Health & safety bulletin
Near-miss reporting (update)
10th March 2006
Xmo Strata is delighted to advise that bulletin No 20 (Near Miss Reporting) has generated more feedback than any other.
The only way that the company can really change the culture of other contractors and its less well educated customers alike is to raise the issues and take positive action to change things at site level.
The main question raised by Xmo Strata teams is – “Why should I risk conflict and grass other contractors up?”
Being very honest, nobody enjoys confronting others, especially if what they are doing is “none of our business”, but how would you feel if it was your spouse or your son was working for example on a ladder and other contractors didn’t say anything because it was “none of their business” and he slipped, fell from height and died? How would his kids feel?
Why should anyone feel awkward about stopping someone from being hurt? – you are doing his/her family a great favour, even though he might not realise it at the time.
From a business viewpoint, at the end of February an Xmo Strata engineer signed in at a filling station that Xmo Strata was working on and saw a contractor working from a ladder at the top of an MID without any PPE. The engineer did exactly the right thing by addressing it with the contractor and work was stopped (only for him to return later and carry out the work when Xmo Strata engineers had left site); the issue was reported to the office. The contractor doing the work on the MID did not sign the visitors book and no paperwork was left on site.
If a passer-by, or another contractor had noticed this and reported it to our client, an investigation would have been carried out and the only contractor in the book that day would have been working for Xmo Strata – the inevitable conclusion would have been that Xmo Strata engineers were working on the site so it must have been one of their men, resulting in a severe reprimand or the suspension or termination of our contract.
Engineers are urged to approach anyone working in an unsafe manner in a polite manner and advise a supervisor of the action taken.
If you find yourself working on ANY site and other contractors (or customer employees) are working or acting in an unsafe manner, you must advise your immediate supervisor or the Operations Manager of the situation. We also request that you let us know if you have spoken to those involved and they have heeded your advice; if you advise of any unsafe acts, I am happy to personally manage the situation with any customer and give you my full support.
If you do not communicate unsafe acts on sites that you are working, you may inadvertently leave yourself and Xmo Strata open to unforeseen criticism.
A Near Miss is an unplanned event that given slightly different circumstances could have resulted in loss, damage or injury.
Please remember that for every 400 Near Misses, there are 50 incidents requiring first aid, 3 lost time injuries and 1 fatality – we are committed to reducing injuries by analysing near misses and addressing behavioural issues at Head Office level with other contractors and customers if necessary.