Guidance FOR the beginning OHS professional

Safety Reflections by George Robotham

Contents
Contents................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4 Why read this paper? What will I learn? What is in it for me?..........................................4 Why have OHS?................................................................................................................. 5 Geoff Mc onald.................................................................................................................. ! Safety Myths.................................................................................................................... ! "#I$%.............................................................................................................................. & 'ersonal ama(e Occurrence Investi(ation Models.......................................................) *nalysis of +*ccident, e-perience...................................................................................) *ccess to earthmovin( e.uipment.................................................................................../ 0ritical Incident %ecall...................................................................................................12 Geor(e3s 'hilosophy on "ife4 Wor5 and %elationships......................................................11 6ac5(round to OHS.......................................................................................................... 1! 6ehaviour76ased Safety................................................................................................1! %ole of the safety professional.....................................................................................1! Safety incentives.......................................................................................................... 1& "ost #ime In8ury $re.uency %ate...................................................................................1) *lternatives to the hierarchy of controls........................................................................1) 9oun( wor5er safety......................................................................................................:2 ;ero harm...................................................................................................................... :1 0ommercial Safety Mana(ement Systems....................................................................:: Ma8or mista5es I have seen made in implementin( OHS..............................................:< #he tou(hest safety assi(nment I have had..................................................................:4 How to have an effective safety committee...................................................................:5 0ommon law................................................................................................................. :! Safety 6enchmar5in(....................................................................................................:& OHS tools for mana(in( safety.........................................................................................:/ =o> Safety *nalysis.......................................................................................................:/ Geor(e3s down to earth advice to safety representatives and safety committee mem>ers ...................................................................................................................................... :/ %is5 assessment tips.....................................................................................................<2 *ccident investi(ation summary....................................................................................<1 *uditin( OHS systems...................................................................................................<1

?on OHS tools for mana(in( safety..................................................................................<< Safety communications.................................................................................................<< Safety culture................................................................................................................ << How to improve safety culture.......................................................................................<4 Interpersonal s5ills.........................................................................................................<4 "eadership........................................................................................................................ 44 "eadership .uotes.........................................................................................................44 Military leaders on leadership........................................................................................45 OHS "eadership............................................................................................................ 45 How to >e a safety leader..............................................................................................4! %eferences.................................................................................................................... 4! "eadership in safety7@thics...........................................................................................4& "eadership in safety7#rust.............................................................................................4& "earnin(............................................................................................................................ 4/ OHS "earnin(................................................................................................................ 4/ Implementation of a learnin( mana(ement system.......................................................4/ #he use of 'ower7'oint presentations..........................................................................52 #ool >o- meetin(s......................................................................................................... 51 #he use of humour........................................................................................................ 51 Safety Induction............................................................................................................. 5: Human %esources............................................................................................................ 5< =o> interviews................................................................................................................ 5< #he resume................................................................................................................... 54 0onclusion........................................................................................................................ 5!

Introduction
In nearly 4 decades of involvement in field4 corporate4 pro8ect and consultant OHS roles I have had the opportunity to learn a variety of thin(s. In this pu>lication I have outlined (enerally 17: pa(e thou(hts on safety and safety ali(ned topics4 with the aim of providin( some >rief (uidance to the newly developin( OHS professional. I >elieve I cover a fair >it of relevant (round. Whilst there is a smatterin( of theory in the followin(4 most is >ased on practical e-perience. * stron( messa(e is that to >e effective in OHS you need competency from other areas4 as well as your OHS competencies. Why read this paper? What will I learn? What is in it for me? #his paper will e-pose you to the sort of learnin( a>out OHS you will >e unli5ely to find in most tertiary OHS .ualifications. It is focused on the real world not theory.

Why have OHS?

#he first fatality I was associated with occurred over <2 years a(o to a youn(4 vivacious4 pleasant female office employee at a mine site. I was the first on the scene and comforted her as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She died the ne-t day4 such a wasteA Since then I have assisted my employers mana(e the aftermath of 1: fatalities and : other incidences of permanently life alterin( personal dama(e. #here are many reasons to have OHS7 Sure we want to o>ey the le(islation and 5eep the re(ulators off our >ac5 Sure we want to have a (ood company and industry reputation to attract employees Sure we want to reduce safety related industrial disputation Sure we want to reduce the financial costs of +accidents, Sure we want wor5 to >e a pleasant place to >e Sure we want a hi(hly s5illed wor5force

*s an OHS professional I have had to deal with the emotional trauma of life alterin( personal dama(e and interacted with loved ones and co7wor5ers. $or me the prime reason to have OHS is to7 %@ B0@ '@%M*?@?#"9 "I$@ *"#@%I?G '@%SO?*" *M*G@ #his is referred to as 0lass 1 personal dama(e and can >e fatal and non7fatal. Whilst we rarely (et to hear a>out it the impact of non7fatal class 1 dama(e is much hi(her than fatal class 1 dama(e I would >e the first to say there is a lot of >ull7dust associated with implementation of safety initiatives. In my time in safety I have seen companies spend tremendous amounts of time4 effort and money on du>ious safety pro(rams and (et little return for their investment. #he challen(e is to desi(n your safety pro(rams so they meet the specific4 identified needs of your or(aniCation. iscussion on a 0anadian safety forum came to the conclusion that you would >e luc5y to prevent :2D of your,accidents, if all you did was comply with le(islation I thin5 one of my e-7mana(ers said it well when he said EIf you cannot mana(e safety you cannot mana(eE Note My attempt to (ive advice on how to achieve my o>8ective can >e found in the e7>oo5 Safety Mana(ement Systems under articles on ohschan(e.com.au

Geoff McDonald
Geoff has >een my coach4 mentor4 (uide and adviser on OHS for in e-cess of <5 years and is one of the very few consultants on the safety scene who inspire much confidence in me. #he followin( are e-amples of material I have written (uided >y Geoff. Safety Myths One important factor that influences how OHS is mana(ed is the attitudes and pre7 conceptions of those leadin( the char(e. #his paper e-plores >eliefs4 philosophies4 concepts and attitudes and su((ests some common ideas may >e incorrect or unhelpful4 that is they may >e myths and misconceptions. People cause accidents We would not su((est that people are not essential in personal dama(e occurrences F*ccidentsG >ut the people cause accidents myth and misconception is often used as an e-cuse for not carryin( out positive action. What often happens is we >lame the person and for(et a>out ma5in( positive chan(es to the machine and the environment. #here are few occasions when it is appropriate to >lame the person for their past actions4 this is only appropriate when the >lame leads to chan(e in the future. #he people cause accidents philosophy has >een reinforced in a num>er of ways over the years. Heinrich7*lthou(h this >elief has >een part of our culture for centuries4 it received official sanction in the writin(s of Heinrich4 widely held to >e the father of the industrial safety movement in the 1/<23s. His domino theory where>y unsafe acts4 unsafe conditions4 errors and haCards com>ine to produce incidents has tended to focus on the person to >lame and has >een a serious impediment to meanin(ful pro(ress. "e(al system7#his reflects the >elief that people cause accidents. Insurance industry70losely tied in to the le(al system4 see5s to identify some person to >lame and pursue throu(h le(al channels for any claim. ?ews media7Media scream driver error in motor vehicle incidentsH they scream pilot error in aviation incidents without ta5in( account of the other multitude of essential factors. 'u>lished studies7Many pu>lished studies will have you >elieve /2D of accidents are caused >y human error. #he reality is all personal dama(e occurrences will have people essential factors and machine and environment essential factors.

The main aim of safety activities is to prevent accidents 0ertainly safety activities aim to prevent personal dama(e occurrences. However we must ta5e one step further >y also see5in( to minimise and control dama(e. * classic e-ample >ein( the wearin( of seat >elts and fittin( %.O.'.S. to tractors. Look after the pence and the pounds will look after themselves #here is a >elief in safety that if you >rin( controls to >ear on all minor in8uries then the "ost #ime In8uries will loo5 after themselves. #his >elief has mis7directed effort with the result that

inordinate effort is directed at minor incidents that have little potential for more serious dama(e. 0ertainly we should prevent minor incidents >ut remem>er to concentrate our efforts where we (et the >est results. #he 'areto @ffect says :2D of incidents will (ive )2D of dama(e. #his :2D must >e identified and concentrated upon. In Mana(in( Ma8or HaCards 'rofessor *ndrew Hop5ins outlines how a focus on "ost #ime In8uries led to insufficient emphasis on hi(h ris5 events. 'apers are emer(in( .uestionin( the wisdom of ;ero Harm approaches to safety. It cannot happen to me #here is a need for each and everyone of us to su>scri>e to this theory4 for the sa5e of our own psycholo(ical well7>ein( and to >e a>le to cope with situations outside our control. #his >elief is often no more than an e-cuse for ta5in( no action. Often you will wonder why the silly >u((er did what they did4 sometimes it is >ecause of this >elief. Punishing wrongdoers I am not sayin( we should not punish people who do the wron( thin( in safety. I am sayin( that the fact that we do punish wron(doers will often lead to hi(hly ima(inative efforts to avoid punishment and thus ma5e thin(s harder. #he history of the safety movement records numerous cases of punishin( the wron(doers not >ein( effective. We should seriously consider the full ran(e of options rather than ma5in( hasty decisions to punish the wron(doers. W.A.S.P. ethic #his wor5 ethic had its ori(ins in the (reat reli(ious upheaval 5now at the %eformation. #he ethics emphasis is 8ust reward for effort4 conversely people who are hurt in accidents are receivin( their 8ust reward for lac5 of effort. #he W.*.S.'. may sidetrac5 our prevention efforts. isplacement activities * displacement activity is somethin( we do4 somethin( we put a lot of ener(y into >ut when we e-amine it closely there is no valid reason for doin( it. #he industrial safety movement ree5s of poorly considered displacement activities often mar5eted >y smooth consultants. Lost Time In!ury "re#uency $ate is a valid and relia%le measure of safety performance I have personal e-perience with a company that a((ressively drove down ".#.I.$.%. to a fraction of its ori(inal rate in a space of a>out : years yet 5illed 11 people in one incident. L I!" #he "ost #ime In8ury $re.uency %ate predominates discussions a>out safety performance. How can a company >e proud of a decrease of ".#.I.$.%. from !2 to 12 if there have >een : fatalities and 1 case of paraple(ia amon(st the lost time in8uries? #he ".#.I.$.%. trivialises serious personal dama(e and is a totally inappropriate measure of safety performance. F%efer to the paper on this topic under articles on ohschan(e.com.auG

#ersonal Dama$e Occurrence Investi$ation Models I have >een e-posed to a num>er of investi(ation models7%oot cause analysis4 #ripod4 I.0.*.M.4 #ap %oot and *.%.#.#. Of the a>ove the author has found *.%.#.#. F*nalysis %eference #ree #run5G the most useful. #his method was developed >y 6ris>ane OHS consultant4 Geoff Mc onald. @ssentially the personal dama(e occurrence is represented >y a tree7trun5 lyin( on the (round4 at the end of the tree7trun5 you have 'erson elements4 Machine elements and @nvironment elements4 alon( the len(th of the tree7trun5 you have ! time Cones and the annular or (rowth rin(s of the tree represent a num>er of @r(onomic elements. Instead of loo5in( for +causes, you loo5 for +essential factors, F *n essential factor is one without which the final personal dama(e could not have occurredG #here are (ood reasons why the term +cause, is not used. #he idea is to loo5 for essential factors where the various cate(ories of the model a>ove intersect. #he model is very easy to use and usually at least <2 essential factors will >e found in each personal dama(e occurrence. #he author hears (ood reports on trainin( in this techni.ue conducted >y Intersafe. *merican author #ed $erry has written pu>lications that provide practical4 how to advice on this topic. %eaders may find the advice on an investi(ation 5it in *ccident Investi(ation on ohschan(e.com.au of >enefit. %nalysis of &%ccident' e(perience Many or(anisations analyse their +*ccident, e-perience in the hope of (ainin( insi(ht into how to prevent their pro>lems. Most or(anisations will not have sufficient serious +*ccident, e-perience to ma5e statistically si(nificant determinations.

1.

2.

ama(e to people at wor5 has a num>er of adverse outcomesI7 $inancial loss to employer4 wor5er and community 'ain and sufferin( islocation of lives 'ermanence of death ama(e to people from wor5 falls naturally into one of three 0lasses. Class I damage permanently alters the person3s life and su>divides into - fatal - non fatal Class II damage temporarily alters the person3s life Class III damage temporarily inconveniences the person3s life FGeoff Mc onald J *ssociatesG

Taxonomy #his is an incredi>ly simple techni.ue that it is rare to find used. @ssentially a ta-onomy is a collection of li5e. #he most well 5nown ta-onomy is the phylum of plants4 their >otanical names. *while >ac5 I was associated with a ta-onomy of the more si(nificant personal dama(e occurrences in the Kld minin( industry which I thou(ht was particularly effective in settin(

priorities for the industry. It is important to do the ta-onomy on an industry >asis as it is unli5ely even the >i( companies will have enou(h of the more serious events to >e a>le to develop statistically si(nificant determinations. #he Kld minin( industry has a standard personal dama(e occurrence report form that is sent to the inspectorate. #he hard copies of the forms were o>tained and sorted into li5e4 ie the spinal column dama(es caused >y drivin( a haul truc5 were put to(ether 4the spinal column dama(e caused >y liftin( (as cylinders were put to(ether4 the eye in8uries caused >y (rindin( were put to(ether and so on. #he personal dama(e occurrences were then e-amined for their fre.uency4 severity and the essential factors F*n essential factor is one without which the final dama(e could not have occurredG #his process (ives insi(ht into where your principal pro>lems are occurrin( and (uides preventative action. In these days of computerised data systems I still feel it is necessary to (o >ac5 to the ori(inal hard copy or a scanned in copy. @-amination of personal dama(e occurrences on an industry >asis can provide meanin(ful insi(ht into your safety pro>lems. %ccess to earthmovin$ e)uipment * hi(hly practical safety pro8ect in the early 1//23s was the *ccess to @arthmovin( @.uipment pro8ect. Wor5 re.uired includedI 0arryin( out a literature reviewH #horou(h statistical analysis of company accident data evelopin( a chec57list to assess access systemsH $ield assessment of access systems iscussin( access re.uirements with maintenance and operational personnelH esi(nin( and installin( prototype access modificationsH *ssessin( the ade.uacy of the prototype modificationsH evelopin( access purchasin( specifications and maintenance (uidelinesH and 'rovidin( written (uidance on desired characteristics of access systems. 'resentin( to industry forums in Kld. W.*. J ?.S.W.

