This interactive workshop was sponsored by SOG Ltd who also presented a very interesting approach to engaging employees through interactive sessions within the workplace. Their “Deal With It” programme is gaining more and more interest from a wide range of companies across the UK and beyond.
A clear process designed to enhance health and safety culture, address the behavioural reasons behind accidents and encourage employees to make pledges to improve. It is a cultural enhancement programme which can be developed on what a company needs, now and into the future.
By thinking along the lines of “software of the mind” the programme sets out to deal with formed habits relating to certain hazardous tasks. It doesn’t involve managers only, but aims to involve all staff. Helen Schoelzel, Training Manager at SOG Ltd, explained that workers change behaviours when managers change their behaviour too.
Many companies have undertaken culture climate surveys for completion by all employees. Managers have to be brave to deal with culture surveys and their output. All seek to engender trust, openness and shared ownership, which all helps towards an interdependent culture where all accept their responsibilities. SOG Ltd can also help with this process, in particular how to use the feedback in targeting training and other improvements.
Delegates were also invited to consider gambling with risks by analysing “chances” versus “benefits” for specific everyday tasks. When would you not step over the ‘risk line’? They were also asked to consider the potential consequences of things going wrong and the impacts on people’s lives, which can be very serious.
The three-hour programme includes ‘safety game’ which brings in an element of fun to the sessions. There is a range of outcomes with ‘saving time’ as a common reason for taking risks. This then needs to be put in context of understanding the costs. There four broad types of behaviour that can lead to accidents:
n Lapse – “not thinking fully or concentrating momentarily,”
n Error – “I made a mistake,”
n Misperception – “I thought you wanted something else?”
n Violation – “I don’t want to do this safely.”
Finally delegates are asked to make a pledge, to do something positive in the workplace, to make a difference. SOG Ltd will help with this by providing; posters, stickers, ideas for initiatives and follow-up visits. Please contact Neil Lancaster Business Development Manager,
www.dealwithittraining.co.uk on
01928 515977
