They Had One Job To Do…..!

Sometimes in a workplace, employees just have one job to do and they still manage to screw it up. In fact, they manage to screw it up so royally you wonder how and why they didn’t notice.  Despite some Employers believing the contrary - at the most basic level, hard hats, high viz vests and orange traffic cones are just not going to save everyone.  It’s the culture that sits behind the use of this equipment that is important.

Do you see anything wrong here?
The Russian gentleman to the left just added an extra cushion barrier in case something falls on his head…thoughtful!

Funny safety moment ideas sound somewhat contradictory because safety tends to be a serious subject. It’s hard to find amusement in a sliced finger or a workplace accident concussion. There is no disputing that everyone should take safety policies and procedures seriously, but adding humour to the topic of safety at work can actually be beneficial to employers and workers.

It is well known and accepted that laughter relieves boredom and stress, activates creativity and collaboration, boosts well-being, and increases productivity. Humour can be a positive in the workplace as long as it’s in good taste and not counterproductive or condescending.

It’s okay – they have high-viz vests on…!

Employers are required to demonstrate and enforce the importance of safety in the workplace. Workers repeatedly hear the same thing over, and over again, potentially leading to people unconsciously tuning out. There’s nothing more dangerous in a high-risk workplace than a disengaged worker, but tell an amusing story, or talk about humorous safety moments on the job, and people tend to retain the story and more likely the principle or learning that sits behind it.

For those who had one job and failed so miserably it's hilarious.  Everyone makes mistakes, but for this one - you just have to ask…..

But… WHY?!

Common workplace safety breaches include risks such as lack of adequate traffic management, poor respiratory protection, and bad ladder safety.  Industrial and construction sites are some of the most hazardous, along with work involving chemicals. 

Many of the regulations outlined in legislation seem like added costs for employers.  New equipment requiring guarding, training, and other measures mean more cost, but if applied incorrectly - or worse ignored - worker compensation, company fines, reparation, and damaged reputation are worse than paying for necessary equipment.  Human psychology tends to undervalue the chances of a serious accident, so workplace safety precautions can “feel” wasteful to the employer and/or management. They could not be more incorrect!

More often than not, workers will go through a near miss or two before something dangerous actually happens. Normally, the response is “whew”, as nothing bad happened, but those situations are an excellent time to learn.  Just because nothing bad happened with that near miss, it doesn’t mean that next time will be the same.

Can you spot the safety breach?  The man sawing is not wearing steel-capped boots!

Often there can be a disconnect between the workers exposed to hazards and the manager, because the manager is the person actually capable of resolving the issue, while the workers are the ones most aware and affected by possible dangers. Employers need to ensure that all employees are able to report and detail hazards easily and without fear of repercussions.

Instead of repetitive toolbox conversations, try introducing a funny safety moment topic for meetings. Our human attention span is getting shorter, so maintaining employee interest during safety meetings can be a challenge. Try a different angle - it’s important to talk about the serious side of safety like regulations, statistics, injuries, and workplace accidents, but adding humour can be really effective in getting a message across.  Try showing amusing safety videos, introducing safety-related memes or bringing in a guest speaker to share stories of hilarious moments that could have gone wrong and have them show how implementing the appropriate safety procedure avoided a serious incident.  Stage a competition within your team to come up with the most amusing slogan, poem or tune around safety.  I recall travelling to Dubai several years ago and this slogan featured on a building site – it was clever, captured my attention.

Simple but effective slogan that causes you to think.

Safety in the workplace shouldn’t be taken lightly, but adding a funny safety story or learning moment doesn’t take away from a quality safety program. It’s more likely to keep safety at the forefront of workers’ minds in a way that other mundane methods don’t.  Often a good laugh is just what people need to break up a day’s routine – so inject some amusing safety moments….  like when a worker recently responded to his induction question “In the event of a fire, what steps would you take?” the correct answer really might be his one - “Bl**dy big ones”!
 

For more information on how to engage your employees, HR or Health and Safety advice, get in touch with a member of the SBS Team.  Freephone 0508 424 723 or visit www.safebusiness.co.nz