Research
New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd conducts applied research into OH&S and the management of change; research grounded in the experience of real organisations.
Examples of recent and important research activities include
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Worker Participation in Organisational Change
New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd's Director, Verna Blewett, conducted her extensive doctoral research in the manufacturing sector, funded by the Australian Best Practice Demonstration Program. Her research identifies a group of workers, whom she calls workers of influence, who were instrumental in generating and shaping change in an organisation. These workers were leaders and change agents, even though they were shop-floor level people with no supervisory responsibilities. Her thesis, Workers Changing Work: The Influence of Worker Power, provides a fascinating insight into the effect that workers have on the process of organisational change. It discusses the flows of power and influence in the organisation and describes the day to-day activities used by workers of influence. In 2001 Verna's thesis was awarded the John Lane Award for excellence in Ergonomics Research in organisational design and management by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia Inc.
Agapantha Press publishes the thesis as a monograph. It is available for purchase through New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd. It is also available in pdf format through Australian Digital Theses.
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Worker Participation in OH&S
New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd was requested by the South Australian WorkCover Corporation to analyse data it had collected on the effectiveness of the consultative arrangements for OH&S as prescribed in State legislation. Dr Verna Blewett analysed the data and wrote the report, Working Together. The report is available from the WorkCover website
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OH&S in Contracts in the Mining and Quarrying Industries
New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd in collaboration with Andrea Shaw (Shaw Idea Pty Ltd, Ballarat) accepted the challenge to find an effective means to improve OH&S in contracting in this industry, funded by the SA Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee. Like many industries, mining and quarrying is experiencing an upsurge in the use of contract labour, but many companies fail to understand that, under Australian law, it is the principal that retains responsibility for contractors. That is, the work can be contracted out, but the risks cannot. We researched, wrote and user-tested a kit of materials that takes the user through a simple process that ensures that OH&S is considered and incorporated into contracts. The kit works on the principle that risk, rather than the size of the contract, should determine how much detail on OH&S is needed in any contract.
The kit is available from the SA Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee for AU$50. Distribution is limited. It is only available to those in the mining and quarrying industry in South Australia. However, copies are held in the libraries of most Australian State OH&S agencies (WorkCover or Worksafe).
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OH&S for Women Workers: Small - Healthy and Safe?
With Shaw Idea Pty Ltd, Ballarat, New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd conducted a three-year research program funded by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) (then known as Worksafe Australia). The research, completed in early 2000, examined the implications of changing work organisation and reward structures on the OHS of women workers in small and medium enterprises. This qualitative research program called for our highly developed analytical, intuitive and organisational skills. The report on the research is published as a monograph by The University of New South Wales Industrial Relations Research Centre. The reference is:
Blewett Verna and Shaw, Andrea (2001) Small - Healthy and Safe? The implications of changing work organisation and reward systems for the health and safety of women workers in small to medium enterprises: Studies in Australian Industrial Relations No. 42. Sydney: UNSW Industrial Relations Research Centre.
The monograph costs AU$30 plus p&h (AU$5 within Australia) and can be ordered electronically
or by snail mail to:
Industrial Relations Research Centre
University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052
Fax +61 2 9662 8531 -
OH&S Best Practice
Worksafe Australia used the skills of Verna Blewett to help initiate and develop the OHS Best Practice Think Tank. Verna was a member of the group from its inception and it resulted in the production of a series of case studies on OHS Best Practice published as OHS Building Best Practice. She researched and wrote one of the case studies and facilitated the production of others. The case studies are still useful today as there is a paucity of such case study material available for teaching and research. OHS Building Best Practice is held in university libraries and the libraries of State OH&S agencies in Australia.
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Benchmarking OH&S
New Horizon Consulting Pty Ltd and Shaw Idea Pty Ltd collaborated on a project to identify the most effective ways to benchmark OH&S. It was funded by a Development Grant from Worksafe Australia (now called the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission - NOHSC). We conducted a literature review and industry-based research before writing the draft guidelines. The draft was user-tested in six workplaces to ensure that the final guidelines were user-friendly.
The finished guidelines are an innovative kit designed to take users through the stages of benchmarking OH&S processes. It includes detailed guidance on developing positive (or lead) indicators of performance. The kit is published by the National OHS Commission (Worksafe Australia) and is available online.
