Safety Article for BEE Newsletter

I wrote and submitted the following article for possible publication in a newletter published by Financial Mail.

“As far as reasonably practicable” – A Matter of Balance in the World of Health and Safety

 “As far as reasonable practicable” is the test by which a business owner or employer, will decide how much effort and resources should, or can be applied in a particular workplace to make it safe.

This test is mostly subjective, the outcome depending on the levels of risk, the available finance and, more importantly, the mindset of management.

Friends who have returned from contracts in London, have entertained us with stories of the extent to which the British Safety Authorities regulate health and safety in the workplace, and the levels at which the society actually apply these standards, willingly or unwillingly.  Of course, the general feeling is that they have overregulated the workplace to the extent that the restrictions hamper the general flow of operations, and stifle good business practise.  My experience in South Africa, is that not all, but a great deal of enterprises still approach Occupational Health and Safety from the viewpoint of “bare minimum”.  Companies will put in place only those minimum requirements proposed by legislation and bylaws, in order to stay on the good side of Dept of Labour inspectors.

Creating the correct balance between effective health and safety practise on the one hand and ensuring cost effective and smooth flowing operations is somewhat of a challenge.   I try to help strategic management through the dilemma, by using a tactic which is interpreted by some as “playing the emotion card”, but really, can health and safety practise be seen in a cold clinical light totally devoid of emotion?

Once one is reminded that every staff member, or client involved in your operations, is a real person in their own right, a mother, father, son, daughter, someone who is loved and needed by someone else, a new window opens.  Glimpsing business through this perspective puts an immediate emotive value on the importance of human life, and the need to keep staff safe in their area of operations.  “As far as reasonably practicable” now takes on a greater level of accountability.  Not all CEO’s are comfortable viewing this subject through the suggested window, but the implications of not considering best practise are unavoidable.
Much may be lost “twixt the cup and the lip” and putting theory into practise is not always as easy as it may first appear.  One must also take into account that safety is very seldom a primary function of an organisation, and that along with security and staff development, it usually comes off the bottom line.  This can be borne out by the increase in organisations making use of Safety and Health Advisors and consultants, to create and manage safety programmes. Often an advisor will be brought in to create a programme, get the necessary appointments in place and ensure that the minimum requirements to satisfy Dept of Labour criteria are met.  Unfortunately however, a document does “not a safety programme make!”  The key to a healthy safety culture within an organisation lies in the ongoing commitment by all to maintaining the standards, and the sustainability of the programme into the future.

 Companies having sufficient capacity and resources may have “in house” safety officers, and the presence of these individuals or teams, makes an ongoing, effective and measureable safety programme easier to reach.  Even these people are known to suffer from “analysis paralysis” from time to time, and the training, mentoring and support of Safety staff must be a key performance criteria for management and the Human Resources Departments.

Getting the programme off the ground, sowing the seed for the growth of a healthy safety culture and meeting all legislative requirements appear daunting and expensive.  This is not necessarily the case.  Obviously, the more hazardous the operations, the greater will be the onus on the organisation to meet safety best practises.  No doubt the safety plan required to launch a space shuttle will be considerably thicker and more challenging than the plan required by a single owner/employee doughnut stand.   However, there are ways of reducing the apparent height of this hurdle, if the management team are prepared to commit themselves to the process.

Here are some pointers:

1.  Competency: If safety is not your field of operations, then get as many of the staff who are influential in the safety programme onto courses and formal training workshops.  Understanding the technical details involved in compulsory processes like hazard identification and risk assessment removes the mystery and seemingly “esoteric” nature of these activities.

2.  Confidence:  A confident, motivated staff go a long way toward the sustainability of a programme.  Ensure that Senior Management and HR practitioners are finding creative ways of instilling enthusiasm for a safe working environment, and posters don’t always hack it!

3.  Participation:  A safety programme is everyone’s business.  Ensure participation to the lowest levels in the organisation, it’s their lives on the line each day.  No risk assessments should be carried out without the general participation of the staff.

Show you mean it, walk the walk and avoid being a talker, your entire organisation will begin to look after each other, and your safety culture is born.

Stay safe.

