Perception noun: the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
Do you see a tree or a number of faces? Different people interpret items differently.
Many of us have been in a discussion with someone and have them topically announce that Health and Safety is simply common sense. There is some validity within this statement but how do you measure this common sense and determine that everyone has the same knowledge?
The issue is that common sense is derived from experiences and information acquired through real life opportunities and events. Even if everyone has had the same background, educational growth and experiences, it is still not plausible that they all have the same opinion. We all interpret situations differently so it is not possible to state that it is just common sense.
Similarly, what we perceive as safe or unsafe comes from our knowledge, education and experiences. Sadly, it is often those who experience an unfortunate health and safety incident who really get what it’s all about.
A local Facebook community page recently saw some polarised discussion arising from this post:
“Beware tradesmen, Health and safety police are now using drones to catch you out. Big brother at its lowest”.
Who the health and safety police are, and why they use drones, we have no idea and neither could the post writer clarify. And what is also interesting is that many comments mention “Health and Safety” as though it is an entity or organisation.
Some of the responses to the Facebook post were:
- “We survived for decades without cotton wool now it’s becoming ridiculous. Hard hats in cars next.”
- “It’s typical of this country to go too far. Usually because there’s money to be made in it.”
- “Health and safety are to make money on your stuff ups. They don’t care if you hurt your finger at work.”
- “New Zealand has been 15 years behind Australia in Health and Safety rules. Now it is time to play catch up. Too many people are getting badly injured or killed at work.”
- “Why do people have an issue with worker safety being a priority?”
So some people get it. They get why health and safety has had to have a legislation update while others still have the ‘she’ll be right’ attitude.
Simon Arcus, chief executive of the Institute of Directors said recently that health and safety was not about wrapping people in “cotton wool and bubble wrap”, but more a case of getting people to think of themselves as mates looking out for their mates.
For those of us that do get it, we will look to partner with like-minded, people focused businesses. Not only will our workers get home safely, we will benefit from having good financial return on our investment in health and safety practices.
Jay Ferguson, All About People Health and Safety Specialist and Nikki Davidson, All About People Online Marketing