Happy New Year!!

It has been an extended holiday for many but whatever your view on the snow it has definitely raised a whole range of safety concerns for a lot of companies.  It is interesting to see how companies have adapted or changed working practices to  disruption.  Reducing road travel has meant that more of us have worked from home via internet links or have caught up on those admin tasks that we have been putting off for ages.  Whatever industry you work in pressure is always increased when change or disruption happens, it is how we deal with it that matters and getting the balance right is all important.  Too much cautions means everything grinds to a halt, too little and people get hurt. There is a lot of pressure on the decision makers who feel like they are damned if they do or damned if they don’t.  It’s a time when risk assessments are being made all the time, so if you know the risk assessment process you won’t go far wrong. Identify the hazard, Evaluate the risk then devise your control measures using the acronym ERICPD (Eliminate, Reduce Isolate Control PPE/ discipline).

 So keep going, make sensible decisions about what can be eliminated or reduced and take reasonable precautions and we can all continue to work is a safe way. One other thing, Don’t forget the human factors, people’s behaviour in the snow can be erratic, childhood kicks back in and it can be playtime again.  I would say, have great fun in the snow but stay safe and if you are responsible for decisions which affect the safety of others then reasonable, proportionate and risk based decisions are the way forwards.

Laurence Davis CMIOSH, MIIRSM, RMaPS, Dip2.Osh

Chartered safety and health Practitioner

Managing Director Crossroad Health and Safety Systems Ltd