ABSTRACT
Workplace safety has long been the subject of discussion in organisations around the world, from the boardroom to the shop-floor. Organisations that take a forward focus concentrate on the inputs to creating a safe work environment and use leading indicators to enable them to identify and manage potential problems before they arise. Good safety relies on adopting a measured approach based on carefully collating and analysing information from a wide range of sources. Only when this happens, is truly informed decision-making possible. Good communication within an organisation is key to great safety performance. Many organisations are introducing anonymous reporting systems that focus on information gathering rather than apportioning blame so that the opportunities for learning from near misses is maximised. The training might be essential– learning a new safety system–but where there is little meaningful explanation to the workers actually being trained, it always results in a marked lack of enthusiasm.
