The only way to get money out of a CEO for
business that's otherwise been ignored for OHS, is to create a slogan (Zero
Harm) that is appealing to the CEO, according to Andrew Douglas, Principal at
Macpherson + Kelley Lawyers.
Speaking ahead of the SIA's Safety in Action
conference in Melbourne, Douglas said the language of safety and the importance
of engaging with ones workforce will be the only way to achieve the best in
OHS.
"Safety
practitioners, as they move towards professionalism, have developed a language
and style, just as lawyers have done in the past, which is meaningless to many
of the people who have to operate it."
Andrew believes that to achieve the best in OHS,
employees must be engaged in, and own the model being applied.
"The language of safety has become so
impenetrable."
It would appear that workers have trouble
keeping up with the new language around safety. Acronyms are in a constant
state of revision and safety must find a new language which is understood by the
people who work on the floor, Douglas said.
In the last 5 years, there has been growth in
OHS legislation, which imposes liability directly on directors and CEOs. "These
leaders are reaching out to safety."
"The only way to get money out of a CEO for
business that's otherwise been ignored for OHS, is to create a slogan that is
appealing to the CEO. And we got ‘zero harm'."
Yet without definition of ‘zero harm', the
workforce is being disenfranchised, Andrew said.
Employees know from life experience that the
best laid plans can still injure people. In his experience, Andrew has seen
that workers in those environments totally distrust the management argument
that all injuries are preventable.
"Leaders must lead honestly, with integrity and
predictability, and it must be achievable."
In the instance of ‘zero harm', it does not
necessarily mean zero injuries, he said.
"Admit this is an aspirational goal, that there
will be real measurements at the floor level. Grow ideas from the workers rather
than imposing it from above."
Douglas will be among 50 speakers at the Safety
in Action conference presented by the Safety Institute of Australia Ltd at the
Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, from 5-7 April. For more
information visit http://sia.org.au/safetyinaction.
-ENDS-
For additional information,
please contact:
Kate Telfer - Media Liaison
Safety Institute of Australia Ltd (SIA)
E: kate@sia.org.au
M: 0433 224 249