#hrou(h the employer association we successfully applied for $ederal Government fundin( to e-tend the ori(inal research wor5 >y further research >y an er(onomist L mechanical en(ineer. #horou(h statistical analysis of Kld minin( industry accident data was the startin( point. #his wor5 provided si(nificant input into the writin( of an *ustralian Standard for E@arthmovin( @.uipment *ccess, and su>se.uently much earthmovin( e.uipment in open7 cut *ustralian mines now have hydraulically operated access arran(ements. #he focus of this wor5 was the lar(e earthmovin( e.uipment used in open7cut minin( >ut the lessons are e.ually applica>le to smaller earthmovin( e.uipment and the >ac5 of truc5s. #his research developed an industry manufacturin( and developin( earthmovin( e.uipment access systems. With the passa(e of time this wor5 is not well 5nown in the minin( industry nowadays4 whilst the wor5 has si(nificant application outside the minin( industry few will >e aware of it. I can supply further information if necessary4 f(ro>othamM(mail.com Geoff was a drivin( force in this wor5.

Critical Incident "ecall Many or(anisations will tell you they report near misses or critical incidents. My advice is unless you have or(anised processes in place to surface near misses or critical incidents you will only hear a>out a fraction of them. 0ritical incident recall is an awesome techni.ue particularly suited to hi(h ris5 environments. #he techni.ue will not wor5 unless there is a climate of trust created >etween mana(ement and wor5ers. 0ommunications must >e open J honest and mana(ers and supervisors must >e prepared to put up with a lot of criticism and not react defensively. In the interests of (ettin( to the truth there must >e no disciplinary actions. #he senior department mana(er must >e prepared to put his reputation on the line. #he potential for some to push industrial issues is hi(h with this techni.ue4 open J honest communication and a determination to improve will defuse this. ?either mana(ement or wor5ers will >e prepared to commit to the wor5 re.uired in this techni.ue unless there is a (eneral realisation that pro>lems e-ist. What was done *ll department mem>ers attended a short learnin( session where the 'erson4 Machine4 @nvironment concepts were e-plained. If I was to do this a(ain I would include a case study of a comple- class 1 personal dama(e occurrence to >rin( out the principles. #he process they would (o throu(h was e-plained. Some department mem>ers were trained as critical incident participant o>servers and o>served what was happenin( in the wor5place4 some department mem>ers were trained as critical incident interviewers and interviewed their wor5mates. It was essential that those chosen for these tas5s were trusted >y the wor5force. #he identified critical incidents were communicated to mana(ement. It was planned to let the a>ove process (o for ! months >ut after a short period of time the fre.uency and severity of the critical incidents set the alarm >ells rin(in(. 6ased on the identified critical incidents a .uestionnaire was developed and all department mem>ers were as5ed to complete it in a series of meetin(s. %esponses to the .uestionnaire were collated and displayed on histo(rams In what was a very >rave move considerin( the industrial climate the senior department mana(er led a series of meetin(s with the wor5force where he displayed the histo(rams and as5ed for feed>ac5 on reasons why the responses were the way they were. #he mana(er was advised that no matter how severe the criticism he was not to react defensively. In these circumstances if a senior person is criticised severely you will usually find someone in the wor5 (roup will come to his rescue if he is >ein( fair din5um4 if that does not happen the facilitator can come to his rescue. 0han(es that occurred included up(radin( of dia(rams J plans4 purchase of new hi(h volta(e testin( e.uipment4 >etter understandin( of some test e.uipment4 trainin(4 improved maintenance4 improved procedures4 chan(es to isolation procedures and improved practice. *n environment of open and honest communication also developed. F%efer to the paper 'ractical *pplication of the 0ritical Incident %ecall #echni.ue on ohschan(e.com.au Geoff was a drivin( force in this wor5

Geor$e*s #hilosophy on Life+ Wor, and "elationships

INITIATING CHANGE
When initiating change remember People s pport !hat the" create#

0hallen(in( the status .uo is fun and much >etter than puttin( up with fools and mediocrity4 occasionally this really (ets you in the poop. o not let this deter you4 most of the time you will have a win Win7Win is >ull dust4 you have to win and the other >lo5e has to lose4 prefera>ly >i( time4 this is the only way people will ta5e you seriously. *ny other approach will >e seen as a si(n of wea5ness >y some of your opponents and it will >e used a(ainst you to your detriment Within the limits of the a>ove >e respectful and carin( of others "earn the s5ills of reflective listenin( and appropriate self7disclosure4 helps with interpersonal relationships "oo5 after your team and the little people >ecause you are stuffed without them If he L she deserves it4 it does not hurt to do thin(s to ma5e your >oss loo5 (ood When communicatin( chan(e use the supervisor4 use face to face communications and frame messa(es relevant to the wor5 environment of the person receivin( the messa(e. %oad shows >y senior mana(ement discussin( chan(e are often perceived as a >it of a wan5 >y the wor5ers Have a well developed >ull7dust detector While it is temptin( to >e a >it of a >ull7dust artist you have to >e very4 very (ood at it and have a fantastic memory or you will >e found out eventually and lose all credi>ility4 much easier to simply tell the truth It is prefera>le that people li5e you >ut this will not always happen so do not worry a>out this too much4 >e concerned however if they do not respect you. o not ta5e yourself too seriously and en8oy what you do

?ever reveal your true >ottom line in ne(otiations If you want to understand how an or(anisation functions tal5 to the wor5ers4 the more senior people >ecome in or(anisations the more removed from the reality of how the or(anisation operates they >ecome 0ele>rate success Bnderstand people will lie to you4 as5 for the solid evidence #ry to >e uncomplicated and succinct in everythin( you do. "imit (eneral correspondence to a ma-imum of : pa(es. "imit the siCe of ma8or reports4 >usy people do not have the time to write lon( correspondence and >usy people do not have the time to read it. *dmit your mista5es and fi- them pu>lically. 6e (raceful when others admit mista5es4 this will (ive a return with time ?ot every>ody will >e happy with your decisions4 that is life Inte(rity is everythin( If you have to tell people you are in char(e4 you are not etermination7?ever (ive7upA 9ou cannot succeed unless you 5now your (oals4 you cannot succeed and 5now you have arrived without (oals. 'lannin( increases your chances of achievin( the (oals. If you do not ta5e action you will never attain anythin(. irection and purpose are two of the most vital factors that you must have in your life if you are (oin( to >e successful. o not procrastinate Successful people are usually positive people. #hey thin5 a>out what they want and are optimistic4 they e-pect the >est and they e-pect to win. $aced with pro>lems and o>stacle4 the positive minded person will loo5 for solutions and a way forward. #he ne(ative person will spend so much time whin(ein( they never move forward. We chose in life. #he one thin( that can >rin( success or failure in our lives is our attitude. * handy thin( to remem>er is that no matter how >lea5 thin(s loo5 there will always >e someone worse off. See every challen(e and responsi>ility as an opportunity to sell yourself. 6e a life7lon( learner in many fields. +When readin( your correspondence the reader must say +Wow, in the first third of the pa(e, +When listenin( to your presentation the listener must say +Wow, within the first < minutes, Get damn (ood at what you do throu(h practice and focus4 (ive and receive re(ular feed>ac5. 'ush throu(h your difficulties. Serve others somethin( of value. Whatever you do must >e >ased on a needs analysis.

Bse personal dama(e occurrences4 not emotion4 to (uide your preventative efforts. #a-onomies of your industry personal dama(e occurrences provide >etter (uidance than enterprise e-perience. 'ersist throu(h failure. %emem>er your e-ample affects the >ehaviour of others. ?ever >e late4 start J finish on time. When initiatin( chan(e remem>er +'eople support what they create, Initiatin( chan(e is difficult at the >est of times4 if you do not involve those affected >y the chan(e in the chan(e process it is unli5ely to wor5. %emem>er the & ' rule 7 'rior 'lannin( and 'reparation 'revents 'iss7'oor 'erformance. It is often the relationships you >uild not your technical s5ills that determine success. 6e s.uea5y clean in whatever you do or you will >e found out4 as5 6ill 0linton . ?etwor5 actively >oth in >usiness and personal life4 people prefer to deal with people they 5now. Whatever you do as5 yourself +How will this wor5 in the middle of the ni(ht when it is pourin( down rain?, Bse +real world, approaches not theory alone. o not complain. o not en(a(e with idiots4 they 8ust dra( you down to their level o not criticise others4 compliment instead when you really mean it. o not ma5e e-cuses4 accept 122D responsi>ility for everythin( that happens to you. Bse humour in your interactions4 no7one li5es a (rouch. "earn how to use humour Gra> the opportunity to spea5 pu>lically a>out your passion whenever you can. "earn how to spea5 well. Influencin( others4 >ut particularly your peers4 can >e very satisfyin(. *void lecture style presentations and >uild activities for your audience into the presentation. %efer to the papers +Adult Learning Principles and Process, and +How to give an unforgettable presentation +on ohschan(e.com.au for practical tips. %ead up on written communications4 oral communications4 attentive listenin(4 interpersonal s5ills Fpro>a>ly the most important of allG4 team7>uildin(4 personal e-cellence4 leadership4 pro8ect mana(ement4 chan(e mana(ement and time mana(ement and practice improvin( your s5ills. %emem>er the num>er one 8o> of a leader is to transmit and em>ed hi(h value standards. "earn a>out and apply a continuous improvement philosophy. 'lan ahead and the une-pected will not cause an emer(ency4 always have a contin(ency approach. 0oach L mentor L (uide L advise the ine-perienced4 this is the way life7lon( friendships are >uilt. #ry to (et your own mentor.

Wherever possi>le use on the 8o> learnin( to compliment theory. 6eware of the person who can ma5e pi( poo4 loo54 taste4 smell J feel li5e straw>erry 8am Strate(ic approaches are important >ut ma5e sure you spend enou(h time in the field that you do not lose contact with the everyday reality of how the >usiness is mana(ed *lways thin5 a>out +What is in it for me, from the perspective of others you are tryin( to influence Identify and separate customer needs from wants Bse *ction and @-periential learnin( for adults that promotes critical reflection Get some runs on the >oard .uic5ly o what (ives you the >i((est >an( for your >uc5 Neep promises Give 122D support to your team all the time4 help them with mista5es and ac5nowled(e (ood wor5 Minimise the >ureaucracy and >ull7dust 'ro8ect teams with defined delivera>les4 timelines and milestones can >e a (reat way to drive chan(e 0arefully define the scope of any pro8ect you ta5e on 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@ in a way that inspires $orce7$ield *nalysis is a (reat way to start off any pro8ect Bse the 'areto 'rinciple to ma-imise the effectiveness of what you do 'assive countermeasures Fthat do not rely on action >y the human >ein(G are preferred to *ctive countermeasures Give somethin( for nothin( ifferentiate yourself from the others doin( similar thin(s Nnowled(e of the customer is essential Say than5 you to customers Show the customer how the product will >enefit them Neep in contact with old customers much easier to sell to than (ettin( new customers *lways treat the customer li5e a Nin( or Kueen7If you do not your competitors will 'eople >uy >enefits >ut want to 5now features

Word of mouth from satisfied customers is the >est advertisin(4 if they are happy they may tell one person4 if they are not they will tell :2 Mar5et on value not price4 savin( the customer time will always >e valued 9our family and your health should always ta5e precedence. Have a pet and (o for wal5s L campin( in the >ush and on the >each. Give up the smo5es and the fast food and drin5 the (ro( sparin(ly. It does no harm to do somethin( silly every now and a(ain4 rela- and (enerally chill out. Get away from the television and read. "aurie "awrence says +@-cellence is no accident, General ?orman SchwarC5opf says +$ailures in leadership are invaria>ly failures in character4 not competence, * mate of mine says +#he trou>le with >usiness is some professionals en(a(e in acts of pu>lic mastur>ation, #o sum up7$*I"B%@ IS ?O# *? O'#IO?

-ac,$round to OHS
#he 12 most important thin(s in a ro>ust safety mana(ement system 1. :. <. 4. 5. !. &. ). Have well developed internal standards of OHS e-cellence. efine what e-cellence in implementation of the standards will loo5 li5e. #rain everyone in the a>ove. Have thorou(h audits of implementation of the standards led >y senior mana(ers. 0omply with statute law as a minimum. @nsure you have hi(hly effective OHS personnel4 often difficult to achieve. @nsure hi(hly effective safety leadership is driven from the top of the or(anisation. Neep safety communications succinct and tar(eted at the needs of the receiver4 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@. /. Involve the relevant sta5eholders in the development of an OHS plan truly applica>le to your needs. 12. Bse industry accident e-perience4 not 8ust your enterprise accident e-perience to (uide action. Have a focus on 0lass 1 personal dama(e. -ehaviour.-ased Safety Many will have you >elieve around /2D or more of accidents are caused >y human >ehavior. I have written elsewhere .uestionin( this assertion4 even if it were true it is unhelpful. My view is that there are a num>er of proponents of 6.6.S. who ma5e outlandish claims a>out the success of the techni.ue without ri(orous research studies to >ac5 up their assertions. Some of the ar(uments for the techni.ue (et emotive. I was associated with 4 6.6.S. implementations that ended up >ein( fiCCers. With the first one the process failed >ecause one of the thin(s the wor5ers were as5ed to do was o>serve and report on their mates >ehaviors. *ustralians do not +do>, in their mates and the process 8ust did not wor5. #he other < implementations were done in the same department at < different sites in the one company and for ! months or so wor5ed very well and a lot was achieved. *t all < sites after ! months or so the process was a>andoned >ecause >oth wor5ers and mana(ement thou(ht it was too much li5e hard wor5 and there was not sufficient return for the effort. My view is that you have to have (ood safety systems and en(ineerin( controls in place >efore you consider introducin( 6.6.S. #here are some safety professionals whose opinion I respect hi(hly who tell me they have had (ood success with upont 6.6.S. systems. I would welcome feed>ac5 from people who have had success with 66S "ole of the safety professional It is interestin( to read 8o> advertisements and see what employers e-pect of OHS personnel. Statements are often made that the OHS person is to >e responsi>le for implementin( and mana(in( OHS. Of course this flies in the face of mana(ement o>li(ations at >oth common and statute law.

