Posted By Des Daly During Leadership training carried out on CTRL works in Kent and London would be leaders were provided with guidance on how to approach people who were working unsafe without coming across as too authoritarian. The idea was that the Leader would challenge unsafe behaviour by saying' Why are you putting yourself at risk?'. This approach was prefered to 'What the effing 'ell do you think you are doing'. After my Leadership course I tried out my new approach on site. There was a person using a petrol cutter to lop off the ends of some scaffold tubes projecting over a guard rail. The person was not wearing safety goggles and was showering sparks and bits of the cutting wheel over half a dozen blokes working nearby. I cautiously approached and beckoned him to stop - conversation followed thus: Me ' Why are you putting yourself at risk using the cutter without eye protection? Him ' Ughh!! Me ' Why are putting yourself at risk etc./ Him 'Ughhh! Me ' You should be wearing proper eye protection and not showering people working nearby' Him ' Ughhh! Me ' Put the effing cutter down and go and get a pair of safety goggles from the stores NOW!' Him ' OK' Quite obvious in this instance that communication was only possible at a level that was understood and required the use of foul language and direct threats. Since then I have little used my Leadership communication skill prefering to use a 'site'language that is structured in a form of a code with key words and phrases and intonations that does get immediate results. Whether or not the continuation of such an approach serves to perpetuate the communication problem I do not know, it works for me though. Perhaps we have to consider not only what is being said, how it is being said but also what communication channels are open with the receptor. i.e.do they want to hear what is being said. I have considered the use of Safety Pictograms with pictures demonstrating good and bad behaviour being read as text by the person being communicated with.

Posted By Frank Hallett don't know whether you got any other responses Chris; but may I suggest that you talk to the Dept of Works and Pensions about their training for Job-Centre [or whatever they're called now] staff. Many NHS Trusts also procide similar training. The Fire Service and the Police have rather similar approaches to that identified as necessary by Des. Not quite in the same league as Des's quote [for which I have a great deal of understanding and sympathy], but maybe of help. Frank Hallett