I was watching a television programme this week about the construction of the new Crossrail underground railway in London. It was interesting to see the huge and expensive tunnelling machines and how they bore through the earth, fitting concrete supporting panels to form the complete tunnel as the project progressed; a fantastic, technical achievement.
As the programme evolved, parallels were drawn with the Victoria line, which was constructed in the early 1960s with corresponding film footage in black and white. The construction teams from the 1960s looked very different to the Crossrail people, who in comparison, were immaculately presented with hi-viz overalls and full protective equipment. With the exception of work boots, the team from the 1960s wore neither protective clothing or had any equipment, none at all! As they were hand digging a tunnel, clay soil fell from above landing on one operative’s bare back as he was digging; shaking the soil off, he just carried on digging. This practice would not be acceptable today. Times have certainly changed and health and safety has evolved for sure. Watching the programme made me start thinking about the reasons why things have changed so much.
The reasons for this evolution are complex and by no means consistent, I know, especially if we take a global view. Legislation has changed for sure, risk assessments, detailed hazard studies and the like have had a marked effect. It is also true to say that in many places people’s acceptance of risk has also altered; we would not accept, nor should we, that the job we do is simply dangerous and, if we get injured, then it’s part and parcel of the work environment.
We expect to be safe at work. This belief, I think, is important in driving the improvement in health and safety on a global scale. Organisations in general work hard to make sure that people do not get injured at work. Nobody wants to see staff injured but it is also true to say that for many companies demonstrating a strong safety culture is also seen as a mark of a professional and well-run organisation. A clear and strong (often public) safety message is an indication that the company has strong values and can be trusted; having good safety is simply good for business. I think that in many instances this transcends the obvious litigation threat as a driver to attain high standards.
I’ve been involved in many aspects of health and safety (and environment) for over 25 years now. My background was in science and I have progressed through my career, I have come to the realisation that to achieve the very best standards in health and safety, influencing how people behave is an absolute must. Management systems and risk assessments are not the complete picture. To change culture can take time and considerable effort. Reflecting on the example above made me think about the obvious change and why companies have made these changes. In future blogs I’ll reflect on how we define safety culture and from my experience some of the issues and successes on how to influence this in a positive way and how we, as safety professionals can be effective in making this happen.
Mark Roden is speaking at the IOSH conference on the 16 June at 15.10.
Mark Roden is an experienced Health and Safety professional and is the Group Director of Environment, Health and Safety with Johnson Matthey, a UK listed speciality chemicals Company. Mark has over 25 years’ experience in the field of health and safety including chemical manufacture, construction and high hazard operations. For the last 7 years Mark has gained extensive international experience working in the US, Europe, Asia and African continents. Improving safety culture through behavioural programs has been a focus over the last few years through work with the Keil Centre, DuPont and other leading consultancies. Mark is a chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Health and Safety and holds a Masters degree in Environmental, Health and Safety Management.
Nice article. I also saw a similar TV programme and noticed the differences between H&S practices now and the 1960s. The evolution of H&S / Zero needs to be continuous; like gardening, it needs updating, weeding, refreshing and sometimes, re-designing.
The central question I am exercised by right now with one of my clients is once you’ve changed the culture for better, how do you continue the evolution and maintain safety successes across a business, keeping it fresh and engaging, so that all employees remain passionate and committed. As you say, it’s all about influencing how people behave continuously.