Short si(hted companies thin5 they employ safety people and these people will loo5 after safety. #he more pro(ressive companies often do not have many dedicated OHS personnel4 mana(ement and supervisors are so well trained and effective in safety that few dedicated safety personnel are re.uired. Safety personnel should report to the senior officer so the function has some chance of >ein( perceived as >ein( of importance. #he dan(er when you have too many safety people is that line mana(ement (ets the safety people to mana(e safety not themselves. Safety is a line mana(ement function and safety personnel should >e seen as specialist adviser. In their 5eenness many ine-perienced safety personnel (et over involved in doin( safety and ta5e the responsi>ility away from supervision and mana(ement. 6y all means assist them to do their safety 8o> >ut do not do it for them. I recall visitin( one or(aniCation that won a presti(ious industry safety award. #hey had no safety staff4 no health J safety representatives and no safety committee. When .uestioned4 the Mana(in( irector said all employees are our safety officers4 all employees are our health and safety representatives and all employees are on the safety committee. #hey invested considera>ly in trainin( all employees in safety4 a similar approach was ta5en in other functions. #he or(aniCation was the >enchmar5 for the industry in many mana(ement aspects4 interestin(ly they went >ro5e after a>out 5 years operation. I find it difficult to thin5 an OHS person can >e effective if he is not a >it of a stirrer and .uestioner of the status .uo. *lways research issues thorou(hly so you are sure of your facts and >e prepared to stand your (round. #here will >e times when unreasona>le demands are made for you to compromise your safety principles. Safety incentives $or the :2 years I was in the minin( industry we had a variety of safety incentives. #here were stu>>y coolers4 >elt >uc5les4 caps4 8ac5ets4 sports >a(s and so on. *wards were (iven for various periods without a lost time accident4 often a more valua>le priCe was (iven for (reater periods without a lost time accident. *t one 8o> I (ave out stic5ers for 14:4<4 years etc without a lost time accident. 6etween orderin( different stic5ers for each year4 5eepin( trac5 of who was due for a stic5er4 placatin( those who could not (et a stic5er >ecause they had had an accident and supplyin( e-tra stic5ers for peoples collections it suc5ed up a lot of time One of the thin(s we found was OHS people usin( the va(aries of the lost time accident classification system to not count compensa>le in8uries as lost time. We also found the employees came to e-pect the award as 8ust another per5 of employment that had no relationship to safety. #here were occasions when employees were in8ured due to mana(ement failures and they ar(ued they should still (et the award. Inter7mine safety competitions saw amaCin(ly innovative ways of not countin( accidents and (enerally fud(in( the fi(ures. #hese thin(s are also .uite painful to administer. #he .uestion was also raised a>out why people should need L deserve an award for wor5in( safely. #he costs were su>stantial and some people ar(ued the money could >e >etter spent stoppin( personal dama(e occurrences. *t the end of the day I >elieve safety incentives are a distraction and have no place in a safety pro(ram. #here is plenty of literature to support this view.

Lost ime In/ury !re)uency "ate #he "ost #ime In8ury $re.uency %ate is the principal measure of safety performance in many companies in *ustralia. #he definition of ".#.I.$.%. is the num>er of "ost #ime In8uries multiplied >y 1 million divided >y the num>er of man hours wor5ed in the reportin( period * "ost #ime In8ury is a wor5 in8ury or disease where the in8ured party has at least 1 complete day or shift off wor5. ?ote that a fatality and a cut where a person has 1 complete day off wor5 count the same in "ost #ime In8ury terms. #he followin( are my reasons why the ".#.I.$.%. impedes pro(ress in safety. Some safety people cheat li5e hell with their ".#.I.$.%. statistics encoura(ed >y mana(ers with an eye to 5eep their 5ey performance indicators loo5in( (ood. #he more the pressure to 5eep N.'.I.3s loo5in( (ood the more creative the accountin(. Safety people spend inordinate periods of time o>tainin( rulin(s on what to count and how to count it from >odies such as the *ustralian Standards *ssociation. Often answers o>tained are imprecise and the decisions are left to personal opinion Most measures in mana(ement are of achievements rather than failures such as the num>er of "ost #ime *ccidents. #here is a (round swell in the safety movement tal5in( a>out 'ositive 'erformance Measures in safety It is relatively simple to develop measures of what you are doin( ri(ht in safety as opposed to usin( outcome measures such as ".#.I.$.%. I have personal e-perience with a company that a((ressively drove down ".#.I.$.%. to a fraction of its ori(inal rate in a space of a>out : years yet 5illed 11 people in one incident. #he "ost #ime In8ury $re.uency %ate predominates discussions a>out safety performance. How can a company >e proud of a decrease of ".#.I.$.%. from !2 to 12 if there have >een : fatalities and 1 case of paraple(ia amon(st the lost time in8uries? #he ".#.I.$.%. trivialises serious personal dama(e and is a totally inappropriate measure of safety performance. *ll or(anisations have limited resources to devote to safety4 it seems more efficient to prevent one incident resultin( in paraple(ia than to prevent :2 incidents where people have a couple of days off wor5 Fsome will say this comment is heresyG Somewhere in the push to reduce ".#.I3s4 reduce the ".#.I.$.%. and conse.uently achieve (ood ratin(s in safety pro(ramme audits the focus on serious personal dama(e tends to >e lost. %educin( the ".#.I.$.%. is as much a>out introducin( reha>ilitation pro(rammes and ma5in( the place an en8oya>le place to wor5 as it is a>out reduction of personal dama(e. $or further information refer to the ".#.I.$.%. paper on ohschan(e.com %lternatives to the hierarchy of controls #he traditional wisdom when developin( haCard controls is to use the Hierarchy of 0ontrols. #he author3s e-perience is that a >etter result will >e achieved >y usin( either Haddon3s 12 0ountermeasures or the *.0.I.%.". / 6o- Model. #he main advanta(e of these approaches is that it e-pands your options for control

Hazard Control Model Oarious haCard control strate(ies and models have >een developed >y safety professionals over the years. One of the most effective >ut still easiest to apply is that devised >y *merican researcher 6ill Haddon Haddon3s model for haCard control is as followsI 0ountermeasure 1 'revent the marshallin( of the form of ener(y in the first place. e(. %ippin( seams 7 instead of >lastin(4 su>stitution of radiation >in level sources with ultra7sonic level detectors4 usin( water >ased cleaners rather than flamma>le solvents. %educe the amount of ener(y marshalled. e(. %adiation P (au(e source stren(th4 e-plosive store licence re.uirements4 control num>er of (as cylinders in an area 'revent the release of the ener(y. e(. handrails on wor5 stations4 isolatin( procedures4 most interloc5 systems Modifyin( the rate or distri>ution of ener(y when it is released. e(. slope of ramps4 fran(i>le plu(s in (as >ottles4 seat >elts. Separate in space or time the ener(y >ein( released from the suscepti>le person or structure. e(. minimum hei(hts for powerlines4 divided roads4 >lastin( fuse. Interpose a material >arrier to stop ener(y or to attentuate to accepta>le levels. e(. electrical insulation4 personal protective e.uipment4 machinery (uards4 crash >arriers Modify the contact surface >y roundin( or softenin( to minimise dama(e when ener(y contacts suscepti>le >ody. e(. round ed(es on furniture4 >uildin( >umper >ars4 padded dash>oards in cars. Stren(then the structure livin( or non7livin( that would otherwise >e dama(ed >y the ener(y e-chan(e. e(. earth.ua5e and fire resistant >uildin(s4 wei(htliftin(. #o move rapidly to detect and evaluate dama(e and to counter its continuation and e-tension. e(. sprin5ler systems4 emer(ency medical care4 alarm systems of many types. Sta>ilisation of dama(e P lon( term reha>ilitative and repair measure. e(. clean7up procedures4 spill disposal4 physiotherapy

0ountermeasure : 0ountermeasure < 0ountermeasure 4 0ountermeasure 5 0ountermeasure !

0ountermeasure &

0ountermeasure ) 0ountermeasure /

0ountermeasure 12

Note Generally the lar(er the amounts of ener(y involved in relation to the resistance of the structures at ris54 the earlier in the countermeasure se.uence must the strate(y >e selected. In many situations where preventative measures are >ein( considered the application of more than one countermeasure may >e appropriate. 0ountermeasures may >e Qpassive3 in that they re.uire no action on the part of persons4 or Qactive in the sense that they re.uire some action or co7operation on the part of the persons4 perhaps in association with a desi(n related countermeasure Fe(. seat>eltsG. 'assive3 countermeasures tend to >e more relia>le in the lon( term. * short term solution to an immediate pro>lem may re.uire the adoption of an Qactive3 countermeasure e(. tool>osessions on replacin( (uards over a mechanical haCard4 the lon( term or Qpassive3 countermeasure mi(ht >e the fittin( of interloc5s to the (uard so that power is off when the (uard is off. Further reading Haddon4 W QOn the escape of tigers an ecologic note strategy options in reducing losses in energy damaged people and property3 #echnolo(y %eview Massachusetts Institute of #echnolo(y4 &:H&4 4475<4 1/&2. A.C.I.R.L. 9 ox Model #his model says that to have effective control one must have at least one control in each of the >o-es. @-perience in industry su((ests many or(aniCations have many 'revention controls and many 0ontin(ency controls Fnice truc5s with flashin( red li(hts4 first7aid 5its4 trained first7aiders etcG >ut that they are poor at Monitorin( the effectiveness of these controls 'revention @.pt L @n(ineerin( 'rocedures S5illsL0ompetencies Monitorin( 0ontin(ency

0oun$ wor,er safety Wor5in( with youn( people >rin(s uni.ue safety challen(es to the OHS professional4 supervisors and mana(ers. Wor5ers 157:4 have a &5D (reater chance of >ein( 5illed on the 8o>4 often their accidents happen in the first : wee5s of employment. Wor5 in construction4 usin( motor vehicles and movin( machinery is particularly haCardous to youn( people. #hey are still developin( physically and mentally4 lac5 e-perience and are unfamiliar with the demands of wor5. #hey usually will not spea5 up and .uestion what they are as5ed to do. #hey are (enerally unsure of their OHS ri(hts and responsi>ilities. 9oun( wor5ers can find it difficult to fully (rasp ris5s so they may ma5e impulsive decisions. $or some youn( people (ivin( them somethin( physical and L or with their hands to do is a >etter option than activities that re.uire a lot of thou(ht or are otherwise theoretical.

*lthou(h the >rain reaches its full adult wei(ht >y the a(e of :14 it continues to develop for several years. In fact4 a study done >y the ?ational Institutes of Health found that the re(ion of >rain that inhi>its ris5y >ehavior does not fully form until a(e :5. #his is the final sta(e of >rain development. #he sleep hormone melatonin is produced later at ni(ht in youn( people ma5in( it harder to wind down at ni(ht and results in a stru((le to wa5e up in the mornin(. *dolescent >ehaviour can >e associated with ris5 ta5in( and rec5lessness. Some youn( wor5ers will want to impress and this can lead to ris5y >ehaviour. 9oun( males are more prone to ma5e a((ressive responses to a ran(e of situations. Many youn( people are unsure of themselves and will not reveal their inner selves in (roup situations4 wor5in( one on one with them can >e productive however .#hey will often not reveal their uncertainty a>out instructions they have >een (iven. Some youn(er wor5ers are more prone to fati(ue than older wor5ers. *lcohol and L or dru(s can >e a factor. *n important messa(e is to advise them to as5 their supervisor if they are unsure of any aspect of the wor5 they are as5ed to do. If they thin5 the wor5 is haCardous refer to the supervisor and refuse to do it if there is no satisfactory conclusion. #hey need to 5now they should not (et in trou>le for not doin( haCardous wor5. Get them to write down instructions or use a documented safe wor5in( procedure. 6e very specific in your instructions to youn( people. Induction trainin( and (eneral trainin( needs special emphasis for youn( people4 they will not understand common wor5place terms and e.uipment4 detailed chec5s for understandin( are necessary. Supervision of youn( people also re.uires special emphasis. One must allocate appropriate tas5s in line with their e-perience. 'erformance feed>ac5 and usin( positive adult role models is particularly important *llocatin( a coach or mentor to wor5 with them can >e productive. ource! afewor" #ictoria$ %or"cover &. .%. In my research to write the a>ove I found it difficult to o>tain (ood source material4 I would appreciate it if others could advise relevant references. 1ero harm Many companies in *ustralia will proudly tell you they have a ;ero Harm approach to OHS. My understandin(4 from admittedly not widespread research4 is that ;ero Harm approaches are not widespread in other countries. I am told the 0anadians tried it and a>andoned it. * small num>er of companies in *ustralia have >een doin( ;ero Harm for many years >ut it appears to have >een discovered >y a lar(er num>er of or(anisations in more recent years. In recent times I have >een receivin( communications from a senior operational mana(er in a prominent Kld or(anisation ar(uin( stron(ly that ;ero Harm is doin( more harm than (ood. #here have >een papers at some ma8or OHS conferences in recent times .uestionin( the value of ;ero Harm. #here was e-tended discussion on the topic on the Safety Institute

of *ustralia OHS discussion forum some months a(o. I found the paper on this topic on the Intersafe we>7site .uite informative. #he most commonly reported pro>lems with ;ero Harm that I hear reported are7 1. It leads to coverin( up and under reportin( of personal dama(e. :. Inordinate amounts of time4 effort and resources are spent on very minor issues thus ma5in( a moc5ery of the safety mana(ement system ;ero harm is warm4 fuCCy stuff with an emotional appeal4 the trou>le with emotional appeal is it sometimes prevents lo(ical analysis. Some people say Cero harm is a fallacy and the (oals are impossi>le or unachieva>le and there is far too much focus on minor in8uries to the detriment of the serious side of town. I thin5 my ma8or o>8ection to Cero harm is it does not tar(et attention4 effort and limited resources on the serious in8uries where you (et the >i((est >an( for your >uc5. Of course you are also 5iddin( yourself if you thin5 you can actually achieve Cero harm. Goals must >e realistic and not only admira>le. *ustralian safety researcher Geoff Mc onald has a system of classifyin( personal dama(e occurrences F+*ccidents +G that (oes somethin( li5e this7 0lass 17'ermanently alters the future of the individual 0lass :7#emporarily alters the future of the individual 0lass < PInconveniences the individual Geoff has investi(ated many thousand 0lass 1 dama(e occurrences in his career and maintains the most effective way to ma5e meanin(ful pro(ress in safety is >y focusin( on the class 1 phenomena. * study into *ustralia3s personal dama(e e-perience >y the 'roductivity 0ouncil said 1<D of occurrences were 0lass 1 with ):D of the dama(e. ;ero 0lass 1 dama(e is the approach I would ta5e in order to tar(et our efforts and limited resources in the most productive area. Commercial Safety Mana$ement Systems ?o dou>t there are commercial safety mana(ements systems that add value to or(anisation3s safety effort >ut I e-perienced one that was a disaster. #he introduction of the overseas S.M.S. was led a((ressively >y senior mana(ement despite a wor5shop of safety staff re8ectin( the concept. #he first step was a consultant conductin( a series of >riefin(s for mana(ement4 supervisors and wor5ers. #he consultant started tal5in( a>out the thousands of people 5illed in industry in his country and a union rep as5ed him what made him thin5 he could teach us anythin( a>out safety when fatalities in *ustralian industry were much less. It went downhill from there. *t smo5o the 4 senior mana(ers came to me to as5 that the consultant wrap the show up .uic5ly >ecause he was doin( more harm than (ood. I wrote a report on the trainin( session which was not warmly received >y those leadin( the char(e. #he mana(er leadin( the char(e (ot a si(nificant touch up a>out the trainin( at the ne-t senior mana(ers meetin(.

