Safety Officers

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

Are they dickheads?

I'm interested to hear what people think of people who work in OH&S.

I'm voting YES.

Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: CYSTIC FIBROSIS SUCKS

I'm voting no Very Happy

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

I've got a lengthy rant brewing........

Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: CYSTIC FIBROSIS SUCKS

Barnsey wrote:

I've got a lengthy rant brewing........

COOL

Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:21 pm

Brewing is an appropriate term, because what comes out your mouth is mostly fecal matter anyway The Finger

Joined: 09 Mar 2004 Location: queensland

I'm going to be a fence sitter about this somethings i agree with but some are dumb

Joined: 19 Aug 2007 Location: Brisbane

All but 1 I've meet have been champs.

The exception being the one who thought it would be a good idea to kick me in the foot to point out i wasn't wearing "safety" boots, guess he had never seen steal capped vollys before.
his day only got worse after making that decision.

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

ofr57 wrote:

I'm going to be a fence sitter about this somethings i agree with but some are dumb

No, not safety itself, but the people who work in safety. Is there a certain type that do this work?

Hopefully no one's got a problem with the intention that we all go home from work in one piece, and all that.

Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:27 pm

Working as a tradie for the state government i have to say yes, there are a few exceptions but the majority of saftey inspectors working for us just look for the easy things to ping you for (justify their existence) than look at anything that is actually going to cause some harm or potentially kill someone.

So yes there is that "Highway Patrol" like stigma attached to Saftey Officers.

Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Location: Newie

Considering one of our site safety officers is referred to as "the C#$T", you're safe to assume he's not popular.

The only time I have seen the guy smile is when he turned up at 6am Saturday morning prior to crew change, with the drug/alcohol testing crew in toe...

Joined: 09 Mar 2004 Location: queensland

Barnsey wrote:

ofr57 wrote:

I'm going to be a fence sitter about this somethings i agree with but some are dumb

No, not safety itself, but the people who work in safety. Is there a certain type that do this work?

Hopefully no one's got a problem with the intention that we all go home from work in one piece, and all that.

AH ok

Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Location: Found

Barnsey wrote:

ofr57 wrote:

I'm going to be a fence sitter about this somethings i agree with but some are dumb

No, not safety itself, but the people who work in safety. Is there a certain type that do this work?

Hopefully no one's got a problem with the intention that we all go home from work in one piece, and all that.

I accidentally voted yes...

But anyway... When I'm not in the office I'm moving between busy concrete plants and frankly, driving the commodore around them scares the crap out of me. I refuse to do jack without a safety officer present (this is a requirement for being on site but some people tend to ignore the requirement) and value them greatly.

I have to admit, some of them are dickheads, but the vast majority I've worked with have been really cool.

Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Location: Bendigo

The few times Ive come across an OHS bloke (or woman) who was a dick was usually an OHS offficer for a company that didnt really give a rats about OHS. Apart from that little job demotivater the OHS guys Ive dealt with have been alright.

Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:09 pm

define "safety officer"??

i am an OH&S representative, and chairman of the site OH&S committee The Finger

Our S.I.T manager is a bit anal about some regulations...... but he is not too bad. I keep in mind, and i say the same thing to the guys on the shop floor so to speak, that EVERY rule, no matter how idiotic it may seem, has come about because somebody has been maimed or killed at work.

Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Melbourne

D**kheads or not they are a necessary evil.
Most I have come across (including me) are genuinely focused on making the place safer, if that means not being popular with the other d**kheads who think they know it all and can't be told how to work safer, then so be it.

Most important is to engage the people you are trying to protect, get them involved and explain your reasoning when you do something unpopular.

As for the minority of HSRs etc who run around like little hitlers, a safety group is like any other group, it's bound to have the odd wanker in it.

Safety in the workplace rules Very Happy

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

Not reps............safety "professionals"

The reps are usually OK

Joined: 29 Oct 2002 Location: Brisbane

Seeing as I have to sit through 6 different inductions each week listening to the same bullshit about the same dangers that have nothing to do with my line of work, yes i think they're repetitive dickheads

Joined: 11 Jan 2004 Location: Adelaide

Mark Twain wrote:

We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again -- and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.

Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Melbourne

Barnsey wrote:

Not reps............safety "professionals"

The reps are usually OK

define safety "professional"

Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Location: Found

Douglas Adams wrote:

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

Struth wrote:

Barnsey wrote:

Not reps............safety "professionals"

The reps are usually OK

define safety "professional"

Usually they have a Cert 4 in OH&S, maybe in TAA and what ever else falls out of the cereal box.

Generally, they have a string of "catch phrases" to impress the peasants with, such as zero harm and stuff like that.

Mostly, they are show ponies with little substance, and often do safety, because they've become sick of actually working.

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

Froon wrote:

Douglas Adams wrote:

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools

Bogged and