Occupational health and safety

This book explores just how organisational structure shapes culture. It shows how decentralized organisational structures allow profit and production to take precedence over safety, while centralised risk control is conducive to a culture of operational excellence. The argument is based on case study material from the petroleum industry, the mining industry and even, the Australian Air Force. Drawing on the theory of high reliability organisations, and also on recent scandals in banking industry, the book concludes with some suggestions as to how company boards can increase the effectiveness of the risk specialists in their organisations.

Safety management in the workplace is an issue of critical importance to business managers as well as those responsible for OHS in any organisation. However, although the concepts of safety, culture and risk have become increasing matters of concern and are often discussed, they are concepts that are not often clearly understood. This new book from Professor Andrew Hopkins focuses on these concepts, and deals with the complex issues in a clear, informative style that will both inform organisations and companies, and assist them to be better able to create safe environments for their employees and clients, and to mitigate risk.

Managing contractor safety is a challenging aspect of safety management. Contractors are vulnerable to safety risks for a number of reasons. They are typically unfamiliar with the working environment and workplace activities that can impact their work. Some contractors may be reluctant to raise safety concerns. The nature of the contractual relationship may place pressure on the contractor in relation to completing the work with resources available rather than the resources required. Businesses that engage contractors must ensure, so far as practicable, their health and safety. This book provides practical strategies for achieving this duty.

This text links organisational leadership behaviours with health and safety outcomes, covering theory, research and evidence-based best practice. The authors argue that a leader’s impact can be far more far-reaching than is commonly realised, and examine the effects of leadership on safety, physical and psychological wellness and wellbeing. The book explores the theoretical underpinnings of effective leadership styles and behaviours, and advances both research and practice in order to encourage better leadership and healthier, safer organisations.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is an important focus of governments and organizations throughout the world because there are over 2.78 million fatal and 374 million nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses experienced by employees every year. Addressing these requires attention to the physical organizational, cultural, and social contexts in which work is undertaken. A multidisciplinary approach is also necessary to find effective solutions. Interestingly, countries and regions address different aspects of OHS. This book, based on research from Australia and other countries, examines how a range of OHS hazards are addressed in these contexts.