Posted By Stuart Bower
I've been asked a couple of times here what does good health and safety look like and despite being the smart **** that I am I honestly had some problems providing a simple answer.

There's the obvious things like absence of injury/ill health, identification and control of risks etc. but it didn't take me too long to end up waffling a bit. It certainly wasn't a short answer and I could see the eyes of the asker slowly glazing over!!

So, - a question to my fellow practitioners. Do any of you have a 'simple' answer to what does good health and safety look like? All responses greatly received. Happy to provide a compendium if I get enough suggestions.

Posted By Colin Reeves
How about

"a workplace from which you feel comfortable that you will get home in one piece to see your wife/kids/dog".

Just about sums it up!

Colin

Posted By David B
Stuart

Good Health and Safety looks like it doesnt exist. Before you have me locked up, the reason I say this is because if everything is working well, the H&S, the operations, indeed everything fits so neatly together that no particular aspect is visible. If it becomes visible it is surely because someone is having to make an exsessive amount of effort to ensure its success - you know the guy who flaps about, panicking, shouting, waving arms ...

Just my thoughts

David

Posted By Ron Hunter
I'm with David B.
Where h&s is a properly resourced, accepted and integrated part of the business, where everyone has pride and takes responsibility for effective management of health (with a proper emphasis on health)and safety risks.

The opposite end of the spectrum is where the business decisions are effectively done and dusted and the final question arises: "...now - what about health and safety........."

Posted By Merv Newman
I think I am disagreeing with everybody here.

Good H&S is where everyone is involved constantly in "doing" H&S as a normal part of their job. It is not invisible. In fact it has to be VERY visible. Constant and visible management support of all safety efforts and actions.

Constant and visible employee involvement in H&S

I don't like the american rah-rah-rah way but I wish we could get some of that into our H&S approach.

H&S is FUNFUNFUN !

Merv

Posted By Elizabeth Reeves
Simple - HGS65

Posted By Barry Cooper
Where everyone cares and looks out for each other

Posted By Rommel
Good health and safety

Very simple, GOOD HEALTH and SAFETY in its fullest sentence

Posted By Pete48
Stuart, OK, how about.

1.) Fit for purpose
2.) Achievable and understood by all staff
3.) Proportionate. (Cost/benefit.)
4.) Contributes to improved performance and standards.

You have to put your own "hows" to these 4 points. If your MD cannot cope with 4 bullet points, get another one quickly!!! :)

Posted By Tabs
Alan "but I refrained... So should you. ;-)"

I miss your point. I posted a serious reply.

If you look at the HSE report, the Richard Hammond accident shows what good H&S can achieve.

It's not perfect, but sadly, neither are we.

Forgive me, but your definition leaves me cold, even though it is technically correct and skillfully crafted. ;-)

Richard Hammond took on a risky activity but was shrouded in good preparation, planning, resources, car design, construction standards, protective helmet, racing seat belts, site selection, emergency actions, rescue equipment, emergency services, helicopter extradition, and excellent nursing.

He lives to tell us that good health and safety can exist alongside the human condition for pushing our luck.

Anyone who thinks he survived just because he was lucky is wrong.

That is what good H&S looks like.

Posted By Jason911
I agree with the previous posts. Good H&S is invisible whether you want it to be or not. I have never met an M.D or senior manager that truly has this as a number one priority, despite the pretty things they all say about how seriously they take it.

Unfortunately and I suppose understandably they only really care about the bottom line, no one ever rose to a senior management position because of their H&S skills!

I am not saying I condone it, but I am a realist and I have after years of resistance have come to accept that H&S is not and never will be the a bonus related goal for any senior managers.

In my experience M.D's and senior managers main skills are based in their ability tell people what they want to hear and adapt any statistic to suit their own ends. This does however take a good deal of time and skill and leaves a non profit making department such as H&S invisible if run well, and that is the best that you can hope for. Oh you will get your odd moment of glory when you pull their bits out of the fire when things go wrong, but that is always short lived.

The only people who truly recognise good H&S and what it means are us lot, and how many of you got a big fat bonus last year because of all the good work you did and the accidents that you prevented that are not even a quantifiable statistic as far as companies are concerned and are therefore invisible.

Do I sound bitter?

Posted By John A Wright
I agree with those who say good health and safety looks active, that is very visible and under control.

To Joe Public our Richard Hammond was lucky but as noted above there was a lot of H&S there to save his life, maybe not visible to Joe P but very visible to 'us' here.

H&S should be seen to be in place and working. A fresh looking Safety Notice board with bulletins and a training diary, a recently reviewed Safety Policy, department/team meetings with safety first, Risk Assessment reviews based on level of risk, labels on equipment, inspection dates on equipment, people wearing First Aid badges, Fire Marshalls wearing labelled hi-vis jackets all the time (where appropriate), procedures for buying equipment or introducing new raw materials complied with by all managers, Permits to Work where appropriate, pedestrians and vehicles clearly segregated, everyone's signature on a risk assessment somewhere etc etc. Very visible.


John W

Posted By John A Wright
Gary wizz wrote

>>good health and safety looks like an idle safety manager

Yeah right Gary, except that the idle safety manager has ignored the fact that three legislations have changed this year and he hasn't conducted training updates for the department supervisors; there's an OHSAS audit in two months and he hasn't reviewed documentation with managers, hasn't reviewed effectiveness of training; hasn't conducted the annual emergency response exercise.....

So Gary, I disagree with your definition :o)


John W