Safety and Training Specialists
Attention Safety Professionals
I have no evil intentions and don't mean to offend, but I am very passionate about the individuals who are representing workplace health and safety (note - my views are based on personal experiences).
Lead By Example
What I mean by this is you need to be healthy and safe in everything you do. Would you take weight loss advice from someone overweight? Money advice from a gambler? Quit smoking advice from someone who smokes a pack a day? Chances are no! So why would your workers take advice from risk takers, rule breakers or safety people who don't know the first thing about safety?
Do not give your workforce 'bullets' to use against you - because believe me, they will!
- don't go in restricted areas without authorisation
- don't speed
- always wear your seatbelt
- always wear your PPE
- don't come to work stinking of alcohol or sporting a hangover
- don't be a drug user
- don't belittle the company's safety systems
Many workers think safety people are pointless and sadly some safety people think they are almighty and powerful and use thier positions as power trips.
If you have safety personnel working for you that do not represent your businesses as they should - they are a liability and your culture will not improve while they there.
Don't be the safety person that busts themself at the gym and has to take days of to recover, don't be that person who is last to leave the pub, don't be the one who waits til the bosses turn their backs and break the rules. The entire workforce is looking at you, so lead by example!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Urquhart on -
Be Seen
In addition to being seen doing all the right things the other important part is to be seen.
If you are bogged down with paperwork everyday and unable to get out in the field you are not alone. While paperwork is important, the effects of being out and about are so positive and in turn reduce your incidents.
If this sounds like you request some administration support so you can get out and start being proactive about safety. You will see the improvement almost immediately.
Safety managers - encourage your advisors to be out and offer support as much as you can. The workforce might even grow to respect a safety advisor as opposed to one that is very rarely out on the job.
You will also gain a lot more knowledge and appreciation of hazards by looking and touching rather than reading about them on a hazard report.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Urquhart on
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Knowledge is Power
As a safety professional (in my case a young woman) it is difficult to gain respect from workers. On a daily basis I would hear comments like "what would you know about this" or "we have reported this before, what could you possibly do". Many more, some colourful, but I completely understood thier questioning.
The best way to combat that and gain respect is to be knowledgable, not only about safety, also the business, incident history, machinery, processes and day to day tasks. The easies way to get the knowledge is to be out and about, on the job and watch the process for yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions, you are not expected to know everything.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Urquhart on
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Be an Excellent Communicator
This is exactly as it reads - be an excellent communicator. You are the person responsible for translating very difficult information to your workforce. If you 'talk at' people, your message will rarely be picked up.
On the other side you need to be able to communicate to management. This includes feedback from the workforce, incident actions and recommendations and improvements.
You are the eyes and ears of management and the voice of your workforce, make sure information is communicated correctly.
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Permalink Reply by coderedsafety on -
I also consider that safety at workplace is important for all working professionals. There are some confined space rescue teams who also works for safety of people at workplaces. There are various risks and hazards a professional has to face. There are some restricted areas also where confined space permit required to enter so that chances of accidents can get reduced.
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