Written Safe Work Processes. Are they needed?

The short answer is yes, but there’s a but.

They need to work in practice. There’s no use having a whole lot of wording around a process and how to carry it out safely, if it’s not practical. It needs to be usable, but not at the expense of safety.

Workers simply won’t use it if the process doesn’t fit the work being carried out.

If you are a practical person and have worked on the tools, shop floor, workplace yourself, try the process out. Does it mitigate the risks involved? Does it work in practice?

If you are not able to access it yourself, you could ask someone who can.

There was a major case in Aussie recently, where an accidental death occurred on a worksite.

Here’s a portion from the case notes:

 Safety failings

"During the investigation, it was admitted that the company did not have any formal or written safety policies or procedures within the workplace and that the business did not ensure that workers held the appropriate licences for the plant they operated.”  

 Of course, another required area especially with new inexperienced workers, is supervision. Watching and guiding until competent.

There are several different models for supervision. Give us a “yell” if you/or someone you know wants some help in this area. No charge for an email or phone call.