Written In Blood

Most people are aware of the term “written in blood”, usually referring to a practice or policy being put in place due to some kind of tragedy or negative outcome. Sadly when it comes to safety policy, the majority of this implementation only occurs after an incident or following lagging indicating factors.

They say hindsight is twenty twenty, and that is precisely why these policies come into effect the way that they do. Reactive, instead of proactive response, is a major factor. It is much easier to simply ignore dangerous practice if nothing bad has happened up until that point. Things have been working that way with seemingly no problems, so why should any action be taken? Why should we take precaution for something that might not ever happen?

Chances are taken because the benefit of saving time and effort is immediately tangible and somewhat certain.

This unfortunate mindset is partly due to the human learning mechanism of experience. Humans learn by what they are exposed to and experience. It is difficult for most people to imagine the gain of putting in the work now for something they may never experience or be affected by, E.g. following extra checklists in order to improve safety. This is also why most people give up on things like gym, the results and benefits are not visible right away. Of course the impact of human factors on safety is a complex effect, but the simple truth is that human behavior's increase the risk of incidents occurring.

It is important to remember that the government and legislation also have a huge impact, as they determine the standards and legal requirements that must be followed. If the government has not picked up on a potentially dangerous legislation, the average person or business will trust that they are doing the right thing by following government guidelines.

There have multiple instances of government issuing changes in required standard practice due to incidents occurring that their policies and planning did not account for. The good news is that the efficiency of measuring leading safety indicators mostly improves after every revision, meaning better avoidance of incidents in the future.

The solution is constant monitoring, patience and foresight. Have the patience to expend a little bit more time and effort on completing that checklist or inspection, or attending that extra safety training, and the foresight to see why it is necessary. Think of safety implementations as an investment in human wellbeing and not a nuisance designed to waste your time.

As with most undertakings, it is often easier said than done, and ultimately it is the company's and management's responsibility to foster a good safety culture and utilize proactive instead of reactive response in providing a safe workplace, as well as guiding their employees. However, every individual has an influence and by working together we can avoid a lot of unnecessary tragedy.

Acknowledging and learning from those who have suffered in the past is the least we can do in the present.

Ancient Safety Practice

Most people, if asked when they first thought health & safety came about, usually all have very similar answers.

30 years ago? 50? The truth is both surprising and interesting.

Looking at our complex system of current safety rules, regulations and compliance requirements, it would be easy to believe this is all a somewhat modern invention. Well believe it or not, people have had to face consequences for poor safety practice for much longer than you might think.

The first written proof of safety concerns was first noted 4000 years ago in the form of The Code of Hammurabi. It states;

“If a builder builds a house for someone and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. If it destroys property he shall restore whatever it has destroyed, and because he did not make the house which he built firm, and it collapsed, he shall rebuild the house which collapsed at his own expense.”

“ If a builder builds a house for a man, and does not make its construction meet the requirements, and a wall falls in, that builder shall strengthen the wall at his own expense.”

Furthermore; “If it kills the son of the owner, the son of that builder shall be put to death. If it causes the death of a slave of the owner of the house, he shall give the owner of the house a slave of equal value.”

The age and contents of this code demonstrate that safety and quality of work has been a concern since the earliest years of civilization. And while our consequences for unsafe practices today are thankfully not as extreme as those of the past, it is worth noting that safety is not just result of modern trends.

A lot of people regard safety as unnecessary and sometimes an inconvenience, however it is clear that it has been a concern for centuries, and for very good reason.

As a modern working society, we should be grateful for all the years that have gone into understanding and developing safety rules and make the effort to both uphold and continue to develop our very own safety codes.

Source: Black & Yellow Pty Ltd, Shields Safety Hub

Stress Awareness & Safety

April is Stress Awareness Month, a perfect time to consider the impact that stress management has on safety.

Recent data from the UK shows that in 2021/22 there were close to 1 million reported cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety. This accounts for 17 million days of lost work time with the annual cost of this factor to the UK economy close to £5.2 billion.

Financial implications are an important consideration, but to effectively manage work related stress we must analyze it in more depth and exercise emotional intelligence when assessing the risks.

After all we are all human beings; individuals going through different circumstances and dealing with stress in our lives apart from that related to the workplace. Of course the employer and safety professionals are limited to what extent we can assist in a personal capacity, it is still possible to vastly improve the stress of employees at work through keeping this in mind.

So how do we manage work related stress? A recent guide published by the British Safety Council called “Being well Together” identifies the following factors as the main causes of work related stress:

• Demands of employees such as workload, work patterns and the work environment

• Control people have over their workload

• Support provided by the company and fellow staff, the ability to communicate stress without victimization.

• Relationships such as work culture, inappropriate behavior from co workers, favoritism, victimization etc.

