13 Tips For Safety Pros To Progress in 2020 and Beyond
Earlier this week, I did a video in which I spoke about 13 tips for Safety Professionals to consider when planning for 2020 and beyond.
Feel free to check out the video at this link 13 Tips for Safety Pros
Here they are again with some further explanation-
1. Safety is hard work- Safety Pro’s need to work hard and persevere, despite hurdles put in front of us. We need to be aware that we're juggling many expectations from employees on the floor to senior managers and beyond. It will be challenging. We need mechanisms in place to cope with these demands.
2. You won’t always get what you want- The safety game is about compromises. We're not always going to get what we want. There are lots of factors at play from budgets, time constraints, resourcing, and others, that will impact on our ability to achieve what we set out to do. We will need to compromise at some stage.
3. There’s a lot you don’t know- You can’t possibly know everything. Know where and whom to turn to for assistance. Don't fudge it. Don't wing it. The secret to success is knowing your limitations and where to turn for help.
4. Qualifications do not equal success- You can have every piece of paper under the sun, but unless you can back that up with experience, then you will be behind the eight ball. Note point 3 above.
5. There’s a lot you can’t control- You can’t control who hires you, who fires you, who likes your work, who doesn’t. Don’t waste time worrying about things you can’t control. Focus on improving and being the best you can be.
6. Information is not true knowledge- Knowledge comes from experience. Put yourself out there and challenge yourself. Keep growing! Note points 3 and 4 above.
7. If you want to be successful, prove you are valuable- The fastest way out of a job is to prove to your employer they don’t need you. Instead, be indispensable. Add value. Assist people, be part of the solution. I've said many times, are you the safety cop or the safety educator. The safety cop is not sustainable.
8. Someone else will always have more than you/be better than you- Whether it’s the job, or money or qualifications, or opportunities, it does not matter. Be unique. Rather than get caught up in the work of others, focus on the things you are good at, the things you need to work on and the things that make you happiest.
9. You can’t change the past- but you can learn from it. Focus on moving forward. Focus on improvement.
10. There will always be people who don’t like you- It's as simple as that, and that's in any job, not just safety. Don't get hung up on it. You have a job to do. Don't let these feelings cloud your judgment or drive how you perform your work. Note point 7 above.
11. Sometimes you will fail- Sometimes, despite our best efforts, stuff happens! When it happens (because it will happen), embrace the lesson that comes with the failure. Note point 9 above.
12. Repetition is not good- Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result doesn't work. As safety pro's, we need to keep innovating. We need to keep looking outside the box. We need to look at things differently. We need to look for solutions that address the problems we're facing. Note point 7 above.
13. You will never feel 100% ready- Nobody ever feels 100% ready for some tasks. We've written previously about being prepared for investigations and other tasks we're confronted with. Note points 3 and 11 above.
Whilst not exhaustive, these are what I believe to be the key areas we need to be aware of as we progress through 2020.
What has been your most valuable lesson learned in 2019?
What're your goals for 2020?
Drop a comment below and let's chat!
Interested in Knowing More?
Further information on Safety Wise’s Incident Cause Analysis (ICAM) Training is available from our website: http://www.safetywise.com/
Additional ICAM Related Services
Safety Wise also offers the following additional services for sites that adopt the ICAM investigation analysis method:
Quality review of incident investigations using ICAM
Participation in investigations as an external/independent party
Investigation coaching
ABOUT THE AUTHOR- Luke Dam (Chief Executive Officer)
Luke has worked in various industries over the years including pharmaceutical, retail, manufacturing, and transport including iconic brands like WesFarmers, Goodyear, CSL Limited, and Incitec Pivot Limited.
His work in OHS and learning and development has seen him deliver services to clients, both internal and external as well as managing service delivery teams around the world.
Luke holds a Graduate Certificate of Management (Learning) as well as a Diploma of Occupational Health and Safety, a Diploma of Training and Assessment Systems, a Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment, a Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response & Rescue and a Certificate II in Public Safety (SES Rescue).
Luke is extensively involved in a project to establish an association dedicated to confined space safety and to drive change in legislation to promote best-practice in this high-risk area. Luke is passionate about online OHS and incident investigation communities, moderating a number of large LinkedIn groups boasting over 11,000 members globally.
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