From now on, the blog will be continued on the company website at https://www.traintosafety.co.uk/blog

Here you will find industry specific news, the latest developments on our coming seminar and Peter Minto’s latest views on health and safety topics.

See you soon.

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The Health and Safety Laws in our workplaces are designed to protect the vulnerable working amongst us. Hence the legal requirement for specific risk assessments for expectant mums and young persons. Evident also in the required general risk assessments and additional protection for lone workers and anyone with disabilities or pre-dispositions. The RIDDOR regulations state that an employer must report an accident requiring hospital treatment only to (a more vulnerable) visitor to our sites, whereas it only becomes reportable for our own staff when they have been laid up in hospital for more than 24 hours (that’s if it wasn’t so serious as to warrant an immediate call to the HSE). Therefore, why is it then that this generally accepted rule to protect the vulnerable is not transferred to the Road Traffic Act? Why do cars, wagons and busses take precedent over the more vulnerable cyclists and pedestrians?

The second amendment in the USA allows ordinary citizens the right to carry firearms. Americans are amazingly protective of this ancient 18^th century law. The debate is played out at every election campaign and raised after every major atrocity. And yet Americans will not budge a US Inch. I have the same feeling that we British are just like that with our cars. Every car driver seems to have the opinion that it is their fundamental right to own and drive a car anywhere, as fast as they can get-away with and for as long as they Goddam like! I see it in the faces. I feel it when I ride my bike. Why do we drive like this? What is the motivation? What is the psychology. Mark Tovey’s study of obesity in the UK, 2016 states that the total net cost to the UK is 2.47 billion pounds and set to rise over coming years. An estimated 7.1 per cent of deaths (35,820) are attributable to elevated BMI in England and Wales in 2014. Each individual loses 12 years on average. And yet, faced with this type of hard hitting evidence, how many of us still use the car to drive to the corner shop? What is it that is in our psyche?

Each year, on behalf of Train to Safety, I consider out of all the health and safety managers I have encountered, who would deserve the award for the best. However, this year I am going to award it to a fabulous lady called Cynthia Barlow. Her story is amazing. She is a cycle safety campaigner and took on some of the most powerful and established transport organisations. It is David vs Goliath stuff. She is an inspiration to any of us looking to try and elicit change in our workplaces. If you are a cyclist or not, please look at her story, reported in the FT.  https://www.ft.com/content/ca1fca5e-9f6c-11df-8732-00144feabdc0

Maybe if I am lucky, I can secure her agreement to come and tell us more about how she managed to influence a large organisation at our seminar on 19^th April 2018.

Would you put up with this behaviour in your work place? No, me neither. So whats the difference?

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As Train to Safety Ltd complete more and more health and safety consultancy work in industry, we are beginning to realise how extensively it has been adopted. The method of risk rating, i.e. the 5 x 5, for likelihood x consequence matrix method has become so popular that we see it being used almost everywhere. The method has steadily become the industry default.

IOSH have now created a method  of being able to update their courses we deliver, enabling them to prevent the courses becoming out of date so easily. One of the recent changes has been to reduce the number of course modules from 8 to 7 by taking out the environment module. There are a number of reasons why they may have done this. However, IOSH now say it could be possible to deliver the course over three days or stick to four days if need be. This has created a dilemma. We piloted the courses twice over three days and twice over four days but the feedback  was not quite up to the usual high standards. The attendees to the three day course claim it felt the pace was too high. This was also reflected in some of the exam scores being close to the cut off point for success. However, despite the fact that the section on workplace hazards has now been extended, the attendees to four day course felt it was too long winded and drawn out. It seemed to be a no win situation.

And yet our policy with other high value courses such as the NEBOSH General Certificate, is to add in dates for revision and catch up to ensure the maximum standards possible are achieved. We are extremely proud of our exceptionally high pass rates for this course and therefore we considered why should we change our policy for the valuable IOSH course by trying to compress and rush it? As a result, we have now returned to delivering the IOSH course over four days once more to fall in line with our general policy to deliver a high quality training package. To ensure the pace is right we now spend a little more time discussing the case studies in the IOSH monthly magazine which are a vital component when introducing the course. In these, we discuss accident causation, legislation used for any criminal action plus we also discuss the various individual duties and responsibilities. Later in the course we expand and liven up the workplace hazards section with much greater reference to available film clips.

We now feel that once again we have the best application of the IOSH Managing Safely course to bring about the best effect for the organisation. We are confident that their personnel will return to the workplace full of smiles, confidence, complements and take an active role in their team.

Why not drive  your organisations health and and safety culture forward in one fell swoop by sending them onto this great course of ours?

