Having rececently just commenced a new role as a Health & Safety Manager in the waste industry I have come across an age old problem. Middle Management do not report to me things that should be reported and by pass me to make various decisions. Examples are accidents, notification of sub contractors and customer behaviour. I have a vast amount of experience in H&S in the building trade as well as others and have come across this problem before - as you know its not uncommon. I have generally tackled problems like this by sending out memo's reminding people of their responsibilities and that by not doing so could leave them liable for disciplinary action. I have also very early on ensured that I have Senior Mgt who they take their orders from back me and reinforce that message also. I have always been very successful in making people change their ways before. I sense I will need a different approach here, Mdle Mgt here seem to be their own boss. Maybe the problem is that they have not had a H&S Manager before and are also unused to working alongside a female. They do not do memo's here and email is also pointless - toolbox talks are also not heard of. We have a committee meeting later today and I'm looking for some advice on how to tackle these problems? I would be fairly feisty and will have to hold back on going in guns blazing. A fair few comments have been made already about being a female etc.............................. afraid of dirt that sort of thing. Although I moan I do like my job and H&S especially for females can always be challenging Your thoughts & advice would be appreciated. I also recognise that not all men will have issues with a female doing a H&S job and thats not what I am saying- before someone takes the gauntlet and runs with that !!

Work with the managers rather than trying to meet them head-on and demonstrate that you can bring value to their jobs, remain professional and use the big stick only as a last resort. The ones who will be most affected by your work are the ones who are exposed to the hazards: remember why you are there. My daughter was in a similar position in a bin depot and eventually they metaphorically carried her on their shoulders.

It is my first committee meeting but not the company's although they have been very infrequent with the last being a year and a half ago. I'd like to know others thoughts on whether or not to be observational in this meeting. I feel that there needs to be a swift change in attitude promptly and so would like to address this in the meeting. Of course in the nicest possible way without naming offenders and saying this is how I do things / these are how things are to be done. I do have the backing of Senior Mgt its just that they don't take much interest in this side of the business so I doubt how influential they will be.

"I do have the backing of Senior Mgt its just that they don't take much interest in this side of the business so I doubt how influential they will be. " There is a small contradiction here. Something you need to work on. By being observational at your first meeting (although please do tell them the concerns you have) you will see how they interact with one another. There may be several factions. I don't think you have to be too swift. The reason I say that is that you may be able to spot allies if you start softly softly whereas if you are too forceful at the start you might lose some of these potential allies right at the start. By being softly softly I don't mean being weak and indecisive. State your case, get it documented and then work out how to get it rolled out piece by piece - using the allies identified.

Thanks Jane - wise words . Think I will count to ten and sit down with a coffee and get some ideas for step by step progress down on paper. A middle mgr bit my head off first thing this morning which riled me no end over the location of a key to a PPE cupboard which did not put me in good form for the rest of the day. Pikeman - Yes very true and I will bear all that in mind. Its as well I like a challenge This is why this forum is invaluable especially for those that do not have fellow H&S professionals in their workplaces to bounce ideas and problems off! :)

:) Is it Friday?

Being observational is not a sign of weakness in my experience. To act in the same way as the "men of the world" is simply to reinforce their pre-conceived perceptions. However, to the question. Do you have a job brief or function that the senior team have agreed? Why have they employed you? Put together a key point list and outline it to the committee. That way you make sure they understand what the company wants and gives you the opportunity to ask for or outline the help you need from them to achieve your objectives. Make it a team effort rather than a directive? hth P48

A thought has just struck me Safety pipper - was your role a newly created one? If so, it is not surprising that the managers don't quite know what you are expecting. If there was a previous incumbent, have a look at what systems were put in place and the history of the interactions.

Perhaps the "Committee" is not the best place to address these issues - I'm assuming this is the employee consultation forum. If, as you say, you have the backing of senior management, you need to get yourself invited to the management team meetings and confirm some reporting structures and standing agenda items?

Safetypipper you have got lots of good advice here, also some not so good. What I would do is attend the meeting and be alert but observant. If anything comes your way deal with it professionally, anything you can't handle right away offer to take it away with you and get back to whoever with the correct answer. As far as being a woman is concerned I would not want you to be anything else. Act like a lady and always be well presented. That's what we males look for. There's nothing worse as far as I'm concerned as a woman acting all macho in an effort to impress, because it doesn't. Why not ask your employer what is expected of you? If you feel there is more you can offer then tell him/her. Final point - take your time to settle in and have a good look around. As Jane suggests go out to the sharp end and meet the people doing the physical side of the work. Dress correctly at all times, (PPE etc.) and don't take sides. Once that's done present a report to management on what you have observed with improvement ideas from yourself. Be yourself.

Safetypipper, some good advice here, also a guide book on 'how to behave in a meeting, how to act like a Woman and how to act like a Man.' I'm taking notes, you never know when they'll come in handy!

Thank you for all your advice. We had the meeting earlier and I am pleased to say that it went pretty well. I was observant though spoke about various issues that were important to me and explained the reasons behind why things had to be done a certain way. There was a brief discussion about what some of middle mgt wanted from me and how they expected things to be done. I was able to sense that they maybe felt that they would be excluded from the decision making process and also not informed about issues involving their staff - that be their fear of me. I was able to ensure them that this was not the case and it was very much a case of us all working together and not against each other but reitterated to them that in the same way they might get annoyed about not being told something I would feel the same way. The Senior Mgt that were there have asked me to develop different procedures through the use of tool box talks in January as they are aware that they are lacking in this and that these need to be communicated thoroughly. There was one individual who said nothing and looked totally uninterested (the middle mgt that I've had all the bother with so far) but I guess that there is always one and it will be his choice to work against me not with me. Time will tell how things go but I will a lot happier now. Thanks for all the tips etc and letting me rant lol. I might go and put my lipstick on now lol :)

Safetypipper, thanks for taking the time to let us know how it went. Seems to me that you will be fine in your new job, good luck p48

If you are not stressing the gender issue then I would say you've chosen an odd title for the thread. I have two female and two male HSE Coordinators working on my staff and the females are just as effective as the males. In some cases they are more effective since the hard-boiled, veteran workers on our crews seem to be more deferential to the females. It's not a question of being male or female, it's a question of working to gain the respect of those you wish to influence. Start with working to get positive results with small issues and work up. Once you start to build a reputation for solving problems it will become easier to get things done on a larger scale.

That made me laugh out loud! How times change indeed.