Working this week in the lab here in Madison reminded me that Australia has become insanely over regulated and is in danger of becoming a nanny state. Lab coats – not really required. Safety goggles in animal houses because some dust may get in your eye – not bloody likely. You see, the yanks have a very pragmatic and practical regard to safety. “But wait” I here you say, “isn’t this the country of lawsuits, with lawyers lurking around every corner ready to wipe out a subpoena or writ at a moments notice”. Sure, but Australia is now the most litigious country on earth and the current laws encourage this abrogation of personal responsibility.
Many of you work in environments that have become havens for Occupational Health and Safety hit squads and zelots who condemn, with an almost religious fervour, anyone who dares to buck the rules (you know what I’m talking about Cliff and Tom). Its seems that no matter how common sense or well thought out ones approach, even the infinitesimal chance of blindness, maiming or injury is enough to have your branded an “agitator” or “malcontent”. The latest one is making us wear safety glasses in the lab even if we are just writing or looking at a computer “because someone else may have an accident somewhere in the lab”. For goodness sake, the chances of someone dropping a glass and the glass bouncing off the floor, across the room, rebound off the wall and into ones eye are bloody remote!
Imagine if these rules were applied to our cooking at home, an infinitely more dangerous task I would argue (depending on who is cooking the meal of course). Protective full face mask in case you splash hot water from the spuds. Protective full-body coat to protect from the possibility that microwave radiation will leak out of that old machine. Has that microwave been tested lately by a certified company technician? Steel mitt in case you cut yourself with the knife (but only if you have filled out the knife risk assessment form and attended the compulsory knife training class and been certified). Don’t even thin about using the blender OK!
Firstly let me be the first to say I never want anyone to work unsafely and risk his or her health. But it all comes down to proper training, common sense, practical risk, and individual responsibility. Having endless risk assessment documents does not replace good hands-on training. In my time serving for our director and seeing all the incident reports come across my desk, in 95% of the cases people weren’t doing the right thing – and they knew it! So what happens – in order to not get sued the company wrap itself in ridiculous amounts of paperwork and red tape. I believe this rise in madness is also due to a new underclass of bureaucrat - one that has left an frontline job for the safety of an administrative position. Appointed by the company in response to government legislation these folk, in order to justify their positions, make ever more complicated intrusions into the workplace – a place they no longer understand not having worked their for some time and not releasing the stupid rules they invent don’t actually help and often are more harm than not.
I say all OH&S staff should be made to go back to the coal face every year and experience the workplace they have recreated. And by the way I’m sure there are just the same number of accidents in my lab as there are in the lab I’m working in on sabbatical.
This is my own opinion and doesn’t reflect the policy of my current employer (see even Im covering my backside – bloody lawyers)
