C O LLA B O RATE
The wider view GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT
LEXICON
A few years ago I was key witness for the defence in a trial essentially about risk assessments. Counsel for the prosecution suggested that a shambolic risk assessment file meant a shambolic risk assessment – but though I conceded that there is certainly a correlation, the two things aren’t necessarily always related. It’s possible to have done a worldclass risk assessment but have awful paperwork (as in this case). Reviewing the latest edition of Risk-led safety by Chris Jerman and Duncan Spencer reminded me how many times I quoted the words and wisdom of this excellent, practical book during this trial – most specifically while describing a risk assessment as just a bit of paper when an
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FEEDBACK FE
Fighting fatigue F
MUST example READ of shambolic paperwork was flourished. (The verdict: not guilty, unanimous, both counts in less than 2.5 hours including lunch.) You won’t agree with everything the authors say – they admit they aim to be provocative – but you’ll not disagree with the many practical, realistic assertions about risk management without careful consideration and the authors will settle for that. As Professor Ragnar Löfstedt says in the preface: ‘Essential reading’.
Last month’s cover feature on driver fatigue, as well as a recent column by OSH content developer Chris Burro Burrow on sleep deprivation, got members talking. For Former police officer Andy Knight said tiredness is a daily issue in the force, citing shift patterns, poor diets a and lack of breaks as a real problem in the emerge emergency services sector. Bill So Sowerbutts, who worked as a sales rep, knows what it’s like to be targeted by the number of physical face-to-face meetings, and to be driving more than 1000 miles a week. Part of the problem he sees is that ‘driving is not regarded as working’, while Andy believes driver training is subjective with no real codes of practice and laws that have grey areas. Chris’s observation that employers could do more to raise awareness of the importance of getting enough sleep among staff prompted Nana KwartengAbabio to comment online. As a keen campaigner of effective fatigue management policies and plans within his organisation, Nana was grateful to learn some more insights around the subject. However, health and safety officer Serena Merry was hoping for suggestions or ways of thinking towards helping to get a good night’s sleep. To that end, Chris has promised to write a followup article focusing on ways to obtain quality sleep, so watch this space.
Tim Marsh CFIOSH
IS FOR GENERATIONS X, Y AND Z We’ve heard it all before: millennials are lazy, baby boomers are mega-rich and as for Generation Z, they see more of their phone screen than their own family. Our latest Lexicon article (see bit.ly/IOSH-lexicon-x) says that there is no evidence for the arbitrary classification system that characterises individuals by when they were born, any more than there is for saying that Aquarians are more compassionate than Scorpios.
MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
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