Mobile Phone use while driving - common sense reason not to

How about a bit of controversy?

We all know that (in the UK) it's against the law to use a hand held mobile while driving a car. Currently, however, the use of a hands-free phone is not against the law. The whole area is one of intense disagreement. I suggest a simple test - hold a conversation with someone and look into their eyes while doing so. Now, ask them a tricky (at least tricky to us mere mortals) maths question (such as "what is seven times thirteen") and see what they do. Most people will look away from you while they think about this - they are concentrating on the problem. If they were driving, they would look away from the road and would not be concentrating on their driving.

If the conversation is one that is important, then stop and hold it when you can give it your full attention. If it is not important, then it can wait.

I don't think this will make me popular, but it should help people to understand why I am against using even handsfree phones while driving.

Research shows that hands-free phones are no safer
than hand-held phones. The main danger of being on the phone while driving is
disruption of concentration.
(Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents)

Safety Matters meets the world of Marketing

How do you want to be found?
I don't mean this in a deep, dark or sinister way but more in a Marketing sort of a way.

How do you want prospects (or potential new clients) to find you and your company. In my case, it's as a Health and Safety professional (or consultant) in Loughborough, Leicestershire or in the East Midlands. I am looking for people who are looking for a health and safety consultant to help them with health and safety, fire safety or other risk assessments needs, etc. I am also looking for, people who are looking for ongoing health and safety advice. I have written this down to help me to clarify me thoughts on these matters rather than to provide any other reader with words of wisdom.

So, have decided what I want, the next thing is to think how to go about find these people. Who are they? Where will they look? How will they find me?

Who?
Owners and managers of businesses, or directors of larger businesses.

Where will they look?
The web. Google. Search engines. In their post (real and email).

How will they find me?
Well, my intention is that they will find me by tripping over me (and my company, LRB Consulting) because I am continually cropping up in their post (real or electronic) and in their web search. On of the purposes of this blog is to help to crystallise some of my thoughts. I need to improve my chances of been found by those who are looking for health and safety advice, guidance and consultancy.

I'm looking forward to spending more time doing health and safety work, including fire safety risk assessments for new clients in the East Midlands. If this is what happens, then it will be because of marketing focus.

Newsletters
I've always steered clear of writing Newsletters, despite the fact that I create a lot of content through various pieces of work. Recently, I have put aside my reservations and "gone for it". If you would like to look at my first foray into Newletters, please look at this. This Newsletter deals with the changes in January to the levels of fines for Health & Safety Offences and provides various cases where things have gone wrong.

My second Newsletter (produced in April) deals mainly with fire safety. While I'm quite pleased with the products, it does create the next problem - where do we go from here? Are there any areas that you would like to see covered? Please let me have your comments and feedback.

Slips, trips and falls may be worth a go - the HSE campaign is still running and it is still a major cause of injury. Importantly, it is also something that can be improved on with very little cost - although effort is required. There are some useful (and free) tools available from the HSE website.

Social Networking and when not to Twitter

Like many people, I find that twitter is both amusing and (slightly) addictive. It seems that social networking is in need of external moderation as one of the Tweets (better than twits) that I came across declared a time when one should not do it: http://bit.ly/KEdvW

A few examples of other times it is (or may be) inadvisable to twitter are:

• During an appraisal or annual review
• When climbing a ladder (probably not long before this features in risk assessments and method statements)
• When driving (I'm sure people do it!)
• After a row
• After drinking (too much)
• When you don't want to look like a geek
• In the swimming pool
• In the bath (sadly) http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id=14023
• & many more
  

All that said - twitter is still fun

The importance of Paperwork in health and safety

I first posted this blog about two years ago. It is still true (and simple) now.


Recently, I spent a morning in Birmingham visiting a neat little site for a major client. There were a few niggly areas to address, but the main one (which seems to affect a huge number of sites) was the retrieval of relevant records. While almost everything was in place, it was difficult to establish this with the paperwork trail. The importance of the paperwork trail can be seen by considering safety to be split into two simple things:

1. The things that we do to protect ourselves, employees and others
2. The proof of what we have done

Clearly, it is the things that we do that are most important for protecting people from harm. The proof element becomes important after things have gone wrong or when there is an enforcement visit. The proof element is essential for protecting the Company from harm. By way on schoolboy analogy: "if you are called into the Head's office to be caned, ensure that you have book down the back of your trousers. The records are those books - your corporate protection"