Geoffrey Podger, Chair of the panel and former Chief Executive of HSE, opened the debate by musing that there is a tendency for health & safety to ‘sleepwalk’ from one disaster to another.
He said: “As long as things are going well or are appear to be going well, people tend to lose interest in H&S. Often people in the profession will ask, ‘Why are we spending all this money on H&S when we never have any accidents’?
“It’s important to have enthusiasts that are able to get the message across in a non-threatening way, but in a way that generates interest”, Geoffrey continued.
Dr Shaun Lundy, Technical Director at 4site, a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner and Chartered Building Engineer, noted that it was the wider image of the professional which influenced him to become involved in the HSE’s Myth Busting panel.
He added that more recently there have been improvements in the negative way the profession is portrayed in mainstream media, but that there is still a long way to go and still issues to be addressed.
Sarah Edwards CMIOSH, a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, joined the debate by pointing out that finances and busgets play a huge part in how even people within the profession view it. She said: “People are too influenced by money and KPI’s and so health and safety can sometimes take a back-burner, which can contribute to the image it has.”
Shaun went on to discuss the importance of being able to get your messages across correctly: “Sometimes health and safety is not everyone’s top priority, which can cause issues and so it’s about helping people understand that risk is something that is owned and its up to them to mange that risk.
“Having technical knowledge is incredible important, but the soft skills, leadership skills and an understanding of the culture, is key to getting information out of your head and transferring it into someone else’s mind. We need to focus on the things that work and not the things that don’t work.”
Sarah agreed: “I have passion for health and safety and so it’s the first thing on my agenda every day, but that’s not the same for everyone and so it’s up to us to influence them on what they do.”
Responding to a question from the audience, the panel suggested three ways in which you can create a cultural change within:
• Find ways to keep it fresh and inspiring to people, it’s not just handing out fact sheets.
• Trust is a critical thing, Professor Paul Almond from the University of Reading has carried out research which shows that people accept the health & safety needs to be done, but that the issue is how its done. Shaun Lundy added: “You need to be authentic and believe it its effectiveness yourself, for that to sufficiently transfer to others. Gather the correct information before advising people. How much do you know about the jobs and challenges of the people you are trying to influence? Without that information is a high-risk strategy.”
• Lead by example. Get out with the workforce, don’t hide behind a desk.
Moving on to whether this is a global issue, Shaun said: “The negativity of health & safety is very much a UK phenomenon. Overseas there is more of a focus on getting it done in the right way and its importance and we need to try and replicate that model in the UK.”
Geoffrey Podger added that “we need to focus more on the basics”.
It was discussed how it was important to focus on the positives and how a lot of good work is done in the industry, but what can be done to improve? People are not doing anything fundamentally wrong, but there is still room for improvement and adaption.
Geoffrey noted that by “Driving up standards among yourselves and increasing your competence will benefit you in the long run.”
“The profession needs to be more robust”, he added.
“Is any professional viewed positively?”, Geoffrey concluded, before posing they question – how does the profession want to be viewed?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this…
