The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
Buddhist
Hour
Broadcast 284
For Sunday 6 July 2003
This
script is entitled:
“Occupational Health and Happiness”
At our Centre we respect International, Australian and
Local Laws including Occupational Health and Safety Laws.
As a
legally constituted organisation we hold a duty of care to our
Members and those whom we welcome to our Temple to make safety a
priority.
Our Members accept that Occupational Health and
Safety is everybody's business.
How do we preserve
Occupational Health and Safety?
We put health and safety
first.
We plan our building and fundraising projects around
our OH&S policies. Members are encouraged to practice
mindfulness.
Our that Occupational Health and Safety standards
apply to onsite and offsite activities and projects such as the
Flower Stalls and weekly Camberwell Market.
For example, when
setting up our stall at the weekly Sunday market we use sandbags to
hold down the tent legs and to stabilise the display tables. Using
sandbags is preferable to bricks, for if someone should drop one of
the sandbags on their foot the danger of injury is minimised.
Our
General Meetings now include an Occupational Health and Safety
report.
OH&S agenda items for the meeting will
cover:
Night lighting for paths and driveway
Personal
security at night when parking offsite
Ease of access for
emergency, specialist services and private vehicles
Securing
equipment for stalls (tents, umbrellas, tables)
Food hygiene and
prevention of food poisoning
Changes in legislation affecting our
organisation
We shall be publishing a regular Occupational
Health and Safety Bulletin commencing in July 2003. The Bulletin will
also be uploaded to our Brooking Street Bugle website.
Our
OH&S Bulletin will provide the opportunity to circulate our
policies including our standards of hygiene; for example food
preparation. This is especially important as one way we practice
generosity (dana) is by offering food.
We keep up with changes
in Occupational Health and Safety through, for example, Members
enrolment in food hygiene management courses at Swinburne TAFE.
During our September Five Day Course we will be writing a
Annual Orientation Plan for Members including how we practice OH&S.
Our Resident Practitioner and Life Member Anita M. Hughes has
managed Occupational Health and Safety at our Centre since 1996.
Anita is a State Registered Nurse and has a Certificate in
Occupational Health and Safety.
We promote OH&S through
the Brooking Street Bugle, publishing records of injury and paying
attention to safety-related matters.
Our Occupational Health
and Safety design code is to preclude any potential of food wastage
or contamination and/or infection by a deficiency in cleanliness of
food preparation equipment.
Heavy fines are imposed to
prevent the marketing or serving of contaminated food which is liable
to cause illness.
Other legislation covers sanitation
guidelines to prevent ecoli counts from exceeding the acceptable
limits in water supplies, food and in the environment in general.
In
spite of these regulations, occasionally there are media reports of
salmonella food poisoning in shops or on aircraft.
There is a
legal liability for those who do not meet the high health standards
in Australia.
There is no exemption for Temples, where food is
provided for the Sangha or the lay persons. If food prepared at a
Temple were to cause salmonella poisoning among its occupants, those
affected can take the Temple management to court and win substantial
damages covering their medical costs and loss of earnings.
The
result of this Australian cultural characteristic of placing a high
value on the hygiene of food and water supply, is that the level of
care in food preparation in Australia is different to that of Asian
countries.
In addition, certain food additives are banned by
law in Australia. For example, it is illegal to add natural saffron
colouring to food because it has been found that it can cause
illness. Furthermore, it is illegal to have in your possession
natural saffron (but it is legal to have artificial saffron
colouring). It is also illegal to import natural saffron into
Australia.
When foreigners come to Australia they must obey
Australian laws and health regulation guidelines.
Monks and
Nuns are not excluded from these laws, and they cannot plead that it
is permitted in their country or that it is their country's cultural
food preparation traditions.
Another aspect of health and
safety regulations in Australia is vermin control, which has been
developed and safeguarded to a high degree. It is possible to be
fined if vermin, such as mice, have access to food storage areas,
because they can contaminate food.
Once again, Temples are not
exempt from these health regulations.
Ignorance is no defence
at law.
The laws requiring health and safety disciplines are
well funded and supported by the Government, which provides health
inspectors to ensure that regulations are followed.
We have
documented some of our Occupational Health and Safety Requirements in
relation to food preparation.
1. No food is to be left out of
the fridge between meal times. All food must be stored away to
discourage ants and vermin, and to keep food fresh.
As we do
not have unlimited food storage space, we do not over supply.
2.
While food is being prepared in the kitchen Members must be mindful.
3. All eating and cooking utensils must be washed thoroughly,
after use, in hot, soapy water and rinsed in hot clear water then
allowed to drip dry.
Instructions for preparing food are our
Temple include:
Washing hands thoroughly
Ensuring the
food preparation environment is clean before commencing.
Using
fresh produce.
After each meal all food areas and utensils
must be cleaned and all food placed in the fridge, or for food that
does not require refrigeration place in an airtight, insect and
vermin proof container.
Food should not be left out in the
open.