#he safety staff re.uested detail a>out the system >ut it only >ecame apparent when the auditors came to *ustralia and showed us their auditor3s >oo5s. #he detail was 5ept close to the chest prior to that and when it was revealed I did not thin5 it was anythin( earth shatterin(. #here were a few thin(s that were pro>a>ly pretty silly in an *ustralian conte-t. One of my 8o>s was to accompany the auditors on their audits4 a tas5 I did not relish. #he auditor3s >oo5 was their >i>le with little interest in other thin(s. #he auditors were definitely no stars and would have not lasted lon( wor5in( for me. Somewhere alon( the way we had a : wee5 auditor3s course that was woeful. @arly in the piece a meetin( of participants was called to (ive the presenter (uidance on how to do it >etter. I was in the middle of my 6achelor of @ducation F*dult J Wor5place @ducationG and it was o>vious the presenter was ma5in( a num>er of fundamental mista5es. #he system had a num>er of trainin( courses we were re.uired to do as part of the audit process >ut there was si(nificant concern a>out the standard so we flew the trainin( mana(er over from overseas so we could discuss a process for *ustralianisin( their courses. #his was done with considera>le cost and effort. #he system ran a few years in the company >ut died a natural death. @ven if the system had >een technically (ood it was socially and culturally difficult for *ustralia. #he psycholo(ical process of (roup thin5 was evident in the consultants and those leadin( the char(e in the company. Many commented on the arro(ance of the auditors. #he difficulty of usin( a standardised approach without identifyin( the uni.ue needs of or(anisations was emphasised. Since my association with this system I have had dealin(s with a num>er of *ustralian commercial S.M.S *ll suffer from the deficiency of lac5in( a focus on the 0lass 1 personal dama(e occurrence phenomenon. #he followin( are my o>servations on the a>ove systems7 #hey usually loc5 you into havin( audits with their auditors at considera>le cost Some loc5 you into specified trainin( with their trainers at considera>le cost *ll adopt a standardised approach where it is difficult to accommodate the uni.ue identified needs of or(anisations "a( indicators of safety performance rather than lead indicators tend to >e used. My e-perience is that some have had poor .uality auditors Generally costs are hi(h

Ma/or mista,es I have seen made in implementin$ OHS #he >i((est mista5e is mana(ement and supervision ma5in( decisions a>out safety without input from the wor5force. 6ear in mind some are not interested in contri>utin(4 (ive them the opportunity >ut do not force them. "ac5 of mana(ement demonstrated commitment4 leadership and drive from the top of the or(anisation. #oo much concentration on la( indicators such as the "ost #ime In8ury $re.uency %ate at the e-pense of leadin( indicators.

#hin5in( minor personal dama(e is a (ood predictor of life7alterin( personal dama(e. ?ot usin( the continuous improvement philosophy and other facets of Kuality Mana(ement in your safety approach. "ac5 of succinct paperwor5. #here is not much point in havin( detailed paperwor5 that is too much li5e hard wor5 to read. 6ear in mind however your paper wor5 needs to >e detailed enou(h to >e defensi>le in court. Bsin( theory instead of real world approaches7Whatever you do reality test it with the wor5force first. I(norin( +When implementin( chan(e7%emem>er4 people support what they create, ?ot usin( face to face communications whenever possi>le. 0ommunicatin( chan(e with the wor5force use the supervisor not senior mana(ement4 use face to face communications and frame communications relevant to the immediate wor5 area and processes. ?ot trainin( formal and informal leaders in Safety "eadership. Bsin( enterprise +accident, e-perience to (uide action rather than industry ta-onomies of permanently life7alterin( personal dama(e. 'uttin( too much emphasis on the ris5 ratin(s from ris5 assessments4 the reality is that a lot of ris5 assessment is very su>8ective. Spendin( too much time in the office instead of the field where the action is happenin(. 'or further guidance refer to the free e!boo" on ohschange.com.au he tou$hest safety assi$nment I have had Geor(e (ets a call from a mana(ement consultant4 can I commit a >it of time to review a company3s Safety Mana(ement System? Said yes and was told : of the company directors want to meet me >efore (oin( ahead. I thin5 they must ta5e safety seriously if the directors want to meet me4 >i( mista5eA *m there a wee5 or so and they present me with 5 'rohi>ition ?otices and a>out <: Improvement ?otices4 these are overdue for a response to the re(ulator. *>out :2 of the Improvement notices are a>out confined space wor54 they >uild >i( steel tan5s. I discovered the mana(ement style of the or(anisation was very autocratic. #he wor5ers were e-pected to follow the orders of mana(ement without .uestion or discussion. #he or(anisation had massive turnover4 what happens when you treat your people li5e crap. I loo5 at the relevant le(islation and relevant *ustralian Standard4 wor5 with the health J safety representative4 tal5 to the >lo5es4 o>serve practice and do an audit. #hey have confined space wor5in( procedures that cover possi>ly 52D of the re.uirements >ut even these are not >ein( followed. In tal5in( to the >lo5es who do the wor5 I hear stories of >lo5es >ein( overcome >y fume and havin( to >e dra((ed out of the confined space.

My audit report detailed the many areas where practice was not meetin( le(islative and *ustralian Standard re.uirements. In my innocence I thou(ht my audit would (alvanise mana(ement into action. When I realised my audit had little impact I convinced the director in char(e of the wor5shop to (et an outside consultant to do an audit. #hey did a very thorou(h 8o> and as e-pected slammed the or(anisation. #here was (rud(in( acceptance from mana(ement that there was possi>ly a need for minor wor5. #he reality was that a ma8or overhaul was re.uired. I came under a fair >it of pressure from mana(ement to pull my head in and >ac5 off on the matter. Meantime the Mana(in( irector comes >ac5 from overseas and is a(hast that I have spent a few (rand on an e-ternal audit. I suspect he is (ettin( a filtered version of events from the directors who do not wish to admit what a mess thin(s are in. We have a safety committee meetin( where I report on the consultant3s audit. #he Mana(in( irector fou(ht me every inch of the way and tried to (et me to >ac5 down. He (ot .uite an(ry >ecause he was not used to people stic5in( to their (uns when he opposed them. I advised the M. . to tal5 to his solicitors and he would find out I was ri(ht. *fter the meetin( one of the safety officers said he had never seen anyone stand up to the Mana(in( irector the way I did. eadly silence for a couple of wee5s and then the M. . >ounces into my office all 5een to ma5e the chan(es4 we all rec5oned he had >een to see his solicitors. One of the directors said it was the >i((est turnaround he had ever seen in the M. . I (ot the approval to ma5e the re.uired chan(es >ut it was li5e pullin( teeth >ecause of mana(ement reluctance. I finally (ot somethin( reasona>ly accepta>le >ut hell it was hard wor5. I was later told I was a >it of a hero to the wor5ers as they had >een tryin( to (et the chan(es made for a couple of years. 6etween a num>er of Improvement ?otices4 a review of le(islation4 a review of the relevant *ustralian Standard4 my audit and an e-ternal audit I have never >een on firmer (rounds to ma5e safety recommendations. I was lied to4 treated li5e an idiot and pressure was applied to ma5e me >ac5 down. It would have >een very easy to wal5 away >ut that would continue to put the wor5ers at ris5. $or the first time in many years as an OHS professional I found it necessary to spea5 to the re(ulator a>out my e-periences. I am aware the company has >een the su>8ect of : @nforcea>le Bnderta5in(s since I left How to have an effective safety committee Introdu!tion Safety committees are much mali(ned and often ineffective. #hey can easily deni(rate to a whin(e7fest and end up coverin( topics that should >e dealt with on a routine4 every day >asis. #here is a tendency to save issues up to a committee meetin( rather than action strai(htaway. #here is also a tendency to deal with minor issues. 1. Have a well developed charter for the committee4 searchin( educational institution and (overnment department we> sites will find some (ood e-amples. :. #rain mem>ers in their roles and responsi>ilities. <. eal mainly with su>stantive issues4 (ive the committee a meaty 8o> to do. 4. 0arryin( out a force field analysis F%efer ohschan(e.com.auG with the committee can >e very valua>le.

5. * (ood way to use the committee is to have them do the le( wor5 to recommend ma8or chan(e to senior mana(ement. !. 'roduce succinct minutes. &. @nsure people are (iven the necessary time to attend meetin(s and carry out necessary tas5s4 this is a common failure with committees. ). #he OHS professional often ends up >ein( the chairperson4 much >etter to have someone with mana(ement horsepower so decisions can >e made on the spot. /. *n occasional (uest spea5er will liven the show up. 12. Su>stantive discussion and decisions must >e feed>ac5 to the wor5force. 11. o not ta5e yourself too seriously. 1:. 0ele>rate success. 1<. %e.uire mem>ers to do their homewor5 14. 6e conscious of Group7#hin5 F"oo5 the term up on Goo(le if you are not familiar with itG 15. 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@4 0OMMB?I0*#@ %emem>er that mana(ement must respond positively to well researched recommendations from the committee Common law 0ommon law is not applica>le in all states in *ustralia >ut in states where it is4 educatin( supervisors and mana(ers in it can >rin( additional >enefit to your safety mana(ement system. The Com"lian!e with Common Law #in states where a""li!a$le% #here are four >asic duties under common law I 1. :. <. 4. #o provide and maintain competent staff. #o provide and maintain a safe place of wor5. #o provide and maintain safe plant and appliances. #o provide and maintain a safe system of wor5 R F a system means (enerally the way thin(s are doneG

#he a>ove duties contain few words >ut the meanin( is .uite si(nificant. #he employer really has to do everythin( reasona>ly and practically that he can do. Many would su((est he then has to (o a few e-tra steps. Mana(ers and supervisors really need to >e trained in common law duties to fully realise the impact of this important area on how they mana(e safety. * way I found successful to train supervisors and mana(ers was for me to tal5 a>out common law from the safety perspective for a>out <2 minutes and then have the company solicitor to tal5 from the le(al perspective for a>out the same period of time F9ou have to >e careful the solicitor does not (et too technicalG We then had a moc5 court with half the participants presentin( the case for a seriously in8ured employee and half the participants defendin( the employer. #he solicitor was the 8ud(e and the employer usually loses F%efer to the paper 0ommon "aw "ia>ility on ohschan(e.com.auG

Safety -enchmar,in$ Over a 14 month period in 1//4 75 6H' Minerals carried out an e-tensive international safety >enchmar5in( e-ercise with +>est in safety class, companies throu(hout the world which cost many millions. :5 locations throu(hout the world participated in the study. *n appro-imate 122 pa(e report on findin(s has >een pu>lished. #he followin( were recurrin( themes in the world3s >est safety performers. 1. @-ecutive mana(ement provides the impetus for safety performance. #his means that senior mana(ement is not only committed to and supports safety4 >ut that it insists on safety performance in a manner that is clearly understood and echoed at all levels. :. Mana(ement focus is a 5ey to .uality safety performance. R1 J : a>ove were seen as 5ey factors <. @-istence of a company7wide framewor5 or systematic4 standardised approach to safety. #he approach has performance standards that receive re(ular internal and e-ternal audits. 4. O>8ectives are set and or(anisations wor5 towards set tar(ets for implementation of the o>8ectives. 5. Safety personnel report in at the hi(hest level in the or(anisations. #hey have mainly an advisory function. Mana(ement and supervision drives the safety pro(ram not the safety personnel. !. @ffective safety trainin( tar(eted to identified needs at all levels. Induction trainin( and detailed safety trainin( for supervisors and mana(ers was hi(h on the priority list. %e(ular safety meetin(s were seen as important. &. *ctive personal involvement of senior mana(ement personnel in the safety pro(ram. ). Safety is considered in performance evaluations of all staff. /. %e(ular4 detailed audits of the safety mana(ement system. 12. $ormal approaches to haCard identification and ris5 analysis4 employees were fully involved in this. 11. $ormal emer(ency response procedures that were practiced and audited. 1:. #he >est in class addressed contractor safety >efore contractors were allowed on site4 they pre7.ualified them >ased on safety and made safety performance a contract condition. 0ontractors were e-pected to perform at the same safety level as permanent employees.

1<. Hi(h on the list of the ways the >est in class >uilt safety awareness were mana(ement participation and leadership4 dissemination of information4 safety meetin(s and rewards or reco(nition of performance. 14. Safety is a condition of employment and dismissals occur for non7performance. 15. Well7mana(ed reha>ilitation pro(rams are in place. 1!. #he >est in class use medical e-aminations and testin( to ensure fitness for duty. 1&. #here were @.*.'.s in place. 1). #here were off the 8o> safety pro(rams. 1/. #here was an emphasis on vehicle L plant maintenance and driver L operator trainin( pro(rams. :2. #here were e-tensive ''@ trainin(4 maintenance and audit pro(rams. :1. "oc57out procedures were used instead of ta(7out. ::. 6est in class mana(ers and supervisors respond positively to safety issues that are raised. :<. 6est in class supervisors are responsi>le for safety auditin(4 investi(atin( personal dama(e occurrences FaccidentsG4 planned 8o> o>servations and trainin(. :4. *ll levels in the or(anisation ma5e decisions that reflect the philosophy +Safety first7 'roduction will follow,. It is su((ested Safety Mana(ement Systems >e >uilt around the a>ove >enchmar5in( findin(s.

OHS tools for mana$in$ safety

2o3 Safety %nalysis =o> Safety *nalysis F=.S.*.G is a simple yet hi(hly effective techni.ue that is under7utilised in industry. =.S.*. should >e used with !riti!al tas5s7 Hi(h ris5 tas5s #as5s with an incident history ?ew tas5s

=.S.*. is >ased on the principle that any 8o> or tas5 can >e separated into a set of relatively simple steps and that the haCards associated with each step can >e identified. Solutions to control haCards at each step can then >e developed and written into safe wor5in( procedures. #he advanta(es of =.S.*. are 1. S.W.'.3s can >e developed for s5ills trainin( and use on the 8o> :. evelopin( =.S.*.3s helps to raise the safety awareness of wor5ers <. *ssists in ma5in( o>servations of safe >ehaviour 4. Involves wor5ers in the safety pro(ramme in a relevant4 meanin(ful manner &.'.A. Te!hni(ue)'ummary 1. :. <. 4. 5. !. Select the 8o> or tas5 to >e analysed Separate the 8o> into its >asic steps Identify all the haCards L potential losses associated with each step @valuate your options for haCard L loss control action @sta>lish controls for each haCard or other potential loss area 'repare a Safe Wor5 'rocedure

$or further information see the =o> Safety *nalysis paper >y this author under OHS articles on ohschan(e.com.au Geor$e*s down to earth advice to safety representatives and safety committee mem3ers I have >een wor5in( in OHS for nearly 4 decades and in that time have >een stuffed around >y OHS professionals4 employers4 employees4 unions4 (overnment4 employer associations and educators. I have developed a fair >it of cynicism a>out how fair din5um the various parties are a>out safety. *t the ris5 of >ein( crucified4 castrated and thrown out of the safety clu> I have to say I have a philosophical o>8ection to the need for safety representatives and safety committees. I >elieve if or(anisations have their involvement and communications mechanisms wor5in( properly there is no real need for these safety mechanisms. Of course I realise this ideal situation rarely e-ists.

