OHS The Unions Stranglehold on the Workplace

[silverfaun]

Occupational Health and Saftey,  although I believe in heath and safety at work OHS has strangled the workplace.

One only has to look at the overkill on a small set of steps, middle rail, painted lines/signs/side ramp and all this on a set of 12  steps when there is a ramp  at another entry.

My sis in law is a nurse  and she said the rules are crippling and dangerous because a nurse can't assist a patient without another 1 or 2 people assisting.

Roads and fences, it's everywhere you look, total overkill by councils and I won't even go into the rule book, a separate rules for every industry, and how long they are, infiltrating into every activity and even pastimes.

OHS was used by the unions to re enter the workplace, to regain their stranglehold in the workplace, when Howard broke the stranglehold of the unions.

Workers compensation was adequate historically and let's face it, their employees safety is uppermost in their priorities and a streamlined workplace is a productive workplace.

Reform and streamlining is desperately needed in the workplaces of Australia and it's needed now but will anybody take on the bully boy unions? will they get all emotive and accuse PM Abbott of trying to kill workers?? probably,  but I don't think anybody has the guts to reform OHS.

[carls*world]

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@boris1gary wrote:

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@the_hawk* wrote:

clearlyt you have little concept of OH&S outside of an office where your biggest risk is falling off your chair while sleeping or a paper cut.

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clearly no concept at all, there has already been 22 workplace deaths this year, that number does not include any worker with no dependants or who were self employed, so the number is probably higher. Maybe that number is to low for some?

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Problem I've seen around quite a few work sites, is that while academics are hammering down hard on petty little things like width of line markings, height of safety rails that nobody ever goes near etc, serious breaches are being overlooked. And those are the ones causing the serious problems.

[freakiness]

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@carls*world wrote:

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@boris1gary wrote:

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@the_hawk* wrote:

clearlyt you have little concept of OH&S outside of an office where your biggest risk is falling off your chair while sleeping or a paper cut.

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clearly no concept at all, there has already been 22 workplace deaths this year, that number does not include any worker with no dependants or who were self employed, so the number is probably higher. Maybe that number is to low for some?

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Problem I've seen around quite a few work sites, is that while academics are hammering down hard on petty little things like width of line markings, height of safety rails that nobody ever goes near etc, serious breaches are being overlooked. And those are the ones causing the serious problems.

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DO you report the serious breaches that are routinely overlooked?

It's no use observing dangerous work habits and not reporting them to the safety committee or safety officer, if you work in these places.

I used to see supervisory staff taking short cuts which breached the safety rules they were supposed to be enforcing.  That's not acceptable either.  Most people don't want to make waves and let it slide.  If there is a fatality they'll all be affected because they did nothing to prevent it and will know that they should have.

I had a week long battle with a work place once over a dangerous forklift.  To most it was foolish action but when I pounted out the individual fines that could apply if work safe inspectors turned up they shut up.  The company, as peeved as they were, knew I was right too and acted immediately to remedy the situation with the forklift hire company, which had an office onsite.

By the time someone did call work cover the place got red ticketed on the first visit.