How do you win Hearts and Minds when you go to a prearranged meeting in the engineering department to assist them with some risk assessments etc and they point to their Blu Tack experiment stuck to a window – http://www.hse.gov.uk/my...026-school-blu-tack.htm. http://www.perthshireadv...t-school-73103-31136085/ "They have managed for 20 years without RA and SSoW etc why do they need them now" the Blu Tac storey in their minds proves it’s a waste of time. This is one of my sites with a poor H&S management culture; they say that they care but............. I have not been with this company long and I am the first H&S person they have had, I am not new to H&S, but sometimes it is like pushing water uphill. I don’t like waving the law around on the shop floor as I find it can be counterproductive to building a sustainable safety culture, how has anyone else resolved these types of issues, ideas welcomed. I wish this was a Friday post

Brilliant! I hope you laughed with them?

Flysafe, I'm with you, waving "the law" around won't work. On the positive side, they've employed a safety bod so going in the right direction. Unfortunately that won't work on it's own, safety culture requires patience, and empathy if you're going to have an effect - Evolution NOT Revolution, or to put it another way, it's about running the marathon not a sprint Can't be any more helpful I'm afraid, Jim

One of those situations where you really wish you had the ability to come up with the most pertinent comment on the spot isn’t it? We have all been there; it isn’t the end of the world for sure. The very fact that they had gone to the trouble of setting you up is a good sign. They sound like a pretty dynamic bunch of people from your tale. I think it shows that they recognise that you or what you represent does actually matter. Each case is different of course but I have had some success in the past by linking with any Quality Management that exists. That can be a really useful link to make. If they are used to being involved in that type of activity then you can use that experience to establish the required “procedure” for H&S controls in each activity. What you achieve may not look like a typical H&S defined risk assessment but it should capture what they do, how they do it and identify all the hazards and risk controls that they currently have. You can then, if you need to, develop that into the required format and present it back to them explaining the process and hopefully demonstrating why it is a useful management tool. That way it doesn’t matter, at this point, whether they agree with “doing risk assessments” or not. They will be in place and you will convince some along the way. Evolution not revolution is very good advice. p48

I've been in a similar situation joining the crew of a ship who had never had a safety officer. They thought I was there to spy on them and sack people. I had to show them that I was there to help and that H&S doesnt have to be difficult. Eventually I earned their respect and managed to gradually impreve the safety culture. As everyone else has said its a long game and it wont be won overnight.

I think I read that this came from some management company. I think H&S was just blamed, but more realistically it was a cleaner winging about cleaning of the residue or some such other issue. I think I would have responded along the lines of "drawing pins are more of a problem" and laugh it off. I think this is a good opportunity, this can now be your "in" joke with this group. I think I would ask how their experiment was going every time I see them. Stick my nose into any problems they are trying to solve (engineering) and ask if they have considered blue tack. Possibilities are endless. Don't forget to ask for a copy of their report when the experiment is finished. Well engineers like to write reports don't they or is this another stereotype.

Here is a different angle - forget the law, and focus on performance, you mention poor H&S management culture, but do they have more accidents? If so there is your 'in' - they clearly haven't been managing it well for 20 years etc, etc. If they are having less accidents then why is that so? Is it because they are trained, experienced, conscientious and good at their work? If so it could be argued that their safety management culture is just fine, and actually what you can do to 'help' them is document just how good they are. Or is it the perception of what good looks like? If the workshop is a mess, they live with it but cant see it, they might not see the need to improve, especially if this doesnt cause more accidents. This is the really difficult sell, and it might be worth trying to appeal to their sense of professionalism, or getting the MD to do a walk-around to tell them its a mess. Good luck!

Oh dear, Flysafe, I feel for you. Two years on and I'm still running the marathon. I take every risk assessment as an acheivement, it's slowly slowly catchy monkey. What I've learnt is to spend more time with people down on the ground, get to know them, get to know their hobbies and about their families, get really good interpersonal relationships with them - it also doesn't harm to go the pub! Or bring in biscuits for the teabreaks. I've won some over by being "approachable". I've also sold the safety message to newcomers, seeking them out in the induction week, they don't know what's been before, and they're still keen to make an impression - so grab them then! And follow up every accident report. You get to know people, and sometimes you can get them to be safety champions. In that sort of situation it's too easy to be "them and us". We need to be in it with them, empowering them to do their work - safely. God knows what i would've said to the blu tak experiment, I'm not quick witted. I wish I was! Good luck!