$rom my study in mana(ement of or(anisational chan(e I have adopted the motto +When initiatin( chan(e7%emem>er7'eople support what they create, Widespread communication4 involvement and participation is essential for effective health4 safety J environment chan(e. I have to tell you a num>er of the so7called OHS professionals I have wor5ed with would not have the competency to ma5e the lamin(tons for the school fete. #he idea that safety is the num>er one priority of a company is crap and anyone who tells you this is playin( with himself4 ma5in( money is the prime reason companies e-ist. @nterin( on the OHS >attlefield is not for the faint7hearted and is not easy. 9ou have to present well thou(ht out and researched ar(uments and accept you will often (et an unreasona>le response. Some of the people you end up dealin( with are >loody7minded with little interest in the wor5ers welfare. @lsewhere I have (iven some thou(hts on how to have an effective safety committee so for the rest of this I will concentrate on the role of the safety representative. Ma5e sure you are trained in your role and responsi>ilities. Have a wee5ly inspection of your area of responsi>ility. $amiliarise yourself with company safety policies and procedures. #ry to 5eep the OHS professional on side4 If they are any (ood they should >e a source of assistance. It is easy in safety matters to ta5e an emotional approach4 often a well researched ar(ument with financial 8ustification is re.uired. ependin( on the industrial climate in your or(anisation will determine how useful (ettin( unions involved in safety disputes is. If you have a solid ar(ument stic5 to your (uns and show no si(ns of wea5ness. o not >e afraid to tell your fellow wor5ers when they are fallin( down on safety4 >y the same to5en communicate your e-pectations to mana(ement. If your first attempt to introduce chan(e fails4 analyse the situation and wor5 smarter ne-t time

"is, assessment tips #he ris5 mana(ement process consists of haCard identification4 ris5 assessment and haCard control. Some people tend to (et fi-ated on the ris5 assessment part and do not place enou(h emphasis on haCard control. 'ersonally I find Haddon3s 12 countermeasures more useful than the hierarchy of controls when developin( controls %is5 assessment is the cornerstone of many or(anisations approach to OHS. #he reality is that it can >e a very su>8ective process and an over7concentration on ris5 scores can mislead >adly. #he traditional wisdom for simple ris5 assessments is to use a matri- consistin( of 'ro>a>ility and 0onse.uence or 'ro>a>ility4 0onse.uence and @-posure. I prefer the latter method developed >y $ine. #he followin( tips are (iven to improve the efficiency of the ris5 assessment process7 %eplicate the situation you are assessin( as accurately as possi>le Bse a team approach4 a>out 5 people seems a wor5a>le num>er @nsure team mem>ers are hi(hly e-perienced in the ris5s >ein( assessed.

%eality chec5 the ris5 assessment with the wor5force @nsure team mem>ers are trained in ris5 assessment Have developed ris5 assessments reviewed >y an appropriately .ualified and e-perienced4 o>8ective third party

%ccident investi$ation summary #he term accident is an emotionally laden term that implies >lame. I prefer to use the term personal dama(e occurrence. 'ummary o* the "ersonal damage o!!urren!e in+estigation "ro!ess 'rovide first7aid and medical care to in8ured persons and ma5e the site safe @nsure @mer(ency %esponse 'lans are activated %eport the event as re.uired >y local re(ulations and site procedures. Secure the site until the or(anisation3s and re(ulator3s investi(ation is complete. ?otify ne-t of 5in Investi(ate and report essential factors. Have relevant persons si(n a written statement Bse open .uestions. #a5e heaps of photos from many an(les It may >e appropriate to develop a s5etch or dia(ram #a5e samples4 ta( J preserve them o not move evidence Identify the people involved and isolate and separate them. Interviews at >oth the scene and a .uiet place will pro>a>ly >e re.uired. It is essential to put those >ein( interviewed at ease It may >e necessary to recreate the incident with due re(ard to safety %eport the findin(s evelop a plan for short7 and lon(7term corrective action isseminate 5ey learnin(s to sta5eholders Implement the corrective action plan O>tain si(n7off >y mana(ement @valuate the effectiveness of the corrective action Ma5e chan(es for continuous improvement ?otify other sections of the or(anisation and your industry a>out the circumstances of the incident.

%uditin$ OHS systems #here is some confusion in practice >etween the terms inspection and audit4 I distin(uish >etween the two >y sayin( you inspect thin(s and you audit systems. Or(anisations that are successful at Occupational Health and Safety have re(ular comprehensive internal and e-ternal audits where OHS standards are introduced. What e-cellence in implementation of the standards would loo5 li5e should >e defined and people trained in this. * detailed set of audit .uestions4 >ased on the fore7(oin( should >e developed as well as a detailed set of auditin( (uidelines. #he roles of auditors should also >e defined. Sites to >e audited should >e >riefed on the auditin( (uidelines and auditors on the audit .uestions and auditin( (uidelines. * series of annual @-ecutive Safety *udits should >e introduced at the various sites with an audit team led >y a senior mana(er to (ive

the process si(nificant mana(ement horsepower. * .uality assurance approach where ?0% F?on7compliance reportsG are issued should >e used and formal processes introduced to follow7up on audit recommendations. Whatever paperwor5 you produce4 >e succinct. *uditin( documentation tends to (et unwieldy and difficult to use in practice. * method of ratin( findin(s must >e used. ?eed an openin( meetin( with sta5eholders4 includin( senior mana(ement. #he auditin( process must >e e-plained. ?eed a closin( meetin( with sta5eholders4 includin( senior mana(ement to discuss findin(s and allow re>uttal. Some or(anisations li5e to have all supervisors and health J safety representatives at this meetin(. ?eed a written report with a concise mana(ement summary. * physical inspection of the wor5place will identify safety system deficiencies. ?eed to e-amine the safety +paper trail,. It is essential that the (uidelines to implement whatever standard you are auditin( a(ainst are well pu>licised and a(reed to >eforehand as well as the auditin( process a(reed to. 6e prepared for people to lie to you. 6e prepared for people to (enuinely thin5 an issue was addressed when it was not. *s5 for solid evidence to >ac5 up people3s assertions.

4on OHS tools for mana$in$ safety

Safety communications #here is not much point havin( an e-cellent safety messa(e if you cannot (et it across to the sta5eholders. 0ommunications failure is a ma8or impediment to success in safety. #he world of safety is famous for well7meanin(4 ponderous4 (lossy pu>lications that no one really 5nows a>out4 cares a>out or uses. Safety communications are also famous for the use of +weasel7words,. +Weasel7words, promise a lot >ut deliver little. +When readin( your correspondence the reader must say +Wow, in the first third of the pa(e, +When listenin( to your presentation the listener must say +Wow, within the first < minutes, #he followin( tips are (iven to enhance communications7 1. Bse face7to7face communications whenever possi>le :. Bse the supervisor to communicate whenever possi>le <. $rame messa(es relevant to the immediate wor5 area not some o>scure corporate (oal 4. *void mana(ement road shows to communicate ma8or chan(e4 a lot of the wor5ers will see it as propa(anda and a >it of a wan5 5. *im to >e succinct in >oth written and ver>al communication4 there is no need to wade throu(h a whole pile of superficial detail to (et to the essential messa(e. $or routine correspondence aim for 1 pa(e4 : pa(es ma-imum !. Stic5 to the must 5nows &. Bse photo(raphs4 dia(rams4 flow7charts etc. to illustrate main points. ). Important written communications must always >e followed up >y a face7to7face meetin( /. o not >e surprised if your e7mail messa(es are mis7interpreted 12. Bse active listenin( and .uestionin( to .uic5ly identify relevant issues 11. 'rovide detailed feed>ac5 see5in( confirmation as re.uired 1:. 0ommunications must >e tar(eted at the needs of the audience4 8ar(on must >e avoided and one must >e conscious of >ody lan(ua(e 1<. 6e clear a>out your (oal and communicate this to the reader 14. @-plain what you want the receiver to do 15. @sta>lish your credi>ility early up 1!. Have someone proof read your wor5. 1&. Have an e-ecutive summary with ma8or reports 1). Bse short sentences and scanna>le para(raphs 1/. ?ever send when an(ry4 >i( temptation with e7mails :2. If possi>le write a draft4 sleep on it and proof read the ne-t day. If you have a few days (race write the draft and (o >ac5 to it at least once every day :1. *lways spell7chec5 ::. Have a stron( openin( and conclusion Safety culture * (ood safety culture is an elusive thin( those responsi>le for safety mana(ement systems stru((le to achieve. 0ulture is often defined as +#he way we do thin(s around here,. Schein F1//2G defines or(anisational culture as the system of shared >eliefs and values that develops within an or(anisation and (uides the >ehaviour of its mem>ers.

Senior mana(ers are the 5ey to a successful safety culture. * true safety culture is esta>lished when safety is valued as hi(hly as productivity. Mana(ers and supervisors need to >e held accounta>le for safety in the same manner as production. "i5e many thin(s in safety and >usiness (enerally4 leadership is the 5ey. How to improve safety culture 1. evelopment of a ro>ust Safety Mana(ement System (uided >y the lessons from the paper +What Ma5es a Safety Mana(ement System $ly, under OHS articles on ohschan(e.com.au :. Bsin( industry data on 0lass 1 personal dama(e occurrences to (uide your safety efforts <. %ecruitment4 selection and retention of safety7focused staff 4. @-cellent leadership L >uild trust >etween all levels of personnelL %ewards for e-cellent performance and lesser rewards for those that are really tryin( 5. @-cellent teamwor5 !. @-cellent communications4 employees really value face to face communications from their supervisor &. %ole modellin( >y supervisors and mana(ers is important ). 0learly defined responsi>ilities and accounta>ilities that are reinforced /. %e(ular4 ri(orous audits of 5ey functions 12. Short4 succinct written procedures for 5ey tas5s Fuse dia(rams4 pictures4 flow7charts wherever possi>leG 11. Written mana(ement plans for 5ey performance areas 1:. 6enchmar5in( a(ainst the e-cellent performers 1<. @-cellent learnin( pro(rammes (uided >y a detailed "earnin( ?eeds *nalysis Note $or further detail refer to the paper +Safety culture and how to improve it + under OHS articles on ohschan(e.com.au $eferences Schein @.41//24Organi(ational Culture4 *merican 'sycholo(ist4 vol 454no.: 4pp12/71/ Interpersonal s,ills When interviewin( OHS professionals many interviewers focus on their technical s5ills. $ran5ly I thin5 communications and interpersonal s5ills are much more important than technical s5ills. 9ou can >e really >ri(ht4 you can >e hi(hly .ualified and trained4 you can >e well read >ut if you cannot (et on well with people and influence them to chan(e4 you will >e a waste of space as an OHS professional. I adopt a philosophy that +'eople Support What #hey 0reate, "ots of communication4 discussion and identification of needs will (ive you the >uy in you need. * >it of humour never (oes astray.*? please (et to the point and do not (ive e-cessive detail. $ocus on the >enefits of initiatives to the other person. When interactin( with others you need to try to see the situation from the other person3s perspective and focus on What is in it for me from their view. #he followin( < techni.ues are invalua>le7

A""ro"riate 'el*),is!losure 9ou will find in a new relationship if you reveal a little >it of you Fprovided it is appropriateGthe other party will reveal a little >it of themFprovided it is appropriateG4 if you then reveal a little >it more of youFprovided it is appropriateG they will reveal a little >it more of them Fprovided it is appropriateG4 and so the cycle (oes on. #his is very simple4 incredi>ly effective and I use it all the time to >uild relationships. Of course if you really han( all your dirty washin( out it will pro>a>ly stuff up the process. Re*le!ti+e Listening #his is a very powerful techni.ue to (et to the core >eliefs of those around you. Someone says somethin(4 you may say +If I understand you properly you thin5 -, 4this (ives the other party the opportunity to e-pand on their view or +0orrect me if I am wron( >ut I thin5 you are sayin( y, #he formula #here will >e times others do thin(s that annoy you4 often they will have what they thin5 are (ood reasons for what they are doin( and they will have no idea they are annoyin( you. * (ood formula for these situations is to e-press your feelin(s as follows7 +When you *4 I feel 64 >ecause 04 and I would li5e you to do 4 >ecause @, #he only person who 5nows how you feel is you and most people will not 5now how you feel and many will >e happy to ad8ust their >ehaviour accordin(ly. If this does not happen at least you have the >asis for on(oin( discussion. I su((est all safety professionals read up on these techni.ues4 it can ma5e your life much easierA Team)$uilding How to have effective teamsI Set clear (oals Set clear o>8ectives for measurin( effectiveness efine communications mechanisms efine decision ma5in( processes etermine team mem>ership *ssi(n a leader 'lan team7>uildin( activities Monitor and report on pro(ress 0ele>rate success

$or further information see #eam one7pa(er and #eam7>uildin( wor5shop on ohschan(e.com.au -**e!ti+e listening #he OHS professional attends many meetin(s4 facilitates a lot of learnin( and (enerally converses with a lot of people4 often what is not said is as important as what is said. 6ein( a (ood reader of >ody lan(ua(e is essential to (et to the core of meanin(. @ffective listenin( is a vital s5ill.

