OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Occupational Health and Safety, or OHS, is a big thing here in Australia. They actually hire people to think about nothing else but that all day. Coming from a third world country where everyone is kuripot, everyone is scrimping and saving, especially employers, I find it amusing that people here would actually dare to ask for some of the things they do. The more amusing thing is, the employers actually listen to these demands!

I found this on a poster in our "tea room" at work. It has been a source of constant amazement for me that I just had to take it off the wall at work and xerox myself a copy. It's actually handout from the unions here and as far as I know, it is implemented in our office. I just wonder how the Xavier community would react to conditions such as these. I think even the teachers themselves would complain because these guidelines are so anti-workaholic! Take a look for yourselves:

A Guide To Working Reasonable Hours

These recommendations are designed to prevent risks to your health and safety which can arise from working dangerous hours.

TAKE BREAKS AT WORK
You should have regular rest and meal breaks away from the work station, including additional breaks from repetitive, strenuous and/or mentally demanding work. The length and number of breaks may vary, but the longest anyone should work without a break is 2 ½ hours. Rest and meal breaks should not be traded off for an early finish.

e sa Xavier, minsan, tuloy-tuloy ako magtrabaho from 7 am to 7 pm!

ENOUGH DAILY REST
Time off between work periods should always be at least twelve hours to allow for family and social activities, and for enough sleep to prevent fatigue. On rosters with extended shifts, this should be alternated with at least 24 hours off.

iyung iba sa Xavier, uuwi ng 9 pm, tapos nasa school na ng mga 6 am the next day. Kasi rin naman, malayo ang bahay.

LIMIT OVERTIME
Overtime should be limited to no more than twelve hours per week, which should not be worked routinely. Overtime after 12 hour shifts is a high risk practice, and should never be worked, other than in emergencies. All overtime should be paid.

Naku, naiisip ko ang mga teachers na halos natutulog na sa Xavier. High risk practice na pala iyon!

MAXIMUM WEEKLY HOURS
You should not work more than 48 hours over seven days, including overtime. In emergencies, up to 60 hours may be worked, but not regularly or in consecutive weeks.

COMPENSATORY REST
If, due to emergencies, you are required to work through rest breaks and/or for extra hours, compensatory rest or time off must be provided as soon as possible

REGULAR WEEKLY REST
In addition to daily rest, you should have at last 36 hours away from work in every seven days. Days off should be evenly distributed with at least one full weekend and two half weekends per month free of work duties.

PREDICTABLE WORK HOURS
Except in emergencies, working hours should be regular and planned to avoid disruptions to rest periods and family life, and should only be varied after consultation with employees.

SPECIAL CASES
If you have a medical condition, or are pregnant, you may need additional breaks.

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People here are really spoiled! That's why when I hear them complaining about how things are run here, I want to tell them, "Hey men, you got it made here! What are you complaining about?" But then, maybe that is why they are where they are. Because they complain and they ask for what they think they need. We Filipinos take what is given to us. Otherwise, we won't get any food on the table!