A ex-manager of mine, who has a way with words, says the trouble with management is that management professionals sometimes engage in acts of public masturbation! I apologise if anyone finds the foregoing offensive but my belief is it is an admittedly crude, but accurate, way of describing some of the things I have seen happen in management. do not care about how much you know until they know how much you “People care” Geoff McDonald Geoff has been my coach, mentor, guide and adviser on OHS for in excess of 35 years and is one of the very few consultants on the safety scene who inspire much confidence in me. The following are examples of material I have written guided by Geoff. Safety Myths One important factor that influences how OHS is managed is the attitudes and of those leading the charge. This paper explores beliefs, philosophies, concepts and attitudes and suggests some common ideas may be incorrect or unhelpful, that is they may be myths and misconceptions. People cause accidents We would not suggest that people are not essential in personal damage occurrences (Accidents) but the people cause accidents myth and misconception is often used as an excuse for not carrying out positive action. What often happens is we blame the person and forget about making positive changes to the machine and the environment. There are few occasions when it is appropriate to blame the person for their past actions, this is only appropriate when the blame leads to change in the future. The people cause accidents philosophy has been reinforced in a number of ways over the years. Heinrich-Although this belief has been part of our culture for centuries, it received official sanction in the writings of Heinrich, widely held to be the father of the industrial safety movement in the 1930’s. His domino theory whereby unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, errors and hazards combine to produce incidents has tended to focus on the person to blame and has been a serious impediment to meaningful progress.
A ex-manager of mine, who has a way with words, says the trouble with management is that management professionals sometimes engage in acts of public masturbation! I apologise if anyone finds the foregoing offensive but my belief is it is an admittedly crude, but accurate, way of describing some of the things I have seen happen in management. “People do not care about how much you know until they know how much you care” Geoff McDonald Geoff has been my coach, mentor, guide and adviser on OHS for in excess of 35 years and is one of the very few consultants on the safety scene who inspire much confidence in me. The following are examples of material I have written guided by Geoff. Safety Myths One important factor that influences how OHS is managed is the attitudes and of those leading the charge. This paper explores beliefs, philosophies, concepts and attitudes and suggests some common ideas may be incorrect or unhelpful, that is they may be myths and misconceptions. People cause accidents We would not suggest that people are not essential in personal damage occurrences (Accidents) but the people cause accidents myth and misconception is often used as an excuse for not carrying out positive action. What often happens is we blame the person and forget about making positive changes to the machine and the environment. There are few occasions when it is appropriate to blame the person for their past actions, this is only appropriate when the blame leads to change in the future. The people cause accidents philosophy has been reinforced in a number of ways over the years. Heinrich-Although this belief has been part of our culture for centuries, it received official sanction in the writings of Heinrich, widely held to be the father of the industrial safety movement in the 1930’s. His domino theory whereby unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, errors and hazards combine to produce incidents has tended to focus on the person to blame and has been a serious impediment to meaningful progress.
Guidance-FOR-the-beginning-OHS-professiona11.docx