• Roles and tasks that employees do not have a clear understanding of, how roles influence one another

• Change not being effectively communicated to employees causing feelings of insecurity

Once we have identified the stress related risk factors in the workplace we can start to take action. Safety management recommendations from BSC include:

“✓ Implement a stress and mental health policy which states your position and demonstrates that you consider this an important issue. Ensure that it gives clear guidelines on roles and responsibilities, and the support on offer

✓ Consult employees on their workload, and their preferred way of working, to enable them to have some autonomy and control

✓ Consider implementing a risk audit on work-related stress across the business, this can highlight root causes and help identify appropriate action

✓ Consult with employees on potential risks and solutions

✓ Ensure that you have the right support in place for your workforce

✓ Train managers to spot the signs and symptoms of stress and manage it appropriately and supportively. They also need to recognise situations that are likely to cause stress

✓ Monitor and record any conversations and agreed actions for an audit trail and to measure progress and outcomes

✓ Implement good sickness absence management processes, reasonable adjustments, and return to work interviews that identify any underlying cause or risk of stress and addresses them

✓ Consider using Wellness Action Plans to facilitate discussion and decide next steps, agree any adjustments to work or the workplace, and the support the individual needs

✓ Consult employees on organisational change and communicate regularly to avoid uncertainty

✓ Encourage self-help and resilience too, implement a workplace wellbeing programme

✓ Encourage activity – studies have shown how being active and outside in the natural environment can produce endorphins that minimise stress and lift mood

✓ Encourage regular breaks away from the workstation. “

(Source: British Safety Council: Being Well Together Published April 2023)

Consistent monitoring of stress related data such as risk assessments, staff reports and history is important to analyze the effectiveness of action taken and any patterns of concern that may arise. It is equally important to communicate with staff regularly and ensure a system is in place whereby staff can easily and formally submit their concerns and that action and feedback is provided.

Safety is a team effort, together we can look out for each other and guarantee a workplace that is of the standard we all deserve.

Stereotypes & Immutability: A Major Hazard

Assessing hazards in any environment is a complex and analytical process. Most safety professionals follow an industry standard, systematic approach to identifying and managing these hazards. While these systems are generally reliable and comprehensive, one must remember that it is okay to deviate from the norm when evaluating safety management.

A major component of risk that is often easily overlooked are mental and psychological factors. This can range from mental health issues such as depression, PTSD etc to unique employee mindsets and belief systems presenting different challenges. After all, we are all individuals and do not all perceive the world around us in the same way.

A good example to consider is immutability or stubbornness within the workforce. More experienced or older employees may be very well adjusted to performing tasks in a specific manner, regardless of regulation or technology progression. These individuals can present a challenge as they are less receptive to change. You may have heard the expression “ I’ve been doing it this way for years” or “We have not changed our methods, this is how we have always done things”. This is a strong example of immutability. 

Another example is pre existing stereotypes people may have. This can range from stereotypes towards age, people of certain genders or races and even religious beliefs. These stereotypes may cause people to react differently to certain requests and safety implementations. This also particularly relates to communication and delegation of instructions. If someone has a preconceived idea of something or someone based on their stereotypical beliefs, they are less likely to be receptive to and want to follow instructions or work in consonance with said person.

It is an important skill of any safety professional to be able to convey the importance of safety management to all sorts of people no matter what their inherent belief system is so that previous stereotypes towards safety and people can be set aside and even dispelled.

These hazards are dangerous as they can easily evade detection in the face of other major threats that may seem more dangerous in the moment such as machinery and chemical hazards.

Remember as a safety professional our jobs are not to diagnose people, but to take the above mentioned examples into account when implementing a safety management system and make our best effort to communicate the importance of safety.

Look out for our next blog solely focused on mental health of both employees and employers in the workplace and how this affects safety management.

Holiday Season Safety Concerns

While the festive season is widely embraced as a time of celebration and relaxation for a lot of us, there is a flip side to this sentiment that brings about an interesting discussion regarding the hazards the end of year carousing brings.

The first consideration is simply the length of time and number of man hours people in various positions have accumulated during the course of the year. Different jobs have different degrees of stress, whether that be mental or physical they all share one factor in common at this time of year; duration. After an entire annum of work, motivation and dedication tend to decline (this is not necessarily purposefully done by employees but rather is a natural outcome of this period)

Humans are not infallible and even with adequate rest or leave periods, most of us begin to feel the toll of the work year at this time. Not only have we been hard at work for a long duration but extra stress is added in the form of standard festive season expectations.

Many people take on extra shifts or hours in order to provide for their families. This proposition is made even more tempting by the common fact that pay rates usually increase during festive season. This can lead to motivation for employees to push themselves past healthy boundaries in order to keep up with seasonal demands both in their jobs and personal lives.

