Replying to LO28678 --
I worked for the national health, safety, and environment branch of a
large Australian telecommunications corporation. The branch manager was
the self-confessed 'best occupational hygienist in Australia'. During a
TQM training course he walked out of the room when the leadership aspects
were being discussed.
The management culture in the branch was abysmal, manipulation and overt
control being the norm. After the manager died (of cancer), a senior
manager was asked why he was tolerated. The answer was that he kept the
unions under the thumb.
How are we ever going to get workplace change when this type of attitude
prevails? What hope do consultants have, of implementing new ideas when
workers are offside right from the very inception?
In Occupational Hygiene there is a hierarchy of risk controls used to
mitigate hazards - eliminate the hazard, substitute a lesser hazard/risk,
engineering control, administrative control, personal protective
equipment. When it comes to implementing administrative control of risk
(policy and procedure, auditing etc.) everything depends on the worker
'doing the right thing'.
In Australia, even the highest levels of government promote an adversarial
approach to industrial relations (union bashing is the norm). What effect
do you think this has on workplace safety, quality improvement etc.?
Bring on Employee Share Ownership Programs, Open Book Management and
Productivity Gainsharing, let's change the mindset. We've got to get
genuine sometime!
Best Regards,
Alan Cotterell
--"Alan Cotterell" <acotrel@cnl.com.au>
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