A certificate presentation ceremony took place at MINDEF HQ in Berakas.  The purpose of the presentation was to present candidates with certificates of their recently completed Health and Safety Training namely;  IOSH Managing Safely, H&S Auditing and Incident Investigation.

The ceremony was opened by Guest of Honour – the Director of Logistics.  He thanked participants for their hard work in achieving the certificates and encouraged them to apply what they have learned in the workplace.  Later the General Manager of Megamas, Roger Ainsworth made a speech to congratulate the candidates and went on to outline how organisations can achieve continual improvement in H&S by focusing on human factors.

The starting point for any organisation dealing with hazards is a sound management system to address critical issues of occupational health and safety.  Such a system will provide a good OH&S performance.  However, for an excellent OH&S performance we need to ensure that we have an effective behavioural-based OH&S compliance culture, that is, a Safety Culture.

What is a ‘safe culture’?

• A safe culture = an informed culture.
• An informed culture is one that knows where the ‘edge’ is without having to fall over it first.
• An informed culture is preoccupied with the possibility of failure and works continuously to become more resilient to its operational hazards.

But an informed culture can only grow from a just culture

• An informed culture depends on people reporting near misses, errors and incidents.
• But they won’t do that if they don’t trust the system.
• And they certainly won’t do it if they are disciplined because of what they report.

The elements must work in harmony:

• Thus, an informed culture depends upon a reporting culture.
• A reporting culture depends crucially upon a Just Culture.
• It is the Just Culture that is the “engine” which drives these elements together to secure a Safe Culture.

Building a just culture:

Blame Culture

• Counterproductive, opens the risk of upsetting the workforce,
• Undermines the safety culture.

Non Blame Culture

• This is neither feasible nor desirable.
• A blanket amnesty for all unsafe acts will alienate the workforce.

Building a just culture

• What is needed is a “Just Culture”.
• i.e. atmosphere of trust in which people are encouraged, even rewarded, for providing essential safety-related information – but in which they are also clear about where the line must be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable bahaviour.
• i.e. reward versus consequence management.

Can the law help?
Yes, because it sets the limits.  Companies with a good OH&S system and safety culture will bounce around nicely inside these limits.  But if not, at least, the limits will prevent companies from bouncing too far outside the required parameters of good OH&S.

Tags: Government, Training