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However, the presentation enjoyed most by the  audience, was the presentation on how to gain the co-operation of the workforce. The presentation was certainly well delivered by my colleague Mark Eastburn who not only has a vast experience in this area, but also possesses a higher level of teaching qualification than most. On reflection though, the huge demand by other HS managers to discover new and successful methods of gaining compliance is recognisable. Is this the greatest problem we are faced with I wonder?

The weather was also good to us on the day, allowing for a very relaxed chance to get together and discuss  work place issues with our colleagues outside on the patio while lunch was consumed.

The feedback I received from the seminar was overwhelmingly encouraging. Everyone found it to be useful in some way or other and took something away from the day. Some of us found the chance to catch up with old colleagues to be invaluable. Others found it useful in the way it enabled them to escape from the day to day grind of management and find the time to relax and reflect but in a professional atmosphere.

You will be pleased to note that next years’ date has already been set as we are now working towards the 19^th April 2018. As always we will build on previous years to make subtle improvements. The next seminar is due to have a nationally recognised guest speaker. We will also look to lengthen some of the presentation slots although not all. We will continue to stick to the latest format of making the presentations wide and varying. Therefore if one presentation is of little interest, then the following one, being in a completely different subject area, should hopefully be of more interest to the individual and to successfully hold their attention.

Did anything disappoint us? Not really on the day, everything worked so well and managed to keep to the tight schedule. However, on the build-up, we were disappointed by the local paper, who despite requesting an editorial, still could not find space in their lightweight periodical for such a great and well attended event. Oh well, I guess this typifies the claustrophobic and depressingly inwardly looking paper it is.

Thanks to everyone who attended and made this day such an important and useful event.
See you again on 19^th April 2018!

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The latest news is regarding the capping of the fees being charged by training providers. It doesn’t affect Train to Safety as we already charged below the maximum cap now being imposed. However, some organisations are rather disgruntled and are refusing to renew their licence, claiming the course is just not viable. Be careful your “reliable” training provider isn’t going to leave you out in the cold.

Also new is the trial being conducted to complete just the renewal test as a touch screen type test, if employees can demonstrate they are the holders of a high level course such as a NEBOSH or an IOSH Managing Safely. I shall report back once we know how the trials went.

The CCNSG courses are constantly being reviewed and upgraded every few years. Both the renewal and the two day courses were updated last year. The central theme really does go along the route of trying to get contractors to accept that misbehaviour is a significant cause of accidents. The course also is also in line with the current theme to attempt to engage workers and look out for each-others safety and health while out on a site. The LATS course or Leading a Team Safely course aimed at supervisors is in the process of being revised. It is starting to look a bit jaded now, however the focus of the course on management skills as opposed to health and safety issues directly, hits the spot. It really is a valuable addition to any person looking to demonstrate a wider range of interpersonal skills.

For more information regarding course dates, go to the Train to Safety website at www.traintosafety.co.uk However next two day course in Chesterfield is set for 15th and 16th August.

Finally. Napo the cartoon character no longer appears on the CCNSG courses. Some people are relieved, whereas some are most disappointed to learn this when they turn up for the renewal. I’m in the latter group as for any training that has the impact of being memorable to smallest detail 3 years later has to be a very powerful weapon in the battle to create visual, engaging and humorous training. No laughing matter tries to redress the balance here.

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Imagine a networking event where you could meet up with old colleagues, meet new acquaintances and get carried away with the enthusiasm and passion of your subject.

Imagine taking half or a full day, away from the workplace to free your mind from the day to day toil, while allowing your mind to soak up new ideas and test new technologies.

Imagine giving some of your hard earned experiences and receiving the wisdom of many others.

Imagine no further. Join our Health and safety seminar on May 11th at Ringwood Hall Hotel near Chesterfield.

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Taking no action and hoping for the best is not a wise option. However there are a few things that directors could instigate. By being proactive, they could start to demonstrate that their health and safety culture is an improving one. (Note, the HSE use under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 to gain a prosecution of an individual director if in their estimation, the company had a negative health and safety culture)

Action one: Attend the Train to Safety one day course – Directing Safety on 28th February specifically to help directors decide what they need to do and at what level to become involved. This course has been widely accepted as greatly beneficial to directors who have been on the course.

Action two. As well as the Directing course (but not instead of), directors could ensure they have access to adequate health and safety assistance. Many come to me and request my services for this however, it is far better for them to install these levels of competence working inside their organisation. Recruitment is one method but qualifying their staff to the NEBOSH General certificate will pay for itself by the end of the year.

The next NEBOSH course starts soon on the 7th March. contact: hello@traintosafety.co.uk

Don’t miss out. The business risks are just to great.

David Smith explaining how Asda became the top as a business performer.

