It's time to act
I am a little dissapointed if truth be told.
The fact that the federal government has not moved faster to ban engineered stone products has both suprised and dissapointed me. Considering all of the expert advice about how this is affecting workers and how it will affect workers in the future.
On the other hand in the absence of federal government action we have seen several states step up to the plate and say openly they will support a ban on engineered stone products and some large retailers also take action. Bravo to them. But it shouldn't have to be up to the community to make the stand first and have the federal government follow.
Any government has a mandate to protect it's people from harm, whether its from other powers, from criminal elements or from products. It's not about making easy decisions, but making decisions that in the long term will help proctect it's citizens.
It's time to act, in fact it's way past time. I would hate to think this time next year we are still just talking about taking action. The time for talking is over.
Consultant | Coach | Author | Speaker. Author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book Safety Performance Reimagined. Founder & Principal Consultant at Safety Leaders Group. Vice President - Australia at Safemap International.
9 个月Spot on the mark as usual Tom Bourne
MD at Oracle Safety Associates, Safety Consultant, Safety Speaker, Safety Training Course Designer, Managing Director.
10 个月Tom, we live in a profit driven world and most of us work within profit driven organisations - that stark reality underpins the safety tensions we face daily. History is rife with examples like asbestos and Teflon where harms were discounted for profits until damage was undeniable. The pattern repeats: ?? Profits rule over precaution. Consumer demand also fuels these ethical dilemmas. Customers still insist on engineered stone despite the known risks to workers. Outrage should be aimed at such callousness. Any Safety Pro knows that: ?? It's an uphill battle when economics eclipse ethics. New technologies' after effects often aren't fully thought through: ?? We repeatedly prioritise wealth over welfare, regulations arriving late. The physical and psychological distance between decision makers and those facing consequences lets morality degrade. Sharp end risks become abstractions to be managed rather than lived costs. We must confront mindsets that rationalise harm for gain. It starts with rejecting the notion human health is an acceptable price for production. Workers’ lives matter more than materials. But it will take unrelenting commitment to counterbalance profit's dominance, it will not happen in my lifetime.