A more targeted approach to harm reduction will be seen from the DoL in the new business year starting next month, says Dr Geraint Emrys, chief adviser for workplace health and safety. Emrys said the department’s harm reduction programme was an important milestone in its moves to become a more effective regulator, and to put the workplace health and safety strategy into action. “Overseas case studies indicate this type of approach can be effective in reducing persistent harm that has not responded to other types of intervention”. Such action plans would be evidence based and involve measurable targets.

Two areas of focus would be the reduction of fatalities and injuries from quad bike accidents in the agriculture sector, and falls from heights in the construction sector. Also, programs were underway to reduce carbon monoxide poisoning from the use of fuel powered forklifts in warehouses and coolstores, and injuries resulting from the lack of, or inadequate, machine guarding in the manufacturing sector.

Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson said the action agenda showed a shift in thinking to a narrower but deeper focus in areas where it was possible to make a difference. Wilkinson hoped the approach would be based on pragmatism not just words.  She emphasised the importance of the word “action” noting that what was proposed was not a strategy or a set of higher level polices. “What I struggle with is well meaning but practically irrelevant documents that identify a problem without framing a concrete plan on tackling it”.  The action agenda would take a collaborative approach to resolving problems and focus on how it translated to preventing accidents on the ground.

“At the end of the day I hope to see a significant reduction in workplace injury and fatality rates ... the success of the action agenda will be measured on that.”

 All jokes aside, becoming comfortable and complacent in routine tasks is a real concern for any worker. While safety training often addresses non-routine work, Laughlin explained that he was more worried about routine work and the employees who do the same thing day in and day out. “This is how zombie workers get created,” he said. After time, “they do things now they wouldn’t have dreamed of doing in the beginning. Never confuse luck with safety.”This is a problem, he stressed, which needs to be addressed. “We have to find a way to get through to these people and can’t keep relying on the same old run-of-the-mill stuff.” Laughlin offered a few creative initiatives to snap employees out of their “zombie” ways.

Uniforms for everyone. Laughlin worked with a company that placed every employee, from the CEO on down, in the same uniform, complete with an embroidered nametag. This destroyed the sense of a hierarchy and helped employees get to know each other. “The amount of teamwork and openness at this plant is something I’ve never seen before.”

Public speaking. If an employee violates a safety policy or becomes injured, he or she must provide safety training (while paired with a H&S representative) to the entire department to explain how and why the injury occurred.

Games. Find ways to incorporate games, activities and interaction into training programs whenever possible to keep employees interested and involved. For a new twist on old games, like safety bingo, try safety poker. Employees can receive playing cards when they are observed working safely; at the end of the week, the employee with the best hand wins.

Top-down attendance. One of Laughlin’s clients tied their manager bonuses to attending safety classes, essentially making safety training part of the management evaluation process. “How much will employees think of the training program if the management doesn’t attend?” Laughlin asked.

Posters on the move.  Many companies are guilty of hanging safety posters and leaving them there – for years. After time, these posters become invisible to workers. Laughlin suggested purchasing a stock of posters, rotating them and moving them to different places to better grab the workers’ attention.

“Why I work safely” buttons. Employees can wear buttons or cards featuring pictures of their loved ones with the phrase “Why I work safely” printed across the top. This reminds everyone of the importance of going home safe and sound at the end of the day.

Safety walk. Take employees on a “safety walk” to encourage them to look at the plant with new eyes, as if they were safety professionals. Employees should point out any violations they might notice. Simply providing employees with the time to think about safety can make a difference, and according to Laughlin, H&S professionals might be surprised to find what workers notice.

Step outside the H&S box. The challenge, Laughlin said, is getting management to understand H&S is a minimum standard – the very least you can do. Consider engaging employees to help develop the site safety plan to go above and beyond H&S regulations.

Potty training. (No, not that kind.) Consider placing safety information above urinals or inside bathroom stalls.  The information could even be tied to prizes, such as “find the safety hazard” picture challenges.

The pig of shame. Another client of Laughlin’s purchased a stuffed pig and “awarded” it to the department deemed to have the worst housekeeping practices. The losing employees are each photographed with the pig, and the pictures are hung in the cafeteria. “It becomes a good-natured competition to not be in the department who gets the pig.”  He added that housekeeping at this company vastly improved.

Crash test dummy. Another company purchased a crash test dummy and tagged it whenever someone got injured. An injured hand, for example, would get tagged with a short blurb of what happened. Employers can use a poster or chalkboard drawing instead of purchasing a crash test dummy.

 5) Recent Department of Labour Prosecutions

Each issue we feature a safety related photo.  Just for fun we'd like to receive your ideas for an appropriate caption.  We will publish the best caption received in the next issue. Good luck!