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So welcome to any humiliated individuals who may be looking to recover their position. Our next course starts on 8th March in Chesterfield. Please come and join us. We cant guarantee success but we will guarantee that we will put more effort into providing the vital support that this course requires.

See the classic con which you wont experience with us.

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“Well of course I feel that” I replied. Its difficult to be able to quantify things but as I look back over the last twelve years I have been completing safety training, I can make a quite clear distinction between then and now. Firstly and most obviously, the national accident and ill health rates (for most but not all things) have reduced. I cant claim that any of this is directly attributable to me, or to health and safety trainers as a whole. Some of this may have been down to the general massaging of peoples minds by the gentle subtle shift in society as a whole.  Such as successful campaigns to reduce car accidents, drink and driving and high profile accidents hitting the headlines (i.e. the Alton Towers theme park ride catastrophe). However, I have noticed that shop floor workers who come to me for basic health and safety training are far more aware about safety as a starting point. All health and safety courses have had to raise their bar slightly as a result.

I can definitely point to two situations at least where, as a natural cynic, I have welled up in pride at the most noticeable results. One company was a fabricator of machine tools near Sheffield. A few years ago and due to their desperation I handed them a very basic off the shelf Health and Safety Management System as they had virtually nothing in place. I spent a bit of time going through how to implement it and their factory manager came on an IOSH course. I then left thinking that they would struggle to implement things as I had suggested due to the usual pressures of time and diminishing motivation. Earlier this year I bumped into the factory manager. He told me that the HSE had just conducted a random visit on them. I was full of dread and was visibly cringing. “Oh no”, the guy said. “The HSE were very complementary and went away very happy”. My heart jumped for joy. Well done to them.

Then last week I completed a one day IOSH refresher training course at a supply products manufacturer  in mid Derbyshire. Three years previously these same staff had come into the training room feeling pushed, cynical and rather exposed. Their company had grown from a small tin shed making widgets, expanding to  a lush, new, modern, purpose built factory. It coincided with a change of management who were keen to progress and modernise to modern day working practice as quickly as possible. But on the day, when the staff came in, they were confident, smiling and very proud of the achievements of their company together with their own personal progress within the company. Everyone was happy about management systems, risk assessment, monitoring etc. It was a great feeling for me to witness this and recognised once more my own small part in their achievements. Well done to them.

Compare and contrast this to a machining company I was at last week. One of their guys told me he thought it was acceptable, almost a badge of honour if you were to lose, say, a finger in a machining operation. He resented safe working practice and implied we had all gone soft. This guy and millions like him across industry want to return to the good old days. They are suspicious of management with vision, are resistant to new technology and new ideas and then wonder why their companies are dying out. These people have developed radical social ideas but unfortunately and ultimately it will not save them as progress sweeps them away. I remember the good old days, I was there. However, I cant recall a single thing at all that was good about them. Aberfan, Flixborough, Piper Alpha, Herald of Free Enterprise, nearly eight hundred people being killed each year. Desperate, desperate ill health in later years even if you did manage to survive. Good riddance.

In summary. I believe that health and safety is part of a progressive movement of which I play a small, almost insignificant part. But that part I feel extremely proud to be part of and I do believe I and many of my colleagues make a real difference.

Check out the “good old days” seen at their ugliest in this documentary.

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Invited presenters, many of which have already agreed, have a special, innovating or exciting application. Such companies include how to overcome the problems from exposure to dust, solvents and electro-magnetic fields. One company specialises in providing ergonomic seating problems for the workplace ( we are not just talking about the usual office chairs here). One company has a novel solution to protect from moving vehicles like fork lift trucks. A  supplier of personal protective equipment has been approached. Occupational health monitoring, novel ways to work at height without actually working at height. For those who must work at height, a specialised working at height company and a specialised hearing protection company are also part of a wide range of exhibitors and speakers attending. In fact we will be graced with representation from evidently the most successful NEBOSH training company, based on results. We also have some small presentations made by one or two local companies on how they overcame certain serious issues back in their workplace.

We have taken on the Ringwood Hall Hotel, just outside Chesterfield for the location, with its wonderful atmosphere and surroundings to stage the event on Thursday May 11th.

The day will be split up into pre-lunch and after lunch. Individuals wanting to attend can choose to come for either one or preferably both. (You don’t receive lunch if you opt for the afternoon session.)

Hopefully, anyone wanting to pursue their continuous personal development should be looking to attend, such as holders of an IOSH or NEBOSH qualification. It is well recognised that just sitting on your laurels turns the hard earned skills acquired into rusty useless relics.

Come and join us, drop me a line at hello@traintosafety.co.uk and we will get back to you with more information.

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