Posted By Richard Spencer
Some important points as health and safety professionals (emphasis on professionals):
1. We are advisors in health and safety,
2. Some are employees some are consultants
3. We in most cases are not the Employer (unless self employed but still in advising capacity)
4. This role is for balance mentally strong people
5. The role is not as it used to be, the dumping ground for emotionally burnt out employees
6. You are paid to provide advice.
7. Whether the Boss chooses to use your advice or not is, in the main is irrelevant.
8. As long as you can provide evidence that it was given then in the event an incident occurs with nasty connotations, you are not indited or found liable for ‘acts or omissions’.
As has been said, find the wisdom to accept those things that you have control over that those that you don’t. If this is not an accepted part of your working philosophy then there is a high probability that you will become stressed.
I have not yet met any OHS professional that considers this job a calling; it is for most a preferred occupation.
Even those that entered the calling such as nurses and medical practitioners must learn how to deal with death and injury on a daily basis. Thank goodness they have enough professionalism to be able to handle the stress of treating mangled bodies or having to tell grieving relatives that their loved one is dead. Are we any different in the work we do?
Give me a break people, hugs and kisses are all very well but ‘get into the real world’.
We are like anybody else vulnerable and human, but it is how we keep our heads in the face of adversity and interrelate with our fellow employees who are at the coalface is how we are judged as individuals and as a group within the working community.
The distinction has been made between stress and pressure, well I frankly agree. I recently worked as the principal consultant and principal auditor for a large government agency with a staff of 4,500 in 15 business units.
I worked 7 days a week for 50-60 hours a week, generating strategy and planning change at a corporate level. I did this for 16 months. The pressure to meet deadlines and produce documentation, and training course development did cause me stress, which caused my blood pressure to go up, to the extent that my nose bled and I burst a blood vessel in my eye.
But I did have a choice to keep going or step out of it. I chose to keep going because I knew that the energy to effect change would be substantial and it would be necessary. I took the gamble with my health yes, but it was my choice.
I learnt from this not to enter into large undertakings that require the same amount of energy and therefore I have mitigated my own risk.
Following the contract I did relax by heading to Europe for a 2 month holiday in Italy and France and this was the best reward, first class air travel and I hired a Mercedes Benz for the 8 weeks and stayed in 4 star hotels.
I made this sacrifice for lots of reasons the primary one was to pay off the mortgage, and stack funds into the consultancy and to by myself a present a, Mercedes Benz Class 200 Kompressor.
The one thing I will never do as an OHS Consultant is to flounce around like a big Sheila crying about how stressed I am. This is negative, and the individual needs to learn how to deal with stressful issues, because life is full of them.
John, as far as relaxing yes, mate your right I do throw a king prawn on the Barbie, and crack a nice bottle of Aussie Chardonnay, sit out under the trees and relax in the tranquil surrounding of the Aussie bush. The other means of relaxing is to head for the sea and I find my relaxation scuba diving with my dive buddy (my wife) in a little holiday resort 200 klms north of Sydney. Once underwater no thoughts occur accept the beauty of nature which we must all preserve.
I have found a way, therefore, I urge all you Huggers to go do the same.
Richard