Employers and child workers : an institutional approach

This article explores employers' perspectives on the introduction of child employment legislation in Australia through the lens of the three pillars—regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive—of institutional theory. The study extends the traditional industrial relations (IR) focus on regulation to examine how human resource (HR) practices around child employment become legitimised, normalised and socially supported.

The Canadian ‘Model Forest’ approach : a way forward for Tasmania?

Forest policy and forestry management in Tasmania have undergone a number of changes in the last thirty years, many explicitly aimed at improving industry sustainability, job security, and forest biodiversity conservation. Yet forestry remains a contentious issue in Tasmania, due to a number of interacting factors, most significant of which is the prevalence of a ‘command and control’ governance approach by policymakers and managers. New approaches such as multiple-stakeholder decision-making, adaptive management, and direct public participation in policymaking are needed. Such an approach has been attempted in Canada in the last decade, through the Canadian Model Forest Program, and may be suitable for Tasmania. This paper seeks to describe what the Canadian Model Forest approach is, how it may be implemented in Tasmania, and what role it may play in the shift to a new forestry paradigm. Until such a paradigm shift occurs contentions and confrontations are likely to continue.

School-aged workers : industrial citizens in the making?

While the literature points to significant shifts in young peoples‟ labour market participation and the social, economic and political context in which the shift has occurred, it tells us little about how young people are socialised in the workplace, how literate they are in terms of their rights and responsibilities at work or how and via what mechanisms this literacy is acquired. Using the concept citizenship as an analytical tool, we explored these questions using data derived from 48 focus groups conducted with 216 adolescents (13-16 years of age) at 19 high schools in Australia. The findings reveal the way in which several key dimensions of industrial citizenship come to be shaped and have implications for addressing the vulnerability of youth in employment and informing policy and action.

Reflections, successes and pitfalls of coordinating online discussion forums in a foreign language

The advent of e-learning has seen the adaptation and use of a plethora of educational techniques. Of these, online discussion forums have met with success and been used widely in both undergraduate and postgraduate education. The authors of this paper, having previously used online discussion forums in the postgraduate arena with success, adopted this approach for the design and subsequent delivery of a learning and teaching subject. This learning and teaching subject, however, was part of an international collaboration and designed for nurse academics in another country – Vietnam. With the nursing curriculum in Vietnam currently moving to adopt a competency based approach, two learning and teaching subjects were designed by an Australian university for Vietnamese nurse academics. Subject materials constituted a DVD which arrived by post and access to an online platform. Assessment for the subject included (but was not limited to) mandatory participation in online discussion with the other nurse academics enrolled in the subject. The purpose behind the online discussion was to generate discourse between the Vietnamese nurse academics located across Vietnam. Consequently the online discussions occurred in both Vietnamese and English; the Australian academic moderating the discussion did so in Australia with a Vietnamese translator. For the Australian University delivering this subject the difference between this and past online discussions were twofold: delivery was in a foreign language; and the teaching experience of the Vietnamese nurse teachers was mixed and frequently very limited. This paper will provide a discussion addressing the design of an online learning environment for foreign correspondents, the resources and translation required to maximise the success of the online discussion, the lessons learnt and consequent changes made, as well as the rationale of delivering complex content in a foreign language. While specifically addressing the first iteration of the first learning module designed, this paper will also address subsequent changes made for the second iteration of the first module and comment on their success. While a translator is clearly a key component of success, the elements of simplicity and clarity in hand with supportive online moderation must not be overlooked.

Heat strain, hydration status, and symptoms of heat illness in surface mine workers