When washing dishes it is recommended that they be
washed in hot water with dishwashing liquid and then rinsed in hot
water and left to dry on the dishrack. If it becomes necessary to use
a tea towel, use only clean tea towels which should be regularly
washed.
Our training is not suitable for all persons. For
example it is not suitable for persons of little intelligence or
alcohol or drug dependencies.
What can be done to address
contemporary Occupational Health & Safety issues.
Our
Teacher trains our Members to approach their practice with intention,
action, energy, determination with ardour on top.
When the
substance of a person’s work life as regards nearly all aspects
of their work is in another person’s hands and, work becomes the
central feature of their life, it ought come as no surprise that he
or she looks for stress relief outside the reward of hard work.
Many
persons seek relaxation from stress by adopting life styles that
involve sport competition with their peers even if the type of
relaxation itself involves a pretence risk and is favoured by the
upwardly social mobile.
The market audience for our training
is persons who possess medium to superior capacities that have been
developed over time through the practice of dana (generosity) and
sila (morality).
This is a positive outcome of cause and
effect. Our best students have practiced dana and sila in many past
times and possess high intellectual capabilities, have pure hearts
and are virtuous. They learn quickly and have a desire to help
themselves and others.
They are persons who are bound to
improve.
These are like persons facing East just as the sun
arising and every moment of the future brings more and more light and
understanding to their mind. Even if they are shuddering from the
frost of the evening, as we help them, warmth will come to them and
they will be able to follow the Teachings given by our five
educations.
They are recognisable because they do not fall
into sustained depression or discourage others from learning and do
not have ‘closed minds’. They recognise that when Winter
comes, then Spring cannot be far away.
This talk intends to
help these persons.
The first dazzling thing we know is not to
take a 'real estate approach' to development, as this inevitably
necessitates borrowing.
Our Centre is designed to be a
suitable environment with the correct resources connected to its
infrastructure. For example, (water supply, gas, power, waste
disposal and recycling of resources).
The contouring of the
garden levels and layout is needed to drain the site. The way we
position walking pathways enables unimpeded circumambulation of the
grounds with safety.
Our working conditions are above average.
With five air conditioners, in summer our level of workable comfort
is good enough. We have 3 phase power to meet the current loads. To
save electric power, we have refurbished the premises over the years
to put heat insulation in the walls. Our computers are reliable
because they do not overheat.
All these things must be fitted
safely, Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) factors are of
prime importance.
The second dazzling thing we know is to
provide a Chan garden visible from each workstation. Our Chan garden,
is designed to calm and delight all beings.
In Australia the
well-being of citizens is legislated in terms of safety and health
issues in the work places.
An article from the Financial
Review, cited in DuPont ‘Managing Operational Safety’
Seminar Brochure (2003) stated ‘every year, more than 2,600
people in Australia die because they went to work’
The
DuPont company has set the benchmark for world-class safety
performance by establishing safety as a core business function across
their global network of 135 manufacturing and processing facilities
in more than 70 countries.
DuPont Safety Resources are
holding a two day training seminar in Melbourne, 23 to 24 July 2003
on Managing Operational Safety. To enquire about this training
seminar call (02) 9923 6045 or go to www.ap.dupont.com/safety
In
Australia health inspectors, who are paid by public taxes, have the
authority to close down any premises that do not comply with the
health regulations.
Safety inspectors have the same power with
regard to safety regulations.
For example, if electric wiring
is old and faulty, a safety inspector can close the premises and
prohibit anyone from using them until new electric wiring and
appropriate fuses are installed.
The author has seen bare
electrical wiring in overseas Temples. This is potentially dangerous
because anyone touching it could be electrocuted.
However,
there did not seem to be any concern about making such wiring
safe.
In Australia, we do not expose bare electrical wires,
even for a day.
The Government has scientific research
establishments improving understanding of materials science. New
insights into safer ways of buildings and protecting buildings are
common.
Research extends to scientific research on ways and
means to deal with forest fires.
Because of recent fires in
Australia involving fatalities, older dwellings are now perceived as
fire or health hazards.
Research suggests better provisions
can be made for new buildings, ways of improving older dwellings and
understanding how to house the public with safety.
The new
ways give rise to new Australian standards. Recent improvements are
found in AS 3959, AS 1530.2 or BS4106.
The new guidelines are
valuable guides to how our Centre can alter items to meet these
up-to-date fire rating standards.
We replaced the old plywood
wall lining, which has a poor fire rating, with aluminium foil,
fibreglass insulation and plaster board. We will follow the new
standards to give us a much higher fire rating.
Thus, we aim
not to be too old fashioned by meeting higher standards for our
buildings.
Because our organisation has a Hall of Assembly and
is limited to Members, it is doubtful, strictly speaking, whether we
have to upgrade the fire rating on old buildings.
Our view is
that since a higher fire rating will be of benefit to the
preservation of our Buddha Dhamma library and artefacts, and since we
are in a zone having a high fire risk because of the nearby forest,
we are well advised to increase our fire rating to the maximum level
that we can afford.
