September 2020

This is an exciting time for the OHS Body of Knowledge as we embark on a tranche of new chapters.

The OHS Body of Knowledge has three global concepts: work, health and safety. Sidney Dekker wrote a new chapter on Safety as a Global Concept last year. Our views on Health as a concept have developed significantly since Niki Ellis wrote the chapter on Health in 2012. Bringing an international view, David Beaumont from New Zealand is developing a new chapter on Health as Global Concept to reflect and extend our 2020 views on what is ‘health’.

Building on the recently released chapter by David Provan and Drew Rae on Rules and Procedures we are working with Klaus Hofer of Usability Mapping on a chapter titled Document Usability. This chapter will introduce OHS professionals to some new concepts and ideas about writing procedures and other safety-related documentation.

Supported by an EU we are developing a chapter on Investigations. With the input of an expert panel, the chapter is being written by Geoff Dell and Yvonne Toft ex of CQ University. This chapter is due for completion mid 2021.

The concept of systems and systems thinking are core to the work of OHS professionals but our understanding of these concepts is variable and often not based on system-science. Paul Salmon and his group at the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast have agreed to write a new chapter on Systems .

Nektarios Karanikas of Queensland University of Technology is undertaking critical a review of the recent research literature on OHS Management Systems to inform the development of a new chapter.

This is an impressive body of ongoing work and will keep you updated.

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