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What can you learn from the Peter Garrett issue? Could you be in a hot seat in your business?
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Could you be like Peter Garrett?
The answer may well be yes
Let me explain…..
If you own or manage a business you certainly are responsible for workplace safety of your contractors and subcontractors as well as your employees and you neeed to enforce training and procedures.
Let me give you an example of what happened to a client of mine some years ago.
This is a very well managed fishing company that proactively decided to record the swimming ability of their crews. One crew member could not swim so they bought him a self inflating life jacket and required him to wear it at all times when the vessel was at sea. He even signed off that he agreed to do this. The problem was that he felt it was “too nice” to wear because it would get dirty and ignored the instruction.
A few months later, he fell overboard and although the crew retrieved him quickly and performed CPR continuously until they handed him to ambulance officers they had called to the nearest jetty, he died.
The result was a criminal record and a huge fine for the young and very competent skipper because he failed to enforce the life jacket being worn even though the life jacket had been provided and the guy has signed off that he agreed he had to wear it.
The company is also being sued under civil legislation for damages caused by the loss of a father and husband. The other sad thing is that this family is from an ethnic background where it is inappropriate for young people to give orders to older people and the skipper had known the crew member from the cradle as a family friend.
Stuff happens and people get charged and pay and/or are jailed.
Looking at the Peter Garrett case, he organised his department let contracts and set up training programs but failed to enforce workplace safety. Merely meaning well does not fulfil the law. Peter Garrett even knew that they were problems and still failed to act.
A business person letting contracts where there were injuries, house fires and 4 deaths would be looking at jail for failing to enforce the safe work conditions and training programs as part of the contract. The contractors involved also need to be charged but the contracts were let by Garrett.
So STOP
Do you employ contractors? Do you enforce their workplace safety and their environmental management?
If you want to protect yourself, then you can get help for as little as A$770 for the AS/NZS 4801 Do-It-Yourself 8-CD safety training program.
I am absolutely not being political here – simply reminding business owners and managers of their responsibilities and liabilities.
What a pity because this is intrinsically a good scheme to help Australia’s environmental sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Articles
I have an interesting problem this week as I started writing this on a Qantas plane on my way to Sydne then completed it in Orange. My newsletter articles are on a USB stick that is still plugged into my computer in Adelaide! Bother. You will get less articles this week and more next week. This weeks articles are not on my blog yet because my internet is limited in Orange.
We don't realise how depended we become on technology.
I have been very busy lately developing a video version of my training materials so that the power point slides have a voice-over built in. Both versions will be available for you shortly as I believe that they will serve different clients.
Farmers and people who spend a lot of time commuting tell me they really like the slides and separate audio files they get as part of their online training because they listen to the audios in their cars and tractors rather than needing to spend the time reading.
Other clients tell me that videos will be really helpful for their inductions and internal audit training so these will be available shortly.
Either way, I listen, ask and I am always working to improve my service and my products so that you can get the most benefit from your program.
It has been an interesting exercise working through everything again and as part of this the entire training system has been upgraded to version 7.
So now you can choose:
- Group online training using power points, audio files, templates and weekly teleconferences
- You can join one of the online groups but also select video training for a small extra fee
- You can Do-it-Yourself with an 8CD set of the online materials and book one-on-one phone consultation with me as you want it as an extra.
- Or I do work with a small number of premium clients, one-on-one.
AND let’s add to your choice because you may choose to do a D-I-Y environmental management ISO 14001, safety management AS/NZS 4801 or quality management ISO 9001
Phone me if you have more questions. My direct line is 08 8331 0958 or email me on jean@enviroaction.com.au
About sustainability
While we were taking off on my trip to Sydney I read the Qantas magazine which is all about sustainability.
So does sustainability really mean? It is certainly more than simply environmental sustainability. It includes having a safe workplace, good human resources policies so that you have a low worker turnover and happy workforce, financial stability, satisfied customers. All the things that you get with a simple and effective integrated management system.
My take on sustainability in small business is being able to weather the ups and downs of the financial world, being able to take some time off and know that your business will still be working well when you get back, being confident that your staff will not break the law by accident and land you in legal problems and knowing your customers are well cared for.
If you own or manage a small business you should ask yourself how well your business would manage if you were suddenly not available because you are either on holiday or ill. Are your systems robust enough to manage? This is another form of sustainability.
Sustainability in the magazine was environmental only but it certainly went way beyond merely looking at carbon footprints or “green” products.
One of the interesting things discussed is the modern habit of drinking bottled water. It takes 3 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled water and in a serious and ongoing drought that is hard to justify. Then there is the issue of disposing of millions of “disposable” PET bottles.
Personally I use a filter jug for my drinking water and I have several reusable bottles – one on my desk, one beside the bed and one in the car. I love the convenience and cost effectiveness of having drinking water with me in a container that is not going to spill if it is knocked over (always a possibility with my cat wanting to be part of the action).
Another was a very good article about the motor industry increasingly making the switch to electric and hybrid vehicles.
I wrote an article a few months ago about moves in Israel in particular, to all electric private car fleet with battery change stations and chargeable (2 meanings) plug in parking spaces, so it was interesting to read more about the progress they are making towards this. Possibly these vehicles would be a challenge outside the cities in Australia because of the distances involved but they would certainly result in better air quality in cities. It would also significantly reduce our greenhouse emissions because electric engines are much more efficient and also electric cars are much longer lasting.
What do you think are the most important things to consider when you implement a management system?
I find that people have some very impractical ideas about this and some think that a checklist they grabbed from another business will do for them as well.
Others go to a lot of trouble to develop an management plan, but how do you really make a plan work and go on working?
Some follow a generic code of practice without thinking about whether it applies to their business and my pet hate is a “best management practice”. How can you ever improve on “best management”?
OK Back to my original question…….
- You start by identifying every activity that you do
- The look at the environmental, safety, quality or whatever, risk you want to manage
- You assess the risk if business problems or interruptions from this activity
- You look at what resources you need to manage this risk sensibly
- Then you make sure you have provided those resources
- And build in a feedback mechanism
Then you KEEP IT SIMPLE!
You will find that this is exactly what I help you to do when you implement a management system with me.
AND you will find that this reduces your risks,
It makes your staff more productive
And it saves you both time and money
I did the stats at one time and found that 94% of those who completed their systems with my help grew their businesses and became more profitable.
This stuff does work.
And you can do it easily
You can even do this as a Do-it Yourself training system for only $770
or you can join a coached group course to do:
I don't understand why so many still go on taking major risks with their business. And especially when it is so simple to start putting a straightforward and effective system in polace to protect yourself.
I would genuinely love to help you protect your business so please get in touch or follow on of the links to reserve your training program now.
My kindest regards
Jean Cannon
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