Capita Symonds' Health and Safety Training - Article - Fifteen key lessons learned from a lifetime in health and safety
 
Skip Links

Article - Fifteen key lessons learned from a lifetime in health and safety

9 March 2012

 Martin Barnard
Martin Barnard identifies 15 key points which his career in Health and Safety have taught him...
  1. Life is a compromise, health and safety is a compromise.  By that I don’t mean we compromise health and safety.
  2. You only engage competent contractors and staff don’t you?  If yes, you have the foundations for success.  If no, you will fail.
  3. The usefulness of a method statement is inversely proportional to its size.  The larger it is, the less use it is because no one is going to read it.
  4. Recognise that the conventional measure of health and safety performance, the AFR, is actually measuring failure i.e. an accident is a failure.
  5. The road to health and safety is littered with good intent and initiatives which never reach a conclusion.  Be ready to celebrate success.
  6. Most organisations have got to where they are today by process-driven health and safety which can only achieve so much, i.e. “the plateau effect”.
  7. To get beyond the plateau by process driven health and safety is virtually impossible.  There is a need to introduce another ingredient i.e. culture.
  8. How to build a positive health and safety culture - do it little but often and take the opportunity to celebrate success.
  9. Apply the principles of marketing to health and safety with the workforce as the target market i.e. make it attractive to the market place.
  10. Health and Safety is as simple as “someone you are responsible for will go home tonight, to enjoy their family in the same way as no doubt you look forward”.
  11. Best way to succeed in health and safety is to invite all to the party, including you.
  12. Recognise the need to put the “health” into “health and safety”.
  13. Understand value of simplicity of communication i.e. it is a two way street.  “Two ears one mouth” - a good proportion for health and safety communication.
  14. Keep it simple, be genuine, be honest.  The rest will follow because health and safety and quality are inter-linked.
  15. Above all else, make health and safety personal – each and every time!
Bookmark and Share