Now that it's the start of a wonderful new year, we've put together our list of workplace safety trends for 2012.
Given the introduction of OHS harmonisation laws across most of Australia, this has formed the basis behind most of our hypotheses. However, we've also included other safety areas that have long since needed an overhaul.
Our predictions for 2012 workplace safety trends are:
1. Director's responsibilities - Given the tough penalties corporate directors will face for unsafe workplaces, there will be a demand for executives to find out more about their responsibilities and what they need to do to improve their workplace safety. Expect to see a plethora of executive training courses on this subject. And executives out attending them (if they didn't do this in 2011).
2. Safety communication initiatives - With the need to improve workplace safety, the majority of large companies will introduce large workplace safety initiatives to target areas that need fixing. Expect to see lots of workplaces bombarded with various communications. Unfortunately, most of these will be rushed, bandaid approaches, that will have little effect on improving safety.
3. More strikes on poor safety - Companies that allow poor workplace safety conditions to keep occurring will have a rough 2012. Thanks to workers at Baiada Chicken farms who have lead the way in complaining about workplace safety). Expect to see an increase in strikes due to poor safety (and also pay increases, but that's another subject).
4. A decrease in deaths - 2011 saw a spike in unnecessary workplace deaths, particularly in Victoria, and in many other countries across the world. Given the need to focus on harmonisation and improve workplace safety, the amount of deaths will decrease. Time will tell as to how short-lived this will be (no pun intended).
5. An increase in mental health programs and awareness - Thanks to initiatives like R U OK day?, the National Mental Health reform program sponsored by the Australian Government and organisations like the CFA leading the way in providing access to a variety of mental health programs, organisations will start to realise the importance of good mental health. More importantly, these types of initiatives will allow people to realise that they might not be themselves and seek help. After all, it is only when people are self-aware that they will be able to get the help they need and do something to improve their lives.
6. Quad bike riders will have to wear helmets - I've ridden a quad bike, in an effort to round up cows on my parents-in-laws dairy farm. And it was terrifying. Now, I have to admit that I'm a city girl, and quite frankly, anything remotely rural scares me, but riding a quad bike up and down hills chasing stubborn cows wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. I was petrified. How teenagers and adult riders can drive them without a helmet in this day and age, surprises me. After all, if city kids have to wear a helmet when riding a scooter on smooth city streets, surely those riding an open air quad bike on uneven ground have to wear one, too? After the high numbers of quad bike fatalities in 2011, finally, improved safety rules will be introduced for quad bikes across Australia.
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