Replying to LO28486 --
I think I simply have a different way of viewing danger to most people.
Next weekend I will be racing my Norton motorcycle at the Seniors Road
Race Meeting at Mount Gambier in Victoria.
The risks are real, however minimised to a level tolerable to all
stakeholders (safe). I am 60 years old, and previously raced a Triumph
500cc (in Norton frame) for about twenty years in open events.
In the past, in Australia, we have had workplace safety laws which have
been prescriptive (and almost totally ineffective). The laws are now
performance based and require risk assessments. In the last six months I
don't think there has been a workplace death in Victoria. (previously
there were several and frequent).
We now have Australian Standard AS4360-Risk Management and AS4801-OHS
Management Systems (based on ISO9000), which requires risk assessments.
You might think I'm a bit dangerous, however, my efforts have I suggest,
played a part in reducing fatalities in Vic.
When I suggested helping workers to self-manage, I wasn't joking, it is
achievable and worthwhile. I actually ran five laboratories on this basis
for several years. We were working with explosives and substances which
were very hazardous in other ways. We had two accidents - both cuts from
broken glassware. The other aspect was that we always met our production
deadlines, as far as chemical analysis was concerned, and provided quality
results.
I suggest there is potential for major productivity gains in going down
this path.
Hope you enjoyed the 'Labour Management' web site.
Best Regards,
Alan Cotterell
>Our host set us an example -- wisdom is to seek for the humorous
>in the serious.
>
>At school in standard nine we had a teacher in Afrikaans langauge
>who taught us that humour has many faces. The face which he loved
>most is what can be called "gallows humor".
>
>I was thinking seriously about your one liner, presented as a question,
>and how to answer it. Rick knows enough of chemistry to have seen
>the humour in it. This helped me immensely to prepare an answer to
>you.
--"Alan Cotterell" <acotrel@cnl.com.au>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
"Learning-org" and the format of our message identifiers (LO1234, etc.) are trademarks of Richard Karash.