@ffective communication e-ists >etween : people when the process of interpretin( and understandin( the sender3s messa(e is the same way the sender intended it. Sources of difficulty >y the sender7 #oo low to >e heard *ccent o>scures clarity $or(ettin( the purpose 6ody lan(ua(e contradicts the ver>al messa(e Sources of difficulty >y the listener 6ein( pre7occupied "istenin( mainly for an openin( to (et the floor "ettin( your personal >eliefs interfere with the messa(e =ud(in( the spea5er ?ot as5in( for clarification

#he : >est types of listenin( are7 Attentive 9ou are (enuinely interested in the communication4 try hard to understand and actively listen. $eflective 9ou re7state or paraphrase the messa(e as you understand it and reflect >ac5 for verification and amplification. %eflective listenin( is a core counsellin( techni.ue. .eeds analysis * ma8or lesson in my professional life is that whatever is done in OHS must >e preceded >y a thorou(h needs analysis. #he perceptions on needed chan(e that mana(ers4 supervisors and wor5ers have must >e incorporated in the chan(e process. #here must >e or(anised processes in place to surface these perceptions. .eeds Analysis /ro0e!t)1eneri! A""roa!h Identify sta5eholders Separate sta5eholder3s needs from their wants efine the o>8ective of the pro8ect or wor5 to >e carried out and facilitate a force7field analysis Identify pro8ect ris5s efine current state efine desired state @-plore how important the (ap is What is the cause of the (ap What are the solutions to close the (ap What are the >enefits of the solutions What are the costs L commitment of the solutions What are the ris5s of the proposed solutions How do you measure success

R#hrou(hout define 'hases L *ctivities L Milestones L #ar(ets of the pro8ect %efer to +Safety 'ro8ect Steps, on ohschan(e.com.au for more detail. Continuous Im"ro+ement

0ontinuous improvement is a lon(7term >usiness strate(y to improve your >usiness in terms of customer value and satisfaction4 .uality4 speed to mar5et4 fle-i>ility and reduced cost. One of the principal o>8ectives of continuous improvement is to increase the s5ills and capacities of all the or(anisation3s employees so they can effectively en(a(e in pro>lem solvin(. Author&s e'perience with (ontinuous Improvement ) *uality +anagement While the author was employed in a senior OHS role with a ma8or *ustralian or(anisation he was involved in implementation of a ro>ust approach to 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement. Some of the initiatives were7 0ustomers were spo5en to in order to define what the customers wanted from the or(anisation. #he wor5 necessary to ensure success in meetin( customer needs was identified. How to carry out the wor5 necessary for success was defined. etailed wor5 instructions and wor5in( procedures were developed for core tas5s necessary for success. * document control system was introduced. *ll employees received trainin( in 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement. 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement champions were appointed in ma8or departments. * senior mana(er was appointed to lead the 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement effort. #here were re(ular audits of the 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement system. *ll employees were actively encoura(ed to .uestion the efficiency of the wor5 they did and su((est continuous improvement initiatives. #here were re(ular meetin(s and other communications a>out the 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement. *n e-tremely a((ressive approach to up(radin( employee s5ills in all areas was em>ar5ed upon after an e-haustive learnin( needs analysis.

Since leavin( this or(anisation the author has wor5ed in or(anisations that have had no 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement systems or systems4 that while they have had their systems pass certification audits4 do not really have a continuous improvement philosophy. Some of the thin(s he has noticed in these or(anisation are7 0ustomers4 >oth internal and e-ternal4 complain that their needs are not >ein( met. Wor5 processes are dependent on the 5nowled(e of individuals rather than defined procedures. When $red (oes on lon( service leave for < months the or(anisation stru((les >ecause how to do some of the thin(s $red does are only 5nown >y $red. #he >ureaucracy and >ull7shit swamps the or(anisation and impedes efficient operation. 0ommunication is confused and inefficient. %esponsi>ilities are unclear. @mployees mutter a>out how ineffective some of the wor5 they do is and their efforts to improve thin(s with their supervisors fall on deaf ears. 'olitics rather than efficiency shape practice.

#hose who .uestion procedure and practice .uic5ly learn this is not an approach received favoura>ly >y mana(ement. @mployees tal5 to others who do similar wor5 and realise there are >etter ways of doin( thin(s. Some of the wor5force are un7empowered and dissatisfied with their lot. Mana(ement is perceived as >ein( remote from the real needs of the >usiness and not interested in the thou(hts of the employees. #he learnin( function is under7developed and attendance at learnin( is (uided >y un7 structured approaches rather than thorou(h learnin( needs analysis.

#he author3s o>servation is that many or(anisations have 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement systems that are only partially enacted and do not reap all the >enefits to >e (ained from these systems . 2uestion In these economic times can your >usiness survive without a continuous improvement philosophy? Re"ort writing OHS professionals write many reports4 read many reports and as5 others to prepare reports for them. * ma8or sin is lon( ram>lin( reports that do not (et to the point .uic5ly and succinctlyA 'repare succinct reports yourself and ma5e it clear that your e-pectation is that others do li5ewise. If you receive a lon( report as5 the author for a succinct summary of the ma8or points. Often people 8ust want to 5now what has to >e done and why and can do without all the paddin(. ?eed to consider your audience7'ersonal style4 technical >ac5(round4 formality and their li5ely attitude to your communication. Generally a team approach to preparin( your report has advanta(es4 put a fair >it of wor5 into definin( the scope of your report. Bse relevant means of (atherin( necessary data. Search the internet >ut >e certain of your source4 e-periments4 surveys4 interviews4 .uestionnaires. raft4 set aside after (et comments on the draft and re7draft. Spell chec5 and (et at least one other person to edit the final. Structure $ront70over4 title4 introduction4 contents pa(e4 list of illustrations4 a>stract or e-ecutive summary. %eport >ody4 discussion4 conclusions4 recommendations. @nd4 references4 appendices. 'ictures4 dia(rams4 s5etches and flow charts can have a powerful impact and save a lot of written words. Bse short words and short sentences and avoid 8ar(on4 use concrete rather than a>stract terms. #ry to present >oth sides of the case. 6e succinct4 >usy people do not have time to write waffle that others are too >usy to read. 6ear in mind however your paper wor5 needs to >e detailed enou(h to >e defensi>le in court. $ollow up an important report with face7to7face communication or a presentation.

#he a>ove is adapted from +%riting and Presenting )eports, >y 6 @unson which is well worth a read.

Change management Implementin( OHS mana(ement systems is essentially a>out chan(e mana(ement. #he OHS professional who learns a>out chan(e mana(ement will have a >etter chance of >ein( effective. 0han(e has >een around a lon( time. #he only thin( constant in >usiness is chan(e. +I cannot say whether thin(s will (et >etter if we chan(e4 what I can say is that they must chan(e if they are to (et >etter, F*eorg Christoph Licthenstein$ +,-2!+,..G r. M. Wil5inson puts chan(e into perspective when he says +Or(anisational chan(e is a (eneric >ody of 5nowled(e that is applica>le across the >oard >ut only when conte-tualised into the particular wor5place within the culture and people characteristics and professions etc. of the situation Lwor5places, #oday3s enterprise must >e a>le to react .uic5ly to e-ternal chan(e while mana(in( internal chan(e effectively. #echnolo(y is openin( up new doors4 thus addin( to the potential for stress. #hose who survive and thrive will >e those who can adapt to the chan(es. 0han(e can >e e-citin(4 a welcome relief from the monotonous tedium of daily life and it may open new doors. On the other hand chan(e may mar5 the >oundaries of the comfort Cone4 >eyond which lies un5nown territory full of nasty surprises4 si(nposts leadin( to hard wor5 ahead and holdin( the real possi>ility of final failure. @mployees often resist chan(es which diminish s5ill re.uirements in 8o>s4 personal status4 authority4 power or influence4 personal or 8o> security4 remuneration4 wor5place communication and opportunities for social interaction. #hey also resist chan(es which are forced on them4 are not fully understood4 affect accepted ways of doin( thin(s4 violate >ehavioural norms4 disrupt esta>lished social relationships4 ma5e people feel ineffective or incompetent or e-pose personal wea5nesses. Wood outlines several or(anisational chan(e principles 1. :. <. 4. honesty is critical durin( or(anisational chan(e without 5nowled(e of or(anisational chan(e aims people can not participate or(anisational chan(e is unsettlin( for most people when people participate in definin( or(anisational chan(e o>8ectives the more they will >e comforta>le (ettin( results 5. people value reco(nition for their chan(e mana(ement endeavours more than material reward !. traditional cultures do not reco(nise or respect mature individuality yet chan(e mana(ement e-pects people to >ehave li5e adults &. or(anisational chan(e cannot >e effective without the full commitment of every person involved in the chan(e ). it is the people3s >ehaviour durin( or(anisational chan(e lin5ed to clearly defined values that promote the chan(e mana(ement process /. team wor5 and interpersonal relationship are fundamental if the chan(e mana(ement process is to >e successful 12. for unity to >e maintained durin( the chan(e mana(ement process people need a clearly defined shared vision of the chan(e aim 11. or(anisational chan(e is more effective when people are empowered and (iven the time needed to >uild .uality into the chan(e process 1:. or(anisational chan(e needs individual >ehaviour and attitude chan(e

1<. to achieve individual >ehaviour and attitude chan(e first the or(anisational chan(e of culture must occur 14. the chan(e mana(ement process must inspire and motivate people if it does then or(anisations enhance productivity Notter spea5s a>out the ) steps for successful lar(e7scale chan(e. 1. Increase ur(ency7#hose who are successful in chan(e >e(in their wor5 >y creatin( a sense of ur(ency amon( relevant people :. 6uild the (uidin( team7With ur(ency turned up the more successful chan(e a(ents pull to(ether a (uidin( team with the credi>ility4 s5ills4 connections4 reputations and formal authority re.uired to provide chan(e leadership. <. Get the vision ri(ht7#he (uidin( team creates sensi>le4 clear4 upliftin( visions and sets of strate(ies. 4. 0ommunicate for >uy7in70ommunication of the vision and strate(ies comes ne-t7 simple heart7felt messa(es sent throu(h many unclo((ed channels. eeds are more important than words. Sym>ols spea5 loudly. %epetition is the 5ey 5. @mpower action7Ney o>stacles that stop people wor5in( on the vision are removed. !. 0reate short7term wins7Short7term wins provide credi>ility4 resources and momentum to the overall effort. &. o not let up70han(e leaders do not let7up they create wave after wave of chan(e until the vision >ecomes a reality. ). Ma5e chan(e stic570han(e leaders ma5e chan(e stic5 >y nurturin( a new culture. *ppropriate promotions4 s5ilful orientation and events can ma5e a >i( difference. Notter3s te-t +/he Heart of Change, is a recommended must7read for anyone underta5in( cultural chan(e. Con!lusion 0han(e can >e e-citin( or >orin(4 satisfyin( or frustratin( >ut never easy. #he ways the author has driven OHS chan(e includes70ontinuous improvement L Kuality mana(ement pro(rams4 leadin( OHS pro8ect teams4 implementin( OHS mana(ement systems4 facilitatin( OHS learnin( and leadin( OHS pro>lem solvin( (roups usin( techni.ues such as force7field analysis. /ros!i Change Management #Loo3 them u" on the we$% When a (roup under(oes chan(e it is not the or(anisation that chan(es >ut rather it is the >ehaviour of individuals. Or(anisational chan(e mana(ement and individual chan(e mana(ement must >e used to(ether to mana(e chan(e successfully. *.N.*.%. Model *wareness of the need for chan(e Nnowled(e of how to chan(e *>ility to implement chan(e %einforcement to sustain the chan(e Or(anisational chan(e depends on individual chan(e %efer to +Organisational Change 0anagement Principles and OH , on ohschan(e.com.au for further detail. Customer ser+i!e

#he customer is 5in( and you are stuffed without them. *lways treat your customer li5e a 5in( or .ueen or your competitors will. #here will >e times when your customer is disor(anised and a pain in the >um4 when this occurs refer to the a>ove. I advise most people in or(anisations4 re(ardless of how lowly their position4 to thin5 of themselves as an internal consultant. #heir +customers, are their >oss4 their >oss3s >oss and everyone else they interact with and who rely on them4 even thou(h it may >e in a small manner. 9our success and future advancement relies very heavily on these people >ein( satisfied customers. #he sayin( that +#he customer is always ri(ht, is often wron( in my e-perience. 0ustomers often have only a superficial understandin( of their needs and fre.uently confuse wants with needs. * core s5ill of any consultant is to help customers define their needs and scope the wor5 they want you to do for them. If you do not do this you can do what they thin5 they want done and you run the ris5 of (ettin( the >lame when it does not (et the desired results. #he followin( tips are (iven on customer service7 'eople always remem>er the person who served them >etter than the product %emem>er your e-ample will affect others %emem>er people3s names 6e visi>le Go the e-tra mile for a (ood customer ?ever try to win an ar(ument with a customer *s5 for re(ular feed>ac5 What you do spea5s louder than what you say *lways answer the phone personally Neep promises "isten to your customers 6e helpful even when there is no immediate profit *lways throw in somethin( e-tra free

,e+elo"ing trust Havin( wor5ed in industrially volatile environments I have seen trust >rea5down >etween mana(ement and wor5ers. Sometimes it has >een for no real reasons and people were wor5in( on perceptions. Without trust it is impossi>le to have an efficient operation. Introducin( OHS chan(e inevita>ly upsets the esta>lished order in or(aniCations and forces people to .uestion their e-istin( role in the or(aniCation. Often people will >e as5ed to do somethin( that is different from the norm and to do that which they do not a(ree with. 'ersons introducin( and leadin( OHS chan(e must ensure they are trusted >y those they are see5in( to 8oin them in the OHS chan(e 8ourney. *ppropriate self7disclosure is an e-cellent techni.ue for >uildin( relationships. If people do not trust those leadin( safety chan(e there will never >e wholehearted adoption of the leaders approach. 'eople may a(ree to the leaders face >ut do little to advance the leaders ideas4 innovative ways to sa>ota(e the leader .uite often occur in a climate of minimum trust. #rust is essential for a relationship to (row and develop. In order to >uild a relationship you must learn to create a climate of trust that reduces your own and the other person3s fears of

>etrayal and re8ection and promotes the hope of acceptance4 support and confirmation. #here is a ris5 involved in trustin(. In order to >uild a relationship4 two people must >uild mutual trust. #his is done durin( a commitment period in which they ris5 themselves either >y disclosin( more and more of their thou(hts4 feelin(s and reactions to immediate situations and to each other4 or >y e-pressin( acceptance4 support and cooperativeness toward each other. If4 when disclosin( they do not (et the acceptance they need4 they may >ac5 off from the relationship. If they are accepted4 they will continue to ris5 self7disclosure and continue to develop the relationship. *s >oth people continue to trust and >e self7disclosin(4 the relationship continues to (row.F%efer to 'eople S5ills >y 6olton4 this is su((ested as a must read for those involved in OHS 0han(eG 1rou")Thin3 #here is no dou>t the most si(nificant OHS chan(e the author has driven has >een when he was leadin( OHS pro8ect teams or a mem>er of such a well led team. Wor5in( in teams practisin( (ood team >uildin( principles can develop enormous syner(y to crash throu(h >arriers to drivin( effective safety chan(e. * caution to wor5in( in teams is the area of (roup7thin5. #he author has not seen (roup7 thin5 in action all that often >ut when he has seen it in action it has a devastatin( effect. Identifyin( (roup7thin57 Group mem>ers stereotype non7mem>ers and la>el them as enemies or outsiders not worth ne(otiatin( with or worryin( a>out 'eople hesitate to air any discomfort4 dou>ts or uncertainties they feel a>out the (roup decisions or policies4 so that consensus seems unanimous %eluctant to shatter complacency (roup mem>ers do not >rin( information or evidence that does not conform to the (roups e-pectations and stereotypes to the (roups attention #he (roup discusses only a few alternatives and reaches a decision .uic5ly concentratin( only on (ood points #he (roup feels invulnera>le leadin( to e-cessive optimism and ris5 ta5in( #he (roup i(nores or rationalises warnin(s or si(ns that it is operatin( under false assumptions4 ma5in( poor decisions or developin( poor strate(y #here is stron( pressure on (roup mem>ers to conform to (roup norms

'reventin( (roup7thin57 #rain team mem>ers in (roup7thin5 Get a diverse team to(ether #reat conflict as an essential part of a solid outcome "et the (roup 5now there are no dum> ideas or .uestions *llow time for decisions as a team 6rin( in a devil3s advocate 6rin( in a specialist o not surround yourself with yes men.

