafetyOz
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safetyoz.bsky.social
SafetyOz
@safetyoz.bsky.social
34 followers 39 following 93 posts
Health and safety consultant, freelance writer, editor of the SafetyAtWorkBlog
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safetyoz.bsky.social
More short, brief (and clearly homemade) discussions of important #workhealthandsafety issues have been posted on SoundCloud and now, also Apple #Podcasts. Open access and free for anyone.
Please listen and let me know your thoughts
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/10/01/t...
#OHS #OSH #WHS
Three new audio summaries
Short 5- or 6-minute summaries of SafetyAtWorkBlog articles are available on Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. The three latest episodes discuss working from home, psychosocial regulations and work-re…
safetyatworkblog.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
“Trauma” is becoming a catch-all for workplace distress—but not all distress is trauma. Resilience is common, and overdiagnosis risks muddying prevention efforts. We need to rethink the language before we reshape the harm prevention strategy.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/30/r...
#mentalhealthatwork
Rethinking Trauma in the Workplace
Workers and employers seem to be facing more and more traumatic events at work, but are we? An interesting article on the topic (paywalled) was in the UK newspaper The Times on September 27 2025, o…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:30 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Work-related suicide isn’t just a mental health issue—it’s a workplace safety failure. New research shows how toxic cultures, managerial abuse, and neoliberal denial keep suffering invisible. We all deserve a good life.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/30/e...
#OSH #WHS #mentalhealthatwork
Every Worker Deserves A Good Life
Work-related suicide is more insidious in some ways than non-work suicide, as it is institutionally stigmatised to the extent that its reality has been denied. There is an additional level of compl…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:47 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Victoria’s new #psychosocial regs will test more than compliance—they’ll test leadership. If your #OHS system is solid, you’ll adapt. If not, expect cost, disruption, and scrutiny. The era of ignoring workplace mental harm is ending.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/29/v... #mentalhealthatwork #WHS
Victoria’s Psychosocial Reforms will Test Employer Commitment to OHS
The Victorian Government plans to introduce legislation regarding psychosocial hazards, similar to that of all other Australian jurisdictions, by the end of 2025. But what workplace changes are exp…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Fifteen challenging 5-minute podcasts about workplace health and safety are now available at Apple Podcasts. More to come, so please follow the episodes. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
#OSH #WHS #podcast #workheaklthandsafety #healthandsafetyatwork #metnalhealthatwork
SafetyAtWorkBlog
Business Podcast · Updated Daily · SafetyAtWorkBlog is an award-winning blog written in Australia that reports on, and discusses, a range of issues that relate to workplace safety. These articles tou...
podcasts.apple.com
September 26, 2025 at 3:12 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
#Psychosocial hazards like role ambiguity and unmanaged change aren’t just #HR issues—they’re legal safety risks. Leaders overlook them not out of ignorance, but because they misunderstand what safe systems and authentic #leadership require.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/24/w...
Why Leaders Still Miss the Hazards That Matter
We know what employers/leaders do or do not do about psychosocial hazards at work and the psychological impacts. But there is still insufficient discussion on why those leaders make those choices. …
safetyatworkblog.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:41 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Safety clutter. #AI tools. Real-world harm. The 2025 Victorian Symposium showed that #OHS reform isn’t just about tech—it’s about #trust, #leadership, and cutting through the noise. When systems serve people, safety gets real. safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/19/i... #OSH #WHS
Insights and Innovation from the 2025 Victorian Safety Symposium
The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) state branches conduct local single-day symposia annually. These networking and professional development sessions are important opportunities fo…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 18, 2025 at 10:40 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
I have uploaded a 6-minute discussion about OHS, regulations, and free markets at the SafetyAtWorkBlog and SoundCloud. (Open access).
Please let me know your thoughts about it.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/18/a...
#OSH #WHS #freemarket #books #regulation #workhealthandsafety
September 18, 2025 at 12:52 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
#OHS law keeps evolving—but the biggest hazard hasn’t. It’s not tech, not gig work, not AI. It’s employer attitude. Safety culture won’t shift until leadership does. Read Kevin Jones’ latest on the Victorian Safety Symposium.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/18/b....
