‘We are only human, people do make mistakes’
In this episode Colin is with a live audience at the Institute of Quarrying Safety Day, speaking about being proactive and why business owners and managers need to plan to allow people to make mistakes in a way that doesn’t end up with them being seriously injured or killed.
When business owners and managers investigate incidents blame must be put aside to ask ‘how’ as this enables an in-depth review of processes and systems.
Creating an environment with openness and transparency is key to being able to create the right processes and controls, listen in now to find out how.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
People do make mistakes so as business owners and managers we need to plan in our businesses to allow people to make mistakes in a way that doesn’t end up with them being seriously injured or killed
Thinking that there is a progression through from unsafe acts and behaviours to major injuries and fatal incidents is not reflective of what really happens in the work environment.
Near misses
If you don’t create an environment where there is openness and trust people are not going to talk about the near misses and what is actually happening on a day to day basis.
Having a good near-miss reporting process is important but it will not necessarily stop a serious or fatal incident occurring.
It’s vital to challenge the way the job is being done, ask your staff;
What control have you got in place to stop you getting injured or killed? Is that enough?
Blaming the individual
Rules are created, something goes wrong and the company blames the individual for not following the rules.
Does this mean it is only bad people who have accidents at work?
If you only blame the worker you will never make things any better.
You need to look deeply at the activities in your business and the way you are controlling them.
Rules are a great starting point to challenge the activities that are being undertaken
Is there the right supervision?
Is the attitude of the individual right?
Are there the right control measures in place?
When things go wrong
Blame must be put aside and questions asked about ‘how did this happen?’
This will open the situation up and enable a more in-depth look at the processes, company systems and controls.
If you can spend time talking honestly with the people who are in the environment then you can put in more effective control measures.
Don’t apportion blame if something goes wrong the reason it’s gone wrong is either;
the company hasn’t put the right person on the job or the right controls in place.
We don’t have bad workers; accidents happen because the controls in place are not effective.
BEST MOMENTS
‘If you are punished because you got things wrong then you’ve missed an opportunity to make things better’
‘Don’t have an environment where people are afraid to come forward if something is wrong, embrace it
‘I didn’t foster an environment where people could talk to me because I was stuck in an office’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast
HSE.gov.uk
ABOUT THE HOST
Colin’s Biography
‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’
This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential
Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry.
Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.
He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes
that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation.
Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses.
Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving
many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive.
He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer.
He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