Note 6e aware of (roup7thin5 appearin( in your teams and 5noc5 it on the head as soon as it starts to appear. If (roup7thin5 >ecomes entrenched the situation will piss a lot of people off and >e very difficult to recover

'rom /he Penguin /eam Leaders /ool"it by 1. Cole Mar3eting sa*ety Ma5e no >ones a>out it4 safety is a product that has to >e mar5eted in ways similar to the ways the products your or(anisation produces are mar5eted. * (ood OHS section on your or(anisations we> site will help. It is >est to treat every>ody you interact with as customers whether they >e internal or e-ternal. Mar3eting goals Increased activity throu(h creatin( an interest in my products Increased awareness of OHS thou(h visits to the we> site Get more repeat customers %aise safety professional profile "aunch new products Increase client recommendations Improve relationships with customers 6e a credi>le source of >est practice information on Safety for employees

Mar3eting ti"s Have a Bni.ue Sellin( 'roposition Say than5 you to customers *lways (ive somethin( of value free Give customers What3s In It $or Me from their perspective Give them an offer they cannot refuse Show the customer how the product will >enefit them Neep in contact with old customers much easier to sell to than (ettin( new customers Have a call to action *lways treat the customer li5e a Nin( or Kueen7If you do not your competitors will 'eople >uy >enefits >ut want to 5now features Word of mouth from satisfied customers is the >est advertisin(4 if they are happy they may tell one person4 if they are not they will tell :2 Send re(ular e7mail updates *s5 for referrals and put on we> site4 reward customers for referrals Have a re(ular newsletter to clients and ma5e availa>le throu(h su>scription on the we> site 'romotional flyer4 >iros4 note pads4 stu>>y coolers4 >usiness cards to hand out at activities 0onsider cost L >enefits of settin( up promotional >ooth at safety conferences 4.uite e-pensive >ut a lot of e-posure to safety decision ma5ers4 have a trade show discount4 >i( >ottle of scotch for priCe for puttin( >usiness card in the >uc5et4 need >ooth advertisin(4 tv4 video J computer @nter awards in my industry4 lots of free pu>licity if I win 'u>lish papers L spea5 at conferences 'ut standard learnin( pac5a(es on we> site and promote Get competitor intelli(ence ?eed to develop a time frame for implementation

Leadership
"eadership is the often for(otten 5ey to e-cellence in most facets of >usiness and life. $ormal and informal leaders in >usiness need to >e trained in Safety "eadership. Leadership )uotes 9ou can only lead others where you yourself are willin( to (o. ?othin( is so potent as the silent influence of a (ood e-ample. #he >est leader is the one who has enou(h sense to pic5 (ood people to do the 8o> and self7restraint to 5eep from meddlin( with them while they do it. What is important as a leader is not what happens when you are there >ut what happens when you are ?O# there. #he very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It has to >e a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. "eaders must >ehave the way they wish their followers would >ehave. @very now and then leaders should loo5 >ac5 to see if anyone is followin(. * leader ta5es people where they want to (o4 a (reat leader ta5es people where they ou(ht to >e. #he first >asic in(redient of leadership is a (uidin( vision. #he leader has a clear idea of what he wants to do professionally and personally and the stren(th to persist in the face of set>ac5s4 even failures. *s a leader you set the tone for your entire team. If you have a positive attitude4 your team will achieve much more. * sense of humour is part of the art of leadership4 of (ettin( alon( with people and (ettin( thin(s done. Ma5e heroes out of the employees who personify what you want to >e seen in the or(anisation. 9ou do not 5now what you can (et away with until you try. "ead4 follow or (et out of the way. If you are truly a leader4 you will help others to not 8ust see themselves as they are4 >ut also what they can >ecome. * real leader faces the music even when he does not li5e the tune7Anon. * (ood leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader4 a (reat leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves72leanor )oosevelt It is the nature of man to rise to (reatness if (reatness is e-pected of him73ohn teinbec" Successful leaders see the opportunity in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity7)eed 0ar"ham #he day soldiers stop >rin(in( you their pro>lems is the day you have stopped leadin( them. #hey have either lost confidence that you can help them or have concluded you do not care. @ither case is a failure of leadership7Colin Powell

* leader3s role is to raise peoples aspirations for what they can >ecome and release their ener(ies so they will try to (et there74avid ) *ergen If you o>ey all the rules4 you will miss all the fun71atherine Hepburn Hell4 there are no rules here4 we are tryin( to accomplish somethin(7/homas A 2dison #he supreme .uality of leadership is un.uestiona>ly inte(rity74wight 4 2isenhower * (ood o>8ective of leadership is to help those that are doin( poorly do well and to help those that are doin( well to do even >etter. P3im )ohn $or further information put +"eadership Kuotes, into Goo(le. "aurie "awrence3s we> site is particularly (ood. %efer also to the paper on +Safety "eadership, on ohschan(e.com.au Military leaders on leadership Many people a(ree that to attain the pinnacle of leadership4 a person must >e hum>le. It seems o>vious that someone who is arro(ant4 self7important and condescendin( can never >e a (ood leader. ?either can someone who does not want to lead7reluctant leaders are never (ood leaders. $ormer *ustralian *rmy 0hief 'eter 0os(rove once said +We want our leaders to >e fair din5um4 as much amon( us as a>ove us, Sir @dward4 Weary unlop developed his empathetic approach to leadership in the =apanese 'OW camps durin( World War :.He identified 11 desira>le aspects of leadership7 *>ility to communicate 0oura(e ecisiveness Initiative Inte(rity =ud(ement Nnowled(e "oyalty Motivation %esponsi>ility Selflessness unlop said +#he leaders is servant to all4 a>le to show a disarmin( humility without the loss of authority, 'rom /he Penguin /eam Leaders /ool"it by 1.Cole OHS Leadership Havin( survived a num>er of years in industry the author is acutely aware that leadership of an or(anisation can ma5e or >rea5 the or(anisation. #he importance of leadership is vastly underrated in *ustralian industry4 leadership is the for(otten 5ey to e-cellence in >usiness. "eaders send out messa(es4 often su>tly4 a>out what they value and e-pect. "ivermoreFin Carter$ 5lrich 6 *oldsmith$ p-7G o>serves +#he >est system or model in the world is not (oin( to do your or(anisation a >it of (ood unless you have a top down

commitment to ma5in( it wor5. Once mid7level mana(ement and low level employees see top e-ecutives leadin( the way4 most of them will >e(in to support the initiative as well., #he most important .uality people loo5 for and admire in a leader is personal credi>ility. 0redi>ility is the foundation of leadership. If we do not >elieve in the messen(er we will not >elieve the messa(e. "eadership is a>out influencin( people to follow4 mana(ement is a>out maintainin( systems and processes $our critical characteristics of effective leaders FPrivate communicationG 1. :. <. 4. 0oura(e Fma5e hard decisions4 stic5 to themG "oyalty FBpwards and downwards4 without hesitationG Inte(rity FIn little as well as lar(e thin(s4 >e a>ove reproachG Nnowled(e FNnow your people4 5now their fears4 dreams J stren(ths4 5now your missionG

2uota$le (uote +#he people are fashioned accordin( to the e-ample of their 5in( and edicts are less powerful than the life Fe-ampleG of the 5in(, Claudian$ c. 879$2gyptian epic poet How to 3e a safety leader #he author is (rateful to ave 0owley of H' Hood ""04 0helsea 4 M* 2:152 FOcto>er :222G for sharin( the company tip card. Fi+e ti"s on how to $e a 'a*ety Leader 1. Wal5 the #al57Oisi>ly demonstrate safety >y your actions4 practice what you preach4 wear proper protective e.uipment4 employees loo5 to you for e-ample :. Give %eco(nition7When you see an employee doin( a 8o> safely praise them for it4 reward safety every chance you (et <. %eport *ll Incidents7%eport all incidents no matter how sli(ht4 emphasise it is vital to >e on the loo57out for near7misses4 minor mishaps and close calls instead of waitin( for an actual in8ury to occur 4. $ollow7Bp7If a safety concern has >een raised4 always perform follow7up and provide feed7>ac5 to the employee 5. *s5 Kuestions7*re employees usin( e.uipment that has >een inspectedFhand tools4 for5lifts4 motor vehicles etc.G "eferences 0arter4 ".4 Blrich4 .4 Goldsmith4 M.4 :2254:est Practices in Leadership 4evelopment and Organi(ation Change 4=ohn Wiley J Sons 4San $rancisco 0laudian4<!54@(yptian epic poet4 e-act source un5nown 'rivate 0ommunication7=an4 :22&4 .Sayers4 .Sayers J *ssociates 4 0anada4 %e 0anada3s @-70hief of efence Staff4 General e-traCe4 =.*. Note

$or further detail on this topic refer to the Safety "eadership paper under OHS articles on ohschan(e.com.au Leadership in safety.5thics I do not want to comment on the moral issues >ut it is fair to say the Monica >usiness (ot *merican 'resident4 6ill 0linton4 a lot of >ad press. While I am not a student of *merican politics I am told 6ill 0linton was poised to >e recorded in *merican history as one of the (reatest leaders of that country. Some say that despite the massive adverse pu>licity his leadership s5ills were such that a lot of people still >elieved in him. #he sportin( world in *ustralia has no shorta(e of leaders who have >een found lac5in( in the ethics area. $oot>allers are a pro>lem4 issues fre.uently occur in *ustralian %ules and %u(>y "ea(ue4 less commonly in soccer and rarely in %u(>y BnionF6ein( an e-7%u(>y Bnion player I 5now we are (enerally made of sterner stuffG #he *ustralian >usiness landscape is littered with otherwise hi(hly effective leaders who have failed throu(h ethics issues. 0redi>ility is the foundation of leadership. 9ou must do the ri(ht thin( and >e seen to do the ri(ht thin( if you want to prosper as a leader. If you do the wron( thin( you will >e found out eventually and your credi>ility will >e destroyed. #o >e an effective leader people must trust you. Introducin( OHS chan(e inevita>ly upsets the esta>lished order in or(aniCations and forces people to .uestion their e-istin( role in the or(aniCation. Often people will >e as5ed to do somethin( that is different from the norm and to do that which they do not a(ree with. 'ersons introducin( and leadin( OHS chan(e must ensure they are trusted >y those they are see5in( to 8oin them in the OHS chan(e 8ourney. Leadership in safety. rust If people do not trust those leadin( safety chan(e there will never >e wholehearted adoption of the leaders approach .'eople may a(ree to the leaders face >ut do little to advance the leaders ideas4 innovative ways to sa>ota(e the leader .uite often occur in a climate of minimum trust. One or(anisation I wor5ed for had a num>er of mechanical wor5shops where we trained employees in the 8o> safety analysis techni.ue and (ot them involved in preparin( safe wor5in( procedures @verythin( went well at these locations and we had an improved level of safety. In one wor5shop it was decided to (et a consultant mechanical tradesman to prepare the safe wor5in( procedures with little involvement of the wor5ers. #he result was a mess. 6esides from the important lac5 of local 5nowled(e the wor5ers had developed a lac5 of trust in the process and thou(ht it was a mana(ement plot to devalue their wor5 and allow the introduction of less s5illed wor5ers to do the wor5 traditionally done >y tradesmen. #his sa>ota(ed the real safety improvements we were chasin(. *ll in all an industrial relations disaster caused >y faulty process and a lac5 of trust +/rust is essential for a relationship to grow and develop. ;n order to build a relationship you must learn to create a climate of trust that reduces your own and the other person<s

fears of betrayal and re=ection and promotes the hope of acceptance$ support and confirmation. /here is a ris" involved in trusting. ;n order to build a relationship$ two people must build mutual trust. /his is done during a commitment period in which they ris" themselves either by disclosing more and more of their thoughts$ feelings and reactions to immediate situations and to each other$ or by e>pressing acceptance$ support and cooperativeness toward each other. ;f$ when disclosing they do not get the acceptance they need$ they may bac" off from the relationship. ;f they are accepted$ they will continue to ris" self!disclosure and continue to develop the relationship. As both people continue to trust and be self!disclosing$ the relationship continues to grow, #he a>ove is ta5en from =ohnson .W. +)eaching Out, F1//2G. #his te-t is recommended readin( for those leadin( safety chan(e. #he only constant in the safety >usiness is chan(e. *ustralia has si(nificant safety challen(es and we must chan(e to improve. 0han(e is difficult at the >est of times4 if people do not trust the safety chan(e leaders there is very little chance of success. $rom my study of Mana(ement of Or(anisational 0han(e I have adopted the motto +When initiatin( chan(e4 %emem>er4 'eople support what they create, My simple advice is >e open J honest with every>ody F*ustralians can smell a >ull7dust artist a mile awayG4 involve your people4 (et your people tal5in(4 (et your people doin( thin(s4 show you are interested in4 care a>out and are responsive to their opinions4 if you do this most of your trust pro>lems will disappear.