 

Bruce

 

A very good friend called me today, and we were chatting about the blog.  Of course I try to keep the subjects focussed on the current issues, and try to highlight issues of concern in the world of safety and security.  But, really no matter what your particular area of interest or expertise may be, we all strive toward reaching that place of personal satisfaction where you feel that you are making a difference in the peoples lives around you. It is YOU that makes that difference. Your attitude, your strength, your passion and understanding, all of these serve to enrich the environment that you are part of.  Have you actually stopped to think of the impact you have on those around you? We really get bogged down in the day to day issues of survival, yet others may grasp just one small thing, something you said, something you did, that remains in their memory for a long time afterward. 
These are the aspects of individuals that I wish received greater focus in some organisations I come into contact with.  Leadership and good managment are NOT just the ability to delegate and give orders, It's really about convincing others that your energy and strength can be theirs, and that their lives can be enriched through drawing on what you offer.  We see teachers, nurses, engineers and accountants, going to work, filling their day and often, trying to make a difference.  To those special people who share their energy willingly, with patience and compassion, we need you.
Stay Safe
Bruce

Greetings
I can't tell you how much I enjoy my job.  I gave my first lecture to learners on the 2nd January 1984, and have been lecturing, coaching and facilitating ever since, so next Jan marks my 29th year in people development.  Today just reinforced that.  Trained a fire and evacuation reponse team for a client today, and their enthusiasm and genuine interest in doing things right for the company were infectious. They included 3 super ladies, who carried out the drills with gusto!
What was really cool, was when a young man by the name of Malvern, who works on the site came across and offered to help me pack my gear, and said to me how much he enjoyed just watching the team going through their paces.  Having done a little safety studies himself, he felt that the team training and preparedness was a good thing for the company.  That kind of feedback just makes everything worth it, and that from folks at the tactical level of operations, right where the rubber meets the road.
EC4 is also involved in coaching at the strategic level in companies, but I'm afraid the same level of enthusiasm is sadly often not as apparent.  In fact, there are occasions where convincing the strategic management team of their personal accountability, and the need for their enthusiasm and leadership and participation when it comes to the safety of their staff and clients, is met with irritation and disdain.  Of course one understands the stress and pressure at Director level, safety is not always the primary operational activity, yet the price of failure to produce during a crisis in a company has meant the end of years of good service for many a CEO.
I look forward to 30 years of lecturing and working with people, who's coming to my party?
Stay safe
Bruce

Hey all.
Getting your way around the cold weather?
I wanted to share two experiences that have been on my mind, as you may possibly have experienced the same.  Two service providers I have interacted with in the past month, left me with negative impressions of my interaction with them, which seems a shame, because the outcomes a really quite easy to change.  One was an upmarket famous brand coffee shop, and the other the "outpatients" emergency ward of a very well established local hospital.  In both cases, I eventually got what I had gone for, but the "journey" left me thinking that I was not really regarded as a person, with my own view of life, particular needs, likes and dislikes.
To be more specific.  At the coffee shop, where the coffee is really good, and quite a bit more expensive than the average for the area, I had to wait agood few minutes for attention, even though the floor was not busy.  There were at least 3 young ladies serving, and yet they looked totally bored, and stared fixedly at the passing shoppers, making the odd comment to eachother.  When service came, I struggled to understand the accent of the waitron, but we got through the order.  I got my coffee 10 minutes later and then waited another 30 for further attention.
At the hospital it was fairly similar, except this time I was in some pain from a silly accident involving fighting dogs (yes safety officers, I guess I didn't do a proper risk evaluation or toolbox talk before commencing operations!).  Now to be fair, they did take me through to a cubicle within about 8 minutes or so of paperwork(my sustained bleeding onto the floor and an irate wife probably gave urgency to the situation), but it was the long lonely wait for a doctor after that, that had me thinking.  A VERY critical rugby match was taking place at that moment.... would I be ignored until half time?
Well after half an hour a very friendly and efficient doctor stitched me up, so end result was good, but what could both organisations have done to make the experience a little more personal?

My feel, is that there is a lack of effective, well practised communication skills and strategies, designed to make the staff more aware of those small aspects that change a poor or average experience into a really "love to come back again next time" memory, not that I want to be going back to emergency rooms too soon again.
After having to interact with persons from at least 3 different African  and a number of different European cultures during my career, I have grown to realise the value in nurturing a  knowledge of cross cultural relations, effective communication skills and understanding what makes people tick, in order to pre-empt their specific needs, and thereby creating good impression, and taking service delivery to  a new level.  Its not just the cup of coffee I am paying for, its the whole experience I want to live whilst in your establishment!  Just think about it, isn't that what makes the difference between a routine and special experience...its the people!

I have put together some workshop material for both basic and advanced classes in communications skills and cross cultural communications,  to help the client close the gaps in service delivery, and improve impression.  Call me for more on these developements.

Email me with similar experiences you've had, and stay safe.

Bruce