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Issue No. 276 | 12 August 2005 |
The Power of One
Interview: On Holiday Unions: One Day Longer Industrial: Never Mind the Bollocks Politics: Spun Out Economics: If the Grog Don't Get You .... History: Taking a Stand International: The Split Legal: Pushing the Friendship Poetry: Simple Subtractions Review: Sydney Trashed
Sick Days Get Hadgkiss Sniffing Fun Guy Skips Work, Docks Staff Nurse Launches Neighbourhood Alert Feds: Inconsistency �Not Inconsistent� PacNat Troops Won't Be Railroaded
Parliament The Soapbox The Locker Room International Postcard
Govt Has No Case Logon to IR Ears and Minds Howard on the Couch Which Bank? Kevin the Tool Man Tom On Safety
Labor Council of NSW |
Letters to the Editor Tom On Safety
The article "Patient Bashes Nurse", on page 14 of the Daily Telegraph (August 10) must raise concerns not only of those employed in the health industry, but those citizens who must through illness be in attendance at such health care institutions. Their circumstances, whether it be as a visitor or a patient being much more vulnerable to serious injury from attacks such as this! While this incident was in the Mental Health Facility "Caritas" it is clearly indicative of lax admission procedures, and an unacceptable exposure of staff to risk of violence, this exposure being in breach of the Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000. In fact work cover has an excellent publication "Prevention and Management of Workplace Aggression�: Guidelines and Case Studies from the NSW Health Industry" Prepared by Jim Delaney on behalf of Central Sydney Area Health Service December 2001 WorkCover NSW Injury Prevention, Education and Research Grants Scheme Grant No 97/0050, with the foreword by Dr Diana G. Horvath AO Chief Executive Officer Central Sydney Area Health Service, and can be found online at - My own experience at SV&MHS, was overwhelmingly a safety conscious workplace, unfortunately there are always those who let down the side, or are not team orientated but driven entirely by egocentric machinations, and while I did experience this outrageous spite and egotism, it was in an area ancillary to the one in which I was actually employed, and so was not exposed to any danger, it was my opinion that safety was by divine guidance rather that good design. In relation to these hazards, I make mention of obvious carbon monoxide pollution in delivery areas such as the Xavier Store, the deafening noise the staff were subjected to during the recent installation of a waste compactor, the arbitrary use of PPE in the store, with supervisory staff wandering around without safety footwear, yet creating disputation over whether a high visibility vest should be Green, Yellow or Red and or rubbish piled up around the area creating numerous hazards around a busy work area which had no obvious traffic management plan. What arises from this unfortunate incident is that, policies and procedures are not written for the sole purpose of filling book shelves, or for the employment of illiterate scribes, but are to be applied in the workplace, and of course more security for our overworked healthcare professionals is must, and I am currently available, and on call. Tom Collins NSW
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