#OSH #WHS #safetyculutre
Beyond Compliance, Rethinking Safety Culture and Legal Reform
Earlier this week, I was a panellist at an occupational health and safety symposium organised by the Victorian Branch of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety. We were asked to be challengi…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:22 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Safe Work Australia brought top WHS minds together—and largely delivered. AI tried to distil 180+ insights into 15 priorities, including a national research data warehouse. The Summit was an important step toward smarter, more accessible safety research.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/12/i...
Inside the Room Where Safety Happens
There are several ways to write about Safe Work Australia’s recent Research Summit. This is the first article and will discuss a couple of features of the summit and ask if the summit achieve…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:14 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Safe Work Australia wants “best practice” in OHS—but who defines it? If small businesses, sole traders & fringe industries aren’t also heard, consultation will remain traditional and thin.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/09/m...
#OHS #WHS #bestpractice #consultation
More OHS voices needed
A new discussion paper from Safe Work Australia (SWA) is interesting in a curious way. Its purpose is confusing, and its final report will not be presented until mid-2026. SWA offers no definition …
safetyatworkblog.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Three workers died. The CEO still got a bonus. Cleanaway cut Schubert’s short-term incentive by 30%—but is partial pay really a penalty? If fatalities don’t void bonuses, what message does that send about corporate safety values? safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/08/s...
#OHS #WHS #workhealthandsafety
Should executives receive any bonuses if a workplace death has occurred?
Recently, an Australian executive at Cleanaway received a 30% reduction in his short-term bonus as a result of several workplace fatalities. This type of action is not uncommon. Although some of th…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
“Reasonably practicable” sounds fair—until it’s used to justify inaction. Safety isn’t just legal compliance; it’s a moral stance. Legislation is the floor, not the ceiling.
Seven minutes of discussion at safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/05/a...
#OHS #WHS #podcast
Audio summary on reasonably practicable
In the next short audio episode, I discuss the myth of “reasonably practicable” within occupational health and safety (OHS) and the moral implications it carries. Safety is not just abo…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 5, 2025 at 2:08 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
SafetyAtWorkBlog has launched daily, short, clear and free audio monologues on work health and safety on SoundCloud for a limited time.
Let me know if you find them helpful.
on.soundcloud.com/R0vKaqinfQSU...
SafetyAtWorkBlog
SafetyAtWorkBlog is an award-winning blog written in Australia that reports on, and discusses, a range of issues that relate to workplace safety. These articles touch on Human Resources, Industrial R
soundcloud.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:37 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Workplace bullying isn’t just bad behaviour—it’s a symptom. Incivility, overload, role ambiguity, and poor consultation are the real hazards. Training alone won’t fix what leadership refuses to change.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/03/t...
The Seductiveness of Action Without Change
The challenge in addressing psychosocial hazards at work comes not from the dangers posed but from the executives’ willingness to change. Recently, organisational psychologist David Burroughs…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 2, 2025 at 9:32 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
The first audio summary of a SafetyAtWorkBlog article is available for listening at on.soundcloud.com/oB5wq2xxEtQv...
This discusses the often-overlooked human impact of workplace incidents, the institutional blind spots that perpetuate harm and contirbution to suicidality.
safetyatworkblog.com
SAWB 14082025
Join Kevin Jones as he delves into the often-overlooked human impact of workplace incidents and the institutional blind spots that perpetuate harm. This episode, based on a SafetyAtWorkBlog article, e
soundcloud.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:22 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Work From Home isn’t a mandate—it’s a threat to executive control. Retail CEOs are outraged, but their customer staff can’t work from home anyway. What’s really at stake is power, not productivity.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/09/02/w...
#WorkFromHome #OHS #WHS #retail
Why are the bosses’ knickers in a twist over work-from-home?