Learnin$
OHS Learnin$ $acilitatin( OHS learnin( is a very important part of an OHS professional3s role >ut unfortunately many do not have hi(h levels of s5ills in this area. #he 0ert. IO #.*.@. is the standard people are 8ud(ed >y. #he reality is that this course has a num>er of limitations and only represents a learner3s permit. $or the learnin( to have meanin( activities should >e or(anised to allow participants to discover the concepts for themselves Fnot always an easy thin( to doG. iscussions4 case studies4 practical e-ercises4 role plays are preferred. #hese are usually more effective learnin( methods than the lecture >ut they ta5e a lon(er period of time. $or adults interactive rather than passive learnin( strate(ies are preferred. It has >een su((ested that we retainI 12 percent of what we readH :2 percent of what we hearH <2 percent of what we seeH 52 percent of what we hear and seeH &2 percent of what we sayH /2 percent of what we say and do. Sayin( and doin( are certainly important for retention and later application. $or further information refer to Adult learning principles and process on ohschan(e.com.au Implementation of a learnin$ mana$ement system In the early 1//23s S9; minin( company revolutionised their approach to learnin(. I was heavily involved in this wor5 in my role as Senior Safety *dviser in the 6ris>ane7>ased corporate OHS department. 1. @-istin( learnin( pro(rams were e-amined and costed4 many millions were >ein( spent and it >ecame o>vious much of this money was wasted. :. *n e-haustive learnin( needs analysis was carried out. #his wor5ed formed the >asis for the introduction of competency7>ased learnin( in the *ustralian minin( industry. <. octor Stephen 6illett of Griffith Bniversity was en(a(ed to research preferred and effective modes of deliverin( learnin(. ?ot surprisin(ly learnin( >y doin( coached >y a content e-pert was favoured. * lot of people saw classroom learnin( as lar(ely a waste of time. 0arryin( out authentic tas5s in the wor5place was seen as important. 4. @-ternal trainers and internal trainers4 of which I was one4 had to attend a wee5 course with a unit that specialised in advanced learnin( techni.ues from the Kld. epartment of @ducation. #his emphasised interactive techni.ues and *ction and @-periential learnin(. 5. 0onsultants were en(a(ed to prepare self7paced4 competency7>ased modules in many areas. #he modules were (iven to learners and they were assi(ned a content e-pert to refer to as needed. Some modules articulated to a ?ational certificate IO . My role was to do the #.?.*.4 write modules4 liaise with the consultants writin( the

modules4 assess learners4 coach learners and where necessary facilitate the modules. !. * system was introduced where>y the supervisor had to en(a(e with the learners to develop an action plan to implement the lessons learnt from a learnin( e-perience. &. * matri- of mandatory and recommended learnin( for all levels of employees was developed. ). #he performance appraisal process put a hi(h emphasis on learnin( with the result that individual learnin( plans were developed for all employees. /. #he or(anisation truly >ecame a +"earnin( or(anisation, and a hi(h value was put on learnin(. 12. * communications plan was developed to communicate learnin( processes to employees. Oarious availa>le media were used to communicate learnin( chan(e. 11. evelopment of the learnin( materials involved many pro8ect teams and a philosophy that +When initiatin( chan(e4 'eople support what they create, was used. 1:. *ssessors of the self7paced learnin( modules completed learnin( and set a>out assessin( learners 1<. was summed up for me when I was sittin( in a mine mana(er3s office that overloo5ed the coal stoc5pile and the mine mana(er said, #here was a time when I had evidence the >ulldoCer operators did not always 5now what they are doin( and the machines were not always well maintained4 since this new trainin( I no lon(er have these concerns, #he precursors to success were the very thorou(h learnin( needs analysis and the esta>lishment of the preferred and most effective means of learnin(. he use of #ower.#oint presentations #here are 4 very common mista5es with the use of 'ower7'oint presentations. 1. Stuffin( far too much material on the presentationH the need to constantly display the company lo(o is particularly inappropriate in my view. :. $ont siCe too small for those at the >ac5 of the room to read it 7 particular pro>lem with an older audience <. *n over7reliance on the technolo(yH you should >e prepared for a power failure or for some other reason an ina>ility to use the technolo(y. 4. #oo many presentations 7 many presenters foster + eath >y 'ower7'oint, Ftoo many or over reliance on themG Ti"s *or "re"aring "resentations Neep them simple and visually stron( Bse 5eywords not sentences or phrases 6rin( it alive with colour and clip7art Ma5e sure it says e-actly what you mean 6i( font Bse a se.uence of presentations to >uild to a point you are ma5in( Bse stron( colours for font4 >lac54 dar5 >lue4 dar5 purple etc. ar5 >lue4 dar5 (reen4 dar5 red contrasted with a stron( yellow >ac5(round can >e visually appealin(. Some people (et annoyed if you read to them what they can easily read for themselves on the screen Slow down your pace to allow sufficient time for your audience to read what is on the screen

*lways chec5 your presentation can >e read from the >ac5 of the room Incorporate as much multi7media into the presentation as possi>le4 it is relatively easy to incorporate video into power7point #he wise learnin( facilitator uses a wide ran(e of learnin( methodolo(ies

ool 3o( meetin$s %e(ular4 short4 sharp4 tool7>o- meetin(s can >e an e-cellent means of (ettin( the safety messa(e to employees and resolvin( safety pro>lems. #he followin( advice is (iven for the conduct of these meetin(s7 $ind a .uiet area free of distractions Bse open7ended .uestions to promote involvement4 positively reinforce responses to .uestions and comments %emem>er the &' rule7'rior 'reparation and 'lannin( 'revents 'Ts 'oor 'erformance * >it of humour does not (o astray %esearch your topic and (enerally >e or(anised *udience interaction is always a (ood idea *void lecture style presentations wherever possi>le When you cannot answer .uestions raised find out and provide feed>ac5 to the (roup Have a set a(enda and pu>lish minutes4 includin( to relevant notice>oards. #he minutes record discussion and outline a(reed actions #opics can include a review of incidents4 o>servations on practice4 safety alerts4 le(islative updates and safety initiatives * (uest spea5er or relevant audio7visual presentation can add variety Havin( a set time every month has advanta(es #he OHS professional can >e a (uest presenter and source of relevant material #he meetin(s can >e (eneral safety trainin(4 an e-planation of a new safety initiative4 a review of e-istin( wor5 procedures or a (eneral safety motivation tool uration is (enerally 157<2 minutes #hou(hts are varied on whether the meetin( should >e strictly a>out safety4 my view is that safety should >e the dominant content 6e wary of people +savin( up, their safety concerns until the tool7>o- meetin(. @ncoura(e prompt reportin( of all safety concerns Have an attendance sheet where participants si(n off #han5 people for their participation

$or further information refer to the paper /ool!bo> meetings on ohschan(e.com.au he use of humour Humour can >e used effectively in formal and informal presentations and in (eneral interaction in >usiness and non7>usiness life. *void humour that focuses on reli(ion4 politics4 race4 class4 se-4 a(e4 physical appearance. #o use any of these will run the ris5 of upsettin( someone. I hear you as5in( what the hell else is there that I can use? #he only safe >utt of your humour is yourselfA Introduce the humour in the (eneral flow of your conversation.

$or a ma8or presentation rehearse and listen to yourself on a tape recorder. "i5e many thin(s in life humour follows the & ' rule7'rior 'reparation and 'lannin( 'revents 'iss7'oor 'erformance. #ry to use humour that relates to thin(s others see as an annoyance. Kuotations from famous people are often sources of humour4 you can search these on the internet4 "aurie "awrence3s we>7site has a lot of .uotations. Stretchin( the truth is for(iva>le. If you are a presenter who uses effective humour4 presents well and has a relevant messa(e you will >e invited >ac5. $or more information Goo(le the topic and loo5 at the paper /he use of humour on ohschan(e.com.au Safety Induction *t one start7up operation I developed a comprehensive safety induction pro(ram lastin( : days and put a>out <22 people throu(h the trainin( over a>out a year. I used to feel very proud that they left the trainin( very switched on a>out safety. #he reality was within a few days of hittin( the wor5place they realised that my safety world I had spo5en a>out was not reality4 the safety culture of the or(anisation did not support my trainin(. #he very clear messa(e is anyone see5in( to introduce learnin( pro(rams must do learnin( needs analysis first Frefer to the paper afety /raining &eeds Analysis on my we>7site ohschan(e.com.auG #he >i( .uestion is how lon( do you spend on induction trainin(? I have not (ot a (ood answer >ut su((est it is different for permanent employees and contractors. In these days of standardised industry induction pro(rams a lot of people will have received a su>stantial safety needle prior to arrivin( on your site. #he contractors (o from site to site and sit throu(h inductions at many sites. #he last thin( you need for these contractors is a protracted induction pro(ram that covers unnecessary old (round. $or these people site specific arran(ements may >e enou(h. *void lecture style presentations where possi>le and use interactive approaches F%efer to the paper Adult Learning Principles and Process on ohschan(e.com.auG. 9ou have to appreciate you may not have a very positive audience particularly with contractors. *t the end of the day nothin( >eats learnin( needs analysis. One e-perienced OHS professional e-pressed the view that inductions for contractors should not last more than a few hours and >e a way for or(anisations to >e a>le to ta5e action a(ainst >reaches L non7compliance. 9ou cannot discipline people unless there is very clear evidence they 5now the rules.

Human "esources
2o3 interviews Ma0or ti" %ecruitment J selection uses +/ast $eha+iour "redi!ts *uture $eha+iour, #he idea is to (ive plenty of e-amples of where in the past you have su!!ess*ully done the sort o* things that you will $e re(uired to do in the new 0o$. Say what you did4 how you did it and what were the results. The inter+iew *n important tip for interviews is to pro8ect an ima(e that you are hi(hly interested in the 8o> and that you are (enerally hi(h ener(y in your approach. Government 8o>s usually stic5 to .uestions >ased on the selection criteria. Generally I would (o to the interview with : e-amples of how I had successfully implemented the thin(s in each of the selection criteria. 'rior to an important 8o> interview you should have a moc5 interview with friends. It is a (ood idea to thin5 a>out what some of the .uestions you are li5ely to >e as5ed are and have a prepared answer in your head. #owards the end of the interview you may >e as5ed if you have any .uestions4 have some prepared .uestions and do not ta5e this li(htly as it is an important part of the interview. *rrive in plenty of time to (et yourself or(anised. "eave home in time to allow for a flat tyre or the >us >ein( late. *lways ma5e an effort to appear clean J smart. If you smo5e lay off the fa(s at least <2 minutes >efore the interview and L or use a >reath freshener. If it is a no smo5in( site they may wonder how you will survive all day without a smo5e. It is a really (ood idea not to turn up for interview drun5 Fsaw it happen onceG or otherwise smellin( of (ro(. Some interviewers4 particularly women4 have an acute sense of smell. Spea5 professionally4 do not swear or use slan(. "isten carefully to the .uestions >ein( as5ed and ma5e sure your replies do not (o off on tan(ents. If possi>le try to >rin( alon( a num>er of (ood e-amples of your previous wor5. *lways as5 for confirmation of ver>al arran(ements with a letter or e7mail.

#here will >e times the interview does not +clic5, as far as communications and interpersonal issues (o4 there could >e lots of reasons for this that have nothin( to do with your a>ilities. Get specific instructions on how to find the place where the interview will >e conducted4 advice on par5in( may >e appropriate. #ry to find out the names and positions of those who will interview you4 helps you to pitch your responses at the ri(ht level. * security >lan5et for many employers is e-perience in their industry. If you do not have e-perience in their industry put a >it of wor5 showin( how e-perience in your industry is relevant to theirs. #he person who will ma5e or >rea5 a 8o> for you will >e your supervisor. He or she will pro>a>ly >e an interviewer4 ma5e sure you are happy with their communications and interpersonal s5ills. * lot of employers realise that an interview4 in isolation4 may not (ive a (ood result and will as5 you for a demonstration of your s5ills. @mployers will >e impressed >y enthusiasm4 you cannot possi>ly 5now everythin( they will want you to 5now >ut if you demonstrate a 5eenness to learn that is a lot of the >attle. "i5e many thin(s in life (ettin( a 8o> follows the & ' rule F'rior 'reparation and 'lannin( 'revents 'iss 'oor 'erformanceG Once you have the interview it is always a (ood idea to rin( and than5 them for the interview4 confirms your interest in the 8o>4 allows clarification of thin(s unsure a>out and (ives you a chance to e-pand on thin(s you for(ot to say at the interview. * (ood (eneral rule in life and particularly with 8o> interviews is to avoid discussion on se-4 reli(ion and politics. If you do not 5now your audience discussion on these topics can >e disastrous. Sometimes people will say somethin( controversial to see how you react. $or further information refer to 3ob interviews on ohschan(e.com.au he resume Ma0or ti" %ecruitment J selection uses +/ast $eha+iour "redi!ts *uture $eha+iour, #he idea is to (ive plenty of e-amples of where in the past you have su!!ess*ully done the sort o* things that you will $e re(uired to do in the new 0o$. Say what you did4 how you did it and what were the results. ,ery important When you see a 8o> advertised analyse the ad to identify the re.uired competencies and write down a dot point list. In your response tal5 a>out your e-perience with those competencies4 prefera>ly with concrete e-amples. @ven if not specifically as5ed for4 always include somethin( on your communications and interpersonal s5ills and your a>ility to wor5 in a team.

Writing a resume #he first thin( you have to do is identify your s5ills relevant to the type of employment you desire. Give specific num>ers and fi(ures for your achievements. Show results. Insert your personal details and contact information. 'ut in your career o>8ective4 do not >e too specific or you will limit your chances of (ettin( the 8o> that does not fit the >ill e-actly. If you thin5 it is appropriate put in an overview of your employment hi(hli(htin( your ma8or stren(ths and ma8or achievements. 6riefly list the 8o>s you have had. "ist your .ualifications L affiliations. "ist your s5ills7#hese may >e technical s5ills relevant to the sort of 8o>s you want to apply for4 written communications s5ills4 oral communications s5ills4 computer s5ills4 leadership s5ills4 put a lot of wor5 into descri>in( your interpersonal s5ills as employers see this as very important. "ist all the 8o>s you have had in the last 12 years descri>in( in some detail what you did and very importantly what your achievements were. 0arefully analyse the re.uirements of any position you apply for and tailor your resume to this. *s a (eneral rule I would 5eep the resume to < or 4 pa(es for people who have >een in the wor5force for a num>er of years4 do not ma5e the 8o> of readin( it too hard for the potential employer. Oery important7Get someone to proof read what you have written. #he (ood >oo5s say you must tailor your resume to each 8o> you apply for. Good 8o> ads will specify what .ualities the employer is loo5in( for in applicants4 in other words the selection criteria. With detailed selection criteria you should prepare a coverin( letter or response to selection criteria and say4 with e-amples from your past wor54 how you meet the criteria. In these circumstances you may >e a>le to (et >y with a (eneralised resume Fstill pays to (o throu(h the resume and ma5e sure it meets the (eneral criteriaG $or further information see )esumes on ohschan(e.com.au

Conclusion
#he a>ove represents some of my learnin( with safety and safety ali(ned methods. I hope there has >een some learnin( in it for you.

Co"yright 4 5675
Geor(e %o>otham4 Safety70ert. IO #.*.@. ip. #rainin( J *ssessment Systems4 iploma in $rontline Mana(ement4 6achelor of @ducation F*dult J Wor5place @ducationG4 FKueensland Bniversity of #echnolo(yG4 Graduate 0ertificate in Mana(ement of Or(anisational 0han(e4 F0harles Sturt BniversityG4 Graduate iploma of Occupational HaCard Mana(ementG4 F6allarat BniversityG4 *ccredited Wor5place Health J Safety Officer FKueenslandG4=ustice of the 'eace FKueenslandG4 *ustralian efence Medal4 6ris>ane4 *ustralia4 f(ro>othamM(mail.com4 www.ohschan(e.com.au42&7<)2:151!4 24:1)!25&4