Comments by John Bartlett

John Bartlett
Member - 5 posts

The answer is not that obvious, I wish it was. Several questions need to be asked.

- What is the experience and qualification of the H&S manager offering the advice? I am the first to say that some of my professional colleagues have done health and safety no favours with their interpretation of an issue. Health and safety professionals must in my view link the issues into cost benefit analaysis. Management understand pounds shillings and pence

- What is the issue and why should management say that the advice given is over the top?

If the advice offered is good advice and the company ignores it and it all goes wrong the company will of course have to answer some very difficult questions. An ACOP [Approved Code Of Practice] doesn't need to be followed but if you don't you will need to show that you have compiled with the law in some other way or a court will find you at fault.

Last but not least you could always get a second opinion on the problem however you then potentially have the issue of undermining the safety manager. Having said that if they are worth their salt they will welcome a second opinion

Hope this helps

John

John Bartlett
Member - 5 posts

Like most health and safety consultants I try and have have several cards up my selve for dealing with the 'difficult members of staff'. What you are trying to do is win hearts and minds. Perhaps your employees view this request as 'health and safety gone mad' Who are the proportion of employees causing the problem?

With the fire issue I always intially state that people will have more issues in the home than at work. How will they get out, how will they raise the alarm, do the children know what to do etc. All these points are normaly very well covered in the workplace but home is where the real issue is.
Second approach could be to show them the Bradford City fire video, that may focus a few minds.
Last approach which for me is really the last resort is to remind them about their duties under the HSAWA74 Sect 7 and 8.If that fails you move into the HR area of written warnings as they are breaking the law! Anyone not sure what Sect 7 & 8 is about just read the H&S Law poster that should be displayed in all workplaces. I consider that I have failed doing this last approach and in 15 years have only come close on a couple of occasions. Hope you don't have to take this route. Trying to manage some of the issues in the workplace is like pushing a pea up Mount Everest with your nose!
Good Luck and hope this helps

John

John Bartlett
Member - 5 posts

Claire
The basic principals are still the same in Dublin so the simple answer is Yes, employees in Dublin should be doing the course.

Hope this helps

John

John Bartlett
Member - 5 posts

Jamie
I confess to not normally answering forums only reading them to consider other peoples viewpoints. Your comments raise some very important points that as a health and safety professional I have questioned and challenged for some time. The key word I feel is 'significant' risk. We then of course move into the person doing the assessments perception of that risk. All very subjective at times. I actually feel that the risk assessment process does not work very well if at all. General speaking the person carrying out the task has never seen the risk assessment that may be required. How many people reading this have actually seen their companies risk assessments I wonder? It?s normally done from a computer by someone. The someone varies from the MD's pa to a qualified and dare I say it a competent health and safety professional. Yes I would agree that generic assessments are not suitable with some tasks however is it fair for me to state that the 'risks' are well known in all industries? For me the issue must be the safe systems of work that have been developed to manage the 'risk'. You refer to this aspect but where we differ slightly is that I do not feel that we are in this instance talking about 'significant risk'and therefore does not warrant writing a risk assessment. I would consider the most important aspect of this is to consider if you start with 5 screwdrivers how do you ensure you end up with 5 at the end of the working day. Very important if you are working on aircraft as you would'nt want to have one stuck in the flying controls! As I get older and become more of a grumpy old man I despair at re inventing the wheel. Well that?s my perception of it and I'm sure some would not agree, however, even the HSE are now running a campaign regarding sensible risk management and state that there is no such thing as no risk.

Regards
John