The aim of the research program was to evaluate the heat strain, hydration status, and heat illness symptoms experienced by surface mine workers. An initial investigation involved 91 surface miners completing a heat stress questionnaire; assessing the work environment, hydration practices, and heat illness symptom experience. The key findings included 1) more than 80 % of workers experienced at least one symptom of heat illness over a 12 month period; and 2) the risk of moderate symptoms of heat illness increased with the severity of dehydration. These findings highlight a health and safety concern for surface miners, as experiencing symptoms of heat illness is an indication that the physiological systems of the body may be struggling to meet the demands of thermoregulation. To illuminate these findings a field investigation to monitor the heat strain and hydration status of surface miners was proposed. Two preliminary studies were conducted to ensure accurate and reliable data collection techniques. Firstly, a study was undertaken to determine a calibration procedure to ensure the accuracy of core body temperature measurement via an ingestible sensor. A water bath was heated to several temperatures between 23 . 51 ¢ªC, allowing for comparison of the temperature recorded by the sensors and a traceable thermometer. A positive systematic bias was observed and indicated a need for calibration. It was concluded that a linear regression should be developed for each sensor prior to ingestion, allowing for a correction to be applied to the raw data. Secondly, hydration status was to be assessed through urine specific gravity measurement. It was foreseeable that practical limitations on mine sites would delay the time between urine collection and analysis. A study was undertaken to assess the reliability of urine analysis over time. Measurement of urine specific gravity was found to be reliable up to 24 hours post urine collection and was suitable to be used in the field study. Twenty-nine surface miners (14 drillers [winter] and 15 blast crew [summer]) were monitored during a normal work shift. Core body temperature was recorded continuously. Average mean core body temperature was 37.5 and 37.4 ¢ªC for blast crew and drillers, with average maximum body temperatures of 38.0 and 37.9 ¢ªC respectively. The highest body temperature recorded was 38.4 ¢ªC. Urine samples were collected at each void for specific gravity measurement. The average mean urine specific gravity was 1.024 and 1.021 for blast crew and drillers respectively. The Heat Illness Symptoms Index was used to evaluate the experience of heat illness symptoms on shift. Over 70 % of drillers and over 80 % of blast crew reported at least one symptom. It was concluded that 1) heat strain remained within the recommended limits for acclimatised workers; and 2) the majority of workers were dehydrated before commencing their shift, and tend to remain dehydrated for the duration. Dehydration was identified as the primary issue for surface miners working in the heat. Therefore continued study focused on investigating a novel approach to monitoring hydration status. The final aim of this research program was to investigate the influence dehydration has on intraocular pressure (IOP); and subsequently, whether IOP could provide a novel indicator of hydration status. Seven males completed 90 minutes of walking in both a cool and hot climate with fluid restriction. Hydration variables and intraocular pressure were measured at baseline and at 30 minute intervals. Participants became dehydrated during the trial in the heat but maintained hydration status in the cool. Intraocular pressure progressively declined in the trial in the heat but remained relatively stable when hydration was maintained. A significant relationship was observed between intraocular pressure and both body mass loss and plasma osmolality. This evidence suggests that intraocular pressure is influenced by changes in hydration status. Further research is required to determine if intraocular pressure could be utilised as an indirect indicator of hydration status.

Cultural support workers and long day care services

In Australia, eligible long day care services may apply for support at the state level to assist with the transition of children from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds into childcare settings. For staff in childcare services, this support comes in the form of a cultural support worker (CSW). The primary role of a CSW is to build capacity in childcare staff to support children and families as they enter the childcare program. This paper draws on interview data and documentation from multiple sources to report the perspectives of key stakeholders affiliated with a cultural support program in an Australian childcare setting. It concludes that a more flexible approach to policy that directs the work of CSWs is needed, as well as further research into ways to build capacity for cultural competence for both CSWs and childcare staff who work collaboratively to support young children as they transition to childcare.

Sources of stress experienced by occupational therapists and social workers in mental health settings

This study examined the sources of stress experienced by occupational therapists and social workers employed in Australian public mental health services and identified the demographic and work-related factors related to stress using a cross-sectional survey design. Participants provided demographic and work-related information and completed the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale. The overall response rate to the survey was 76.6%, consisting of 196 occupational therapists and 108 social workers. Results indicated that lack of resources, relationships and conflicts with other professionals, workload, and professional self-doubt were correlated with increased stress. Working in case management was associated with stress caused by client-related difficulties, lack of resources, and professional self-doubt. The results of this study suggest that Australian occupational therapists and social workers experience stress, with social workers reporting slightly more overall stress than occupational therapists.

Attitudes of employees and employers towards older workers in a climate of anti-discrimination

Attitudes and practices towards older workers were surveyed in Brisbane with 525 employees randomly sampled from the electoral roll and executives of 104 companies obtained by stratified random sampling from the Register of Workplaces (response rates, 60% and 80% respectively). The results indicated that “older workers” are young in terms of contemporary life expectancy, and younger for employers than employees; they have some desirable personal qualities (eg. loyalty), but are not perceived as adaptable; workers aged 25–39 were preferred on qualities held to be important in the workplace and there was minimal interest in recruiting anyone over 45 years.

Physical capital and its consequences for fitness workers in Queensland

Sexual, social and employment success have been linked to the physical capital drawn from having aesthetic attributes of the socially idealised body. In certain workplace settings, such as health and fitness centres, the body becomes a mainstream commodity with physical capital affording the fitness worker a high degree of distinction and adoration as well as employment opportunities. The employment relationship is shaped by 'lookism', with both the employer and employee taking advantage of the fitness worker's idealised form. The worker's physical capital provides a walking billboard advertising the employer's products and services, while exposure to comparison and adoration provides a heightened sense of self-worth, distinction and celebrity. Fitness workers appear to be prepared to ignore poor employment conditions or trade-off standard entitlements for the alternative rewards that their physical capital brings.