Is Crossing Your Fingers Or Touching Wood On Your Risk Assessment?
The Interesting Health & Safety PodcastShow Notes
How well do we understand the controls we have in place, and how relevant are they? Are we confident that they are being effectively used? As Colin discusses this week, it might be time to take a whole new look at the controls we use, and determine if they're truly needed. KEY TAKEAWAYS Some controls do not serve a useful purpose, or are completely ineffectual. They simply serve to clutter the processes and make things more difficult. We can't hope to know our businesses inside and out unless we get out there and talk to the people at the sharp end of the business. BEST MOMENTS 'I want to challenge you' 'Stop crossing your fingers and touching wood' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/vn/podcast/the-interesting-health-safety-podcast/id1467771449 Project Mollitiam - https://www.projectmollitiam.com ABOUT THE HOST Colin Nottage ‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’ This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions. He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation. Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses. Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive. He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
More from The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast
Colin is joined by Crystal Danbury to discuss the pervasive issue of loneliness and social isolation and its deep impact on mental and physical health.
Colin meets Becky Ray, the owner of Culture Kick Limited, who’s here to talk about the importance of workplace culture, leadership, and the need for reflection in business practices.
Colin discusses the concept of bottlenecks in a business context, inspired by a LinkedIn post. He relates the common belief that the bottleneck is at the top of a bottle to the idea that senior management is always the issue. He counters this by pointing out that when pouring, the bottleneck is at the bottom, using the simple phrase "not when pouring”.
Colin challenges the perception of health and safety as a passive noun or mere set of documents, reframing it as an active "verb"—something you must consistently do in your business. He introduces a comprehensive set of "doing" activities for health and safety specialists and business leaders, focusing on learning from near-misses, improving competency, integrated planning, and direct engagement with the workforce
Colin discusses the critical role of health and safety professionals in the workplace, emphasising the importance of influence over implementation. He highlights the challenges faced by these professionals, particularly when they lack a seat at the decision-making table, and stresses the need to build strong relationships with operational teams to effectively manage risks