There are two separate choices for older
Australian Temples.
The first choice is that the Temple must
meet the new health and safety regulations as part of the Australian
community.
The second choice is that the Temple should have a
policy to exceed the minimum standard required by the new health and
safety regulations.
Our Temple policy is to opt for the higher
second choice.
Buddha Dhamma practitioners must be good and
responsible members within a community if they expect to be allowed
to continue their Temple privileges.
Safe construction of
suitable Vihar or Kutis is specified by Government building
regulations.
The building must be able to withstand strong
winds without blowing over. Undersized construction material is
illegal.
Beams and joists, which support the roof of the
structure, are specified under the Australian Standard Building
Code.
There has only been one cyclone recorded in Victoria,
although wind gusts can be high.
Fierce cyclones do occur in
other States of Australia as, for example, the destruction of Darwin
some years ago.
If second-hand material is used in building,
it must be stress graded by a professional officer because it may be
split or faulty.
Many of Australia's large cities are becoming
polluted, so it better to build Temples aware from the city,
preferably in mountains.
When built, the Temple must include
provision to maintain a suitable level of fresh air ventilation in
the Altar rooms used by the Sangha and attendant laypersons.
How
much and what type of incense smoke is safe within a closed room is
not clear. There are numerous types of incense available in Australia
many of which are imported. Many locally manufactured incense sticks
are becoming available. Some incense sticks cause asthma and related
respiratory disorders. We ensure that these are prohibited at our
Centre.
There does not appear to be the same quality control
at some other Centres.
Lighting a fire on a total fire ban day
is punishable by heavy fines or imprisonment, or both. It is illegal
to light incense outdoors on total fire ban days, and to plead
ignorance of these laws is no defence.
The reason for this law
is that forest fires have been deliberately lit in Australia and have
caused millions of dollars worth of damage and loss of life.
In
our local area, because it is a rain forest, total fire bans exist
for three months of the year.
This means that the traditional
open fire used for cooking in some countries is totally prohibited on
total fire ban days in Australia.
Temples must fund enclosed
kitchens.
Cultural education, and adjustment to Australian
society rules, are required for foreigners who are used to cooking
with open fires in Temple grounds overseas.
As a result of
these various things, the appearance of an Australian Vihara in terms
of sights, smells and sounds, is totally different to that of the
traditional Temples in Asian countries like Thailand and
Vietnam.
These changes in sense bases, where the smell of food
being prepared is absent; the smell of incense is absent; and the
sound of fire crackling is absent, means that overseas-born persons
feel a lack of familiarity and comfort within the Temple grounds of
Australian Vihar.
In reality, these things are nothing to do
with Buddha Dhamma, but they do cause a sense of cultural loss within
communities who were born in and practiced in foreign
countries.
Even Monks and Nuns from overseas countries
experience some discomfort at losing the familiar sights, smells and
sounds of what they think a Vihara should provide for
them.
Naturally, Australian-born citizens do not experience
this cultural loss because they never had the familiar sights, smells
and sounds of Asian Temples within their culture.
Once a clear
understanding of cultural differences becomes known to a person
practising in our Temple, they actually find it easier to practise
here without the worry of the busy noises of cooking and food
preparation.
All in all, once this adjustment is made, persons
who have practised at our Temple state that they prefer the quietness
of our forest environment to the busy sounds of the environment of
their own country's Temples.
This is one of the ways we have
created a superior environment suitable for Buddha Dhamma
practice.
Generally speaking, everyone cherishes a faith that
something will bring them to a good way of living health safety and
happiness.
Naturally, as you might expect, our organisation
favours networking with organisations or persons who wish to lend a
helping hand to others in the community over those who do not
help.
Persons who have regard for the safety of others makes
merit and this merit is the cause of future happiness and prosperity
for that being.
Since inception our organisation has networked
with others by delivering encouragement and moral information to the
scouting and other international activity based groups.
May
occupational health and safety be a priority in your life.
May
you work mindfully in everything you do.
May you be safe and
happy.
May all beings be well and happy.
This script
was written and edited by Anita M. Hughes, John D. Hughes, Julian
Bamford, Evelin Halls and Pennie White.
References
The
Brooking Street Bugle, Issue No. 90 (New Series), 4, July 2003.
Counts
Words: 2845
Characters:
14466
Paragraphs: 128
Sentences: 146
Averages
Sentences
per paragraph: 1.3
Words per Sentence: 17.8
Characters per
word: 4.9
Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences:
23%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 48.2
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
score: 10.9
Readability Statistics
When Word
finishes checking spelling and grammar, it can display information
about the reading level of the document, including the following
readability scores. Each readability score bases its rating on the
average number of syllables per word and words per sentence.
Flesch
Reading Ease score
Rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher
the score, the easier it is to understand the document. For most
standard documents, aim for a score of approximately 60 to
70.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score
Rates text on a U.S.
grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth
grader can understand the document. For most standard documents, aim
for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0.
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