Articles

Challenging the Status Quo

How often do you or your management team challenge the status quo to see if there is a better and smarter way to improve your work methods, to improve quality, safety, and to increase your profit? There is an adage that states “If you look after the pennies, the pounds will...

Managing workplace noise

Does high definition sound and the "boom boom" of heavy sound or rock speakers at a concert make your chest feel uncomfortable, give you a headache and assault your eardrums? The same effect can apply in employment, and sustained noise level in a workplace can increase stress to employees, leading to...

Safety and Employee Involvement

We trained hard but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of...

Employment and Health & Safety

Getting it right the first time! It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “if I had nine hours to cut down a tree, I would spend six hours sharpening my axe”. When it comes to the employment systems in your business, have you planned for this or is it something that just happens...

The Domestic Violence Bill

As a business owner, are you aware of a private member's bill before Parliament that will place a greater obligation on your business to offer greater protection in employment to victims of domestic violence?  If not, you need to read this. The member's bill was put forward by Jan Logie of...

Workplace Accidents and the Ripple Effect

There has been a lot of discussion about the importance of business culture for effective health and safety management. What is not often discussed is the negative effect on a business's productivity and the financial impact. For many, the concept of health and safety, being a positive for improving the production...

Applying caveat emptor when hiring H&S advisors

If your business has been stung or ripped off by poor service, who is to blame - the service provider or yourself (for not practicing caveat emptor before hiring the service)? Caveat emptor simply means “let the buyer beware". This Latin principle means that the buyer alone is responsible for checking...

PPE and Health Monitoring

Chemical and airborne contaminants In between gasping for breath and cupping his face mask for oxygen, an older friend of mine said, with tears in his eyes, "Gordon, I can't even walk to the letter box. I'm now stuck here waiting to die with this bloody oxygen bottle for company." Two months...