Customers are often also more highly strung as they take advantage of Christmas sales and deals. It is important that your team has a good plan and support system that is specifically implemented to manage this time of year well.

So how do we control these hazards and keep employees safe during this time? Here are a number of good points to take into consideration both as staff and management:

• Offer/take adequate leave throughout the year

• Plan ahead for how the festive season will be managed (Eg taking into account the higher head counts, sales rushes etc)

• Have relief staff and adequate shift management in place for the season

• Offer employees fair benefits that motivate them near the end of the year

• Keep team morale high by showing care for team members personal considerations and be respectful of different cultures

New Smoking Regulations Pending for South Africans

New smoking laws are set to impact South Africans as the government seeks to implement tighter control over both the cigarette and vaping sectors.

The OHS industry must be prepared to implement and adapt to these new changes in regulation once they have become finalized. 

According to the draft thus far, the bill will attempt to address the following concerns:

As quoted from businesstech.co.za:

“ According to the explanatory summary, the bill provides for:

• 100% smoke-free for indoor public places and certain outdoor areas as the minister may prescribe;

• The ban on the sale of cigarettes through vending machines;

• Plain packaging with graphic health warnings or pictorials;

• Ban on display at point-of-sale; and

• The regulation and control of electronic nicotine delivery systems and non-nicotine delivery systems and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Other implications of the laws include:

• A ban on smoking in the workplace – is defined in the bill as ‘any place in or on which one or more persons are employed and perform their work, whether for compensation or voluntary’. This would mean homeowners may be banned from smoking in the presence of domestic workers or gardeners on the premises.

• Smoking would also be banned if a home is used for teaching, tutoring or commercial childcare.

• A ban on smoking in any motor vehicle when a child under 18 years is present and there is more than one person in that vehicle.

• An extension of the laws to cigarettes and any devices used in connection with tobacco products and electronic delivery systems such as pipes, water pipes and electronic devices.

• A ban on smoking in any enclosed common areas of a multi-unit residence.

• The Minister may prohibit smoking in any outdoor public place or workplace if they believe it would be in the public interest.

• Stricter rules on the depiction of any tobacco products – including a ban on the sale of any confectionery or toy that resembles or is intended to represent a tobacco product.

• Harsh jail time or a fine depending on the severity of the offence. For example, those caught smoking in banned areas will receive a fine or prison time up to 3 months, while those found guilty of manufacturing or importing tobacco products which do not meet the new requirements and existing standards could face a fine and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

The current smoking laws ban smoking in public places but allow for designated smoking areas in places like bars, taverns and restaurants, provided that they do not take up more than 25% of the venue.

The new laws, once passed, would change this to a 100% prohibition of smoking in public areas.”

This new proposal has been met with severe backlash due to lack of government communication and involvement with the vaping/tobacco sector before attempting to enforce these new, stricter regulations.

In terms of the OHS sector, it is important to be aware of these new changes and to adapt your safety management systems accordingly and in line with the correct legislation.

Ergonomics: The Long Term Consequences

Have you ever sat in an office chair or used a piece of equipment that causes you discomfort or requires straining and awkward angles to operate? If you answered yes then you have experienced the effects of poor ergonomic design.

The definition of ergonomics is: “Human factors and ergonomics is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems’ or “the study of people's efficiency in their working environment”

This refers to how efficient a person is able to be while working with and interacting with equipment or in a particular working environment.

Ergonomics is often overlooked as a hazard to health and safety in most business environments. The main reason for this is that it usually takes a prolonged period of time for the negative effects of poor ergonomics provision to manifest themselves.

A great example is where an employee is performing a repetitive task at a strenuous angle, Eg lifting boxes onto a high shelf. Another example would be using a hand tool that has a poor ergonomic design leading to strain on the wrist joint due to awkward gripping angles. While you may not injure yourself immediately, the repeated presence of these factors can cause long term musculoskeletal issues such as arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, back and muscle strains, neck pain and more.

Therefore it is of the utmost importance that companies take ergonomics regulations into account when planning their OHS policies and enforce procedures that ensure that ergonomically correct equipment and workspaces are provided. Staff should be trained and aware of how poor ergonomics can effect them.

Some ergonomic hazards to consider:

• Heavy Lifting

• Working at awkward angles

• Working in small/enclosed spaces

• Vibration

• Prolonged poor posture

• Pulling or Pushing

• Repetitive Tasks

• Awkward gripping

• Uncomfortable workspaces

Etc…

Do not wait until you or your employees have been affected for a lifetime by a poor ergonomic decision. It is not worth suffering from a long term condition that affects your quality of life just because the effort was not put in to providing adequate ergonomic consideration.