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Killed in the line of work duties: we need to fix dangerous loopholes in...
Why welding in a confined space is so dangerous: argon gas, used commonly in welding, is 38% denser than air. It can displace oxygen close to the ground. Being undetectable, this can lead to loss of...
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Our culture of overtime is costing us dearly
About 13% of Australian worker are working 50 hours or more a week, putting themselves, and others, at greater risk.ShutterstockThe story of Yumiko Kadota, whose gruelling schedule as a Sydney hospital...
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Working from home: what are your employer’s responsibilities, and what are...
ShutterstockSo you’ve been asked to work from home. Doing so usually requires changing aspects of your relationship with your employer. What it doesn’t change is that your relationship is based on...
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Sexual harassment at work isn’t just discrimination. It needs to be treated...
ShutterstockThere has been little comfort for AMP’s female employees in the corporate heavyweight’s bid to put its sexual harassment scandal to bed. Nor, for that matter, women in any workplace. The...
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Treating workers like meat: what we’ve learnt from COVID-19 outbreaks in...
From the United States to Brazil, Britain, Germany and Australia, meat-processing plants have played a peculiar role in spreading COVID-19. In Brazil, union officials allege one-fifth of the industry’s...
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Another building-site death adds to demands for industrial manslaughter laws
ShutterstockThe death of 23-year-old apprentice Jonnie Hartshorn on a Perth university building site is the 23rd workplace fatality among construction workers in Australia in 2020.Hartshorn was killed...
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Can my boss make me get a COVID vaccination? Yes, but it depends on the job
As Australia prepares to roll out a national vaccination program – aiming for a 95% uptake rate – big questions remain for employers and employees. Employers have a clear incentive to want employees...
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Bullies, thieves and chiefs: the hidden cost of psychopaths at work
ShutterstockFrom psychological thrillers to true crime stories, people who depart from social norms can be deeply fascinating. Psychopaths most of all. Working with or for a psychopath, however, is...
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Years after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh’s garment workers are still...
In this picture taken June 14, 2013, Henna Begum holds a picture of her daughter Akhi Akhter, a garment worker in the Rana Plaza building in Savar when it collapsed. Kevin Frayer/APThe 2013 Dhaka...
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Airline policies mandating vaccines will be a turbulent test of workplace rights
Airlines want you vaccinated. They want as many people as possible vaccinated. The sooner that happens, the sooner borders open and they can get back to profitability. They also have reasons to want to...
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Open-plan office noise increases stress and worsens mood: we’ve measured the...
Monkey Business Images/ShutterstockIf you’ve ever felt your noisy open-plan office makes you cranky and sends your heart racing, our new research shows you aren’t imagining it.Prior to the pandemic 70%...
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Can Australian employers make you get a COVID-19 vaccine? Mostly not — but...
Onchira Wongsiri/ShutterstockAustralia’s official policy on vaccines is that they be voluntary and free. But the federal government hasn’t shut the door completely on employers pursuing mandatory...
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Qantas has grounds to mandate vaccination, but most blanket policies won’t fly
Last week Qantas became the first major Australian public company to declare it would require all its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. “Having a fully vaccinated workforce will safeguard our...
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If I catch COVID-19 at work what are my rights? A law expert explains
ShutterstockThe transition to “living with COVID” makes contracting the virus at work a distinct possibility, even with high vaccination rates. So what are your rights as an Australian employee if you...
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BHP’s vaccine policy ‘not lawful and reasonable’ – but this is no win for...
ShutterstockAustralia’s Fair Work Commission has made its first ruling against an employer mandating COVID-19 vaccination as condition of work. But this isn’t the decision those opposed to vaccine...
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Why insecure work is finally being recognised as a health hazard for some...
originalAbout 3 million Australian workers lack job security. An estimated 2.4 million– 20% to 25% of the total workforce – are casual workers, with no paid leave entitlements. A further 500,000 are on...
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Eddie Betts’ camp saga highlights a motivational industry rife with weird,...
Former AFL star Eddie Betts’ revelations about the 2018 Adelaide Crows training camp, which left him feeling like he had been brainwashed and sapped his passion for football, raises all sorts of...
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Unfair dismissal rulings show personal circumstances matter in vaccine refusals
ShutterstockWhile legal challenges against federal and state vaccine mandates have come to nothing, in recent months two Australian workers have won unfair dismissal cases after being sacked for not...
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Workplace bullying should be treated as a public health issue
Despite numerous high-profile cases of workplace bullying in recent years, bullying and harassment remain widespread.(Shutterstock)No one should have to be subjected to violence or harassment in the...
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20 years of tracking sexual harassment at work shows little improvement. But...
ShutterstockThe fifth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, published today, shows little has changed since the last survey in 2018 – or indeed since the first survey in 2003....
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What are ‘reasonable’ hours? The Ryan-Rugg legal stoush may help the rest of...
Joel Carrett/AAPThe court case against federal independent parliamentarian Monique Ryan by her former chief of staff Sally Rugg will, according to Rugg’s lawyers, open the door to legal action “by...
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Fostering psychological safety in the workplace: 4 practical, real-life tips...
The emotional well-being of the workforce and workplace culture are critical to the success of any organization.(Shutterstock)Safety and Health Week is May 1 to 6. It offers us a chance to highlight...
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Need a mental health day but worried about admitting it? You’re not alone
ShutterstockThere are days when it’s hard to face work, even when you aren’t physically sick. Should you take a day off for your mental health? If you do, should you be honest about it when informing...
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