Two major Australian media outlets are continuing to focus on the issue of working from home (WFH), criticising the concept and some local political moves. WFH offers some significant mental health…
safetyatworkblog.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:16 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
A recent ABC podcast interview with Amy Edmondson and Rachael Potter reveals that #OHS and #HR have yet to fully integrate their approaches to preventing #psychosocial hazards in the workplace. safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/27/h...
HR Talks Wellness. OHS Prevents Harm. Time to Bridge the Gap.
A recent ABC podcast progressed the discussion of psychosocial hazards at work with important contributions from Amy Edmondson and Dr Rachael Potter. The debate highlights the persistent divide bet…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 26, 2025 at 9:58 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Work health and safety can be as full of jargon as any other discipline, but cliches diminish the significance of #OHS and can dilute calls to action.
I asked AI to provide a template for a political speech for a worker's memorial. Here's the result.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/26/i...
International Workers Memorial Day Speech Template
I have attended many memorials for deceased workers. Usually, a local or State politician makes a speech about the importance of occupational health and safety (OHS), and how every worker has a rig…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
If #childcare centres are workplaces, then employers are legally responsible for the safety of both staff and children. #Sexualabuse isn’t just a regulatory failure—it’s a breach of #OHS duty. Operators need to be held to account.
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/26/w...
When Safety Is Optional: The OHS Blind Spot in Childcare Abuse Reform
Improvements in safety and health at work are almost always begun after fatalities, catastrophes and scandals. This says much about the prominence of occupational health and safety (OHS) in Austral…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 25, 2025 at 9:34 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Australia’s OHS laws are stuck in a 1970s time warp—pre-Internet, pre-mobile, pre-remote work. If we want real productivity reform, we need a ground-up rewrite that reflects how we actually work today. safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/25/a... #OHS #WHS #OSH #workhealthandsafety #lawreform
Australia’s OHS Laws Are Stuck in the Past and Need a Rewrite from the Ground Up
Recently, Australia’s politics were focused on an Economic Roundtable hosted by Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Chalmers sought proactive, low- or no-cost initiatives to improve Australia’s pro…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
If the workplace hazard is a person, even if the CEO’s golden child, OHS law says eliminate the hazard. Not negotiate. Not delay. Eliminate.
‘Reasonably practicable’ isn't a shield for cowardice. It’s a test of leadership, ethics, & moral clarity under pressure
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/21/i...
Is it possible to prevent psychosocial hazards?
The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation states that employers must eliminate hazards as far as is reasonably practicable. If you start your safety journey from this point, you will for…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 20, 2025 at 10:38 PM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Harm prevention is the legislative floor, not a radical ideal. Yet we keep triaging harm after it happens—managing claims instead of managing risk.
More examination of this issue in the SafetyAtWorkBlog
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/20/i...
#OHS #WHS #workhealthandsafety #workerscompensation
Incident investigation and the triaging of workers’ compensation claims
Earlier this week, the Institute for Safety Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) conducted a seminar called “Using Biopsychosocial Risk Profiling to Inform Claim Triage”. Workers&…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 20, 2025 at 12:33 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Political reform is reshaping how we tackle psychosocial hazards—but is it real change or just compliance theatre? This article dives into the gap between institutional ambition and workplace reality. [Open Access]
safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/19/p...
#mentalhealthatwork #OSH #WHS #AI #psychosocial
Political Reforms Drive Some Systemic Psychosocial Hazard Changes
I asked an artificial intelligence program to identify Australian instances where politics may have led to institutional changes related to psychosocial hazards. It revealed numerous actions relate…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 19, 2025 at 12:22 AM
safetyoz.bsky.social
Australia’s fight for the 8-hour day wasn’t just about rest—it was a demand for dignity, equality, and time to live. Scalmer’s new book reminds us: working hours are political, and always have been. safetyatworkblog.com/2025/08/19/r...
#OHS #WHS #workinghours #productivity #book #workhealthandsafety
“reinvigorated in nerve and muscle” – working hours and OHS
Prominent in some of Australia’s political and economic debates are issues related to hours of work. This may be associated with the four-day work week, the five-day work week in construction…
safetyatworkblog.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:13 PM