Challenges to OHS in Challenges to OHS in Australia - 2005Australia - 2005

““A health & safety problem can be described A health & safety problem can be described by statistics but cannot be understood by by statistics but cannot be understood by statistics. It can only be understood by statistics. It can only be understood by knowing and feeling the pain, anguish, and knowing and feeling the pain, anguish, and depression and shattered hopes of the depression and shattered hopes of the victim and of wives, husbands, parents, victim and of wives, husbands, parents, children, grandparents and friends…children, grandparents and friends…

Quotable QuoteQuotable Quote

……and the hope, struggle and triumph of and the hope, struggle and triumph of recovery and rehabilitation in a world recovery and rehabilitation in a world often unsympathetic, ignorant, unfriendly often unsympathetic, ignorant, unfriendly and unsupportive, only those with close and unsupportive, only those with close experience of life-altering personal experience of life-altering personal damage have this understanding" damage have this understanding"

Quotable QuoteQuotable Quote

Far too many people killed and seriously Far too many people killed and seriously injured in Australia due to workinjured in Australia due to work

We really do not know how manyWe really do not know how manyEvidence to suggest incidence of some Evidence to suggest incidence of some

life-altering personal damage is getting life-altering personal damage is getting worseworse

FactsFacts

Over 30 years safety experienceOver 30 years safety experience Australia & overseas SMSAustralia & overseas SMS International Safety Benchmarking studyInternational Safety Benchmarking study Wide training in safetyWide training in safety Wide reading of Australian and overseas’ safety publicationsWide reading of Australian and overseas’ safety publications Career influenced by Geoff McDonaldCareer influenced by Geoff McDonald NOT CONFIDENT HE KNOWS WHAT AN EFFECTIVE NOT CONFIDENT HE KNOWS WHAT AN EFFECTIVE

SMS LOOKS LIKESMS LOOKS LIKE

Author’s BackgroundAuthor’s Background

““I cannot say whether things I cannot say whether things will get better if we change, will get better if we change, what I can say is that they what I can say is that they must change to get better”must change to get better”

Safety in Australia must Safety in Australia must change to get betterchange to get better

Georg Christoph Licthenstein Georg Christoph Licthenstein (1742-1799)(1742-1799)

Several areas indicate the lack of a scientific Several areas indicate the lack of a scientific discipline in safetydiscipline in safety

ConceptsConceptsModelsModelsTerminologyTerminologyBest example lies in the terminology Best example lies in the terminology

“accident”“accident”

Major Challenge 1-Major Challenge 1-Absence of a scientific Absence of a scientific

disciplinediscipline

Implies carelessnessImplies carelessnessInability to foresee and preventInability to foresee and preventPersonal failurePersonal failureAffects how people perceive Affects how people perceive

incidents and those involvedincidents and those involved

AccidentAccident

Community has poor understanding of Community has poor understanding of why personal damage occurswhy personal damage occurs

Blame the workerBlame the worker

AccidentAccident

Use "personal damage occurrence" not Use "personal damage occurrence" not "accident""accident"

Use "life-altering personal damage" not Use "life-altering personal damage" not "permanent disability""permanent disability"

TerminologyTerminology

The single biggest problem in safety in The single biggest problem in safety in Australia today is that we do not have a Australia today is that we do not have a consistent, National approach to consistent, National approach to reporting, recording and analysing reporting, recording and analysing Class 1 personal damage.Class 1 personal damage.

Major Challenge 2- Focus on the Major Challenge 2- Focus on the Personal Damage PhenomenonPersonal Damage Phenomenon

Wigglesworth- “The existing data Wigglesworth- “The existing data collections are neither comprehensive collections are neither comprehensive nor compatible. They contain serious nor compatible. They contain serious deficiencies in definition, scope, deficiencies in definition, scope, coverage and source that impedes any coverage and source that impedes any form of extended analysis”form of extended analysis”

Personal Damage Data SystemsPersonal Damage Data Systems

CLASS 1 - Damage that permanently alters a CLASS 1 - Damage that permanently alters a persons life e.g. death, paraplegia, amputation of a persons life e.g. death, paraplegia, amputation of a leg, severe psychological damage.leg, severe psychological damage.

CLASS 2 - Damage that temporarily alters a CLASS 2 - Damage that temporarily alters a person’s life e.g. fractured leg that repairs with no person’s life e.g. fractured leg that repairs with no lasting impediment.lasting impediment.

CLASS 3 - Inconveniences a persons life (Geoff CLASS 3 - Inconveniences a persons life (Geoff McDonald & Associates, Brisbane)McDonald & Associates, Brisbane)

Classifying Personal Classifying Personal DamageDamage

Financial costsFinancial costsPain & sufferingPain & sufferingDislocation of lifeDislocation of lifePermanence of deathPermanence of deathFrom the perspective of the damaged individual you will From the perspective of the damaged individual you will

see all of the above. see all of the above. From the perspective of the employer you see mainly the From the perspective of the employer you see mainly the

financial costs, which are about 30% of the total costsfinancial costs, which are about 30% of the total costs

Effects of class 1 Effects of class 1 personal damagepersonal damage

Estimated cost work damage to people Estimated cost work damage to people $20 billion in 1992-1993 (excludes pain, $20 billion in 1992-1993 (excludes pain, suffering, dislocation of life, permanence suffering, dislocation of life, permanence of death)of death)

137 people per day (50,00 per year) lives 137 people per day (50,00 per year) lives permanently altered by damage from workpermanently altered by damage from work

Industry Commission Industry Commission 19951995

Class 1 Fatal Class 1 Fatal 1.5% 1.5%

Class 1 Non-Fatal Class 1 Non-Fatal 80.5% 80.5%Class 2 Class 2 18% 18%Class 3 Not costedClass 3 Not costed

Industry Commission Industry Commission 19951995

Industry Commission 1995Industry Commission 1995Safety is a class 1 problemSafety is a class 1 problem87% of occurrences Class 2 with 18% of cost87% of occurrences Class 2 with 18% of cost13% of occurrences Class 1 with 82% of cost13% of occurrences Class 1 with 82% of costFOCUS ON CLASS 1 DAMAGEFOCUS ON CLASS 1 DAMAGE

Focus on Class 1 DamageFocus on Class 1 Damage

Class 1 Fatal-3.5% of costClass 1 Fatal-3.5% of costClass 1 Non-Fatal-88.5% Class 1 Non-Fatal-88.5%

of costof costClass 2 -8% 0f costClass 2 -8% 0f costFOCUS ON CLASS 1FOCUS ON CLASS 1

N.O.H.S.C. Study 2004 For N.O.H.S.C. Study 2004 For 2000-12000-1

Cost of personal damage 1992-93 Cost of personal damage 1992-93 $82.8 billion$82.8 billion

Class 1 represents 96.5% of cost Class 1 represents 96.5% of cost (includes pain and suffering)(includes pain and suffering)

FOCUS ON CLASS 1 DAMAGEFOCUS ON CLASS 1 DAMAGE

NOHSC 2004NOHSC 2004

What is done in safety must be based on What is done in safety must be based on a through knowledge of what happens in a through knowledge of what happens in a damaging occurrence .Because the a damaging occurrence .Because the National Experience has not been National Experience has not been collected we do not know what to do. . collected we do not know what to do. . (Geoff McDonald & Associates, Brisbane) (Geoff McDonald & Associates, Brisbane)

Progress in business requires both Progress in business requires both ProcessProcess and and ContentContent

Well developed safety Well developed safety processesprocesses in in AustraliaAustralia

Lack of solid personal damage data Lack of solid personal damage data leads to poor leads to poor ContentContent

Major Challenge 3-Major Challenge 3-Process versus ContentProcess versus Content

Mandorla-Italian word for Mandorla-Italian word for almondalmond

Describes the overlapping area Describes the overlapping area of 2 circlesof 2 circles

2 safety mandorlas- 2 safety mandorlas- Paradox Paradox Mandorla &Judgement Mandorla &Judgement MandorlaMandorla

Major Challenge 4-The Major Challenge 4-The Two MandorlasTwo Mandorlas

Paradox MandorlasParadox Mandorlas

Too Too ManyMany

So So RareRare

Nation’s Experience of Work Nation’s Experience of Work Fatality and Life-altering Fatality and Life-altering

Personal DamagePersonal Damage

Common or Common or Shared ExperienceShared Experience

Individual’s Experience Individual’s Experience of Work Fatality and of Work Fatality and

Life-altering Personal Life-altering Personal DamageDamage

Judgement MandorlaJudgement Mandorla

Thinking concerned with Thinking concerned with “truth”“truth”

Feeling-“like or dislike”,Feeling-“like or dislike”,““acceptable or not acceptable”acceptable or not acceptable”

concerned with “goodness”concerned with “goodness”

Thinking / FeelingThinking / Feeling

Feeling corrupts thinking eg. By using value Feeling corrupts thinking eg. By using value laden termsladen terms

Thinking corrupts Feeling eg. By attempting Thinking corrupts Feeling eg. By attempting to rationalise how you feelto rationalise how you feel

Lack of factual information with which to Lack of factual information with which to think will lead to a feeling judgementthink will lead to a feeling judgement

Above is very common in safetyAbove is very common in safety

Feeling Corrupts ThinkingFeeling Corrupts Thinking

Presently Paradox Mandorla is Presently Paradox Mandorla is thinthin and and Judgement Mandorla is Judgement Mandorla is fatfat

For effective safety Paradox Mandorla For effective safety Paradox Mandorla needs to be needs to be fatfat and the Judgement and the Judgement Mandorla needs to be Mandorla needs to be thinthin

For this to occur we need meaningful life-For this to occur we need meaningful life-altering personal damage data altering personal damage data

Fat versus ThinFat versus Thin

Far too many people killed and seriously Far too many people killed and seriously injured in Australia due to workinjured in Australia due to work

We really do not know how manyWe really do not know how manyEvidence to suggest incidence of some Evidence to suggest incidence of some

life-altering personal damage is getting life-altering personal damage is getting worseworse

FactsFacts

Many dedicated people working hard Many dedicated people working hard Much of what is being done has no factual Much of what is being done has no factual

basisbasisUrgently need to change our focus from Lost Urgently need to change our focus from Lost

Time Injuries to Class 1 damageTime Injuries to Class 1 damageWE URGENTLY NEED A NATIONAL CLASS WE URGENTLY NEED A NATIONAL CLASS

1 PERSONAL DAMAGE DATABASE1 PERSONAL DAMAGE DATABASE

Challenges to OHS in Challenges to OHS in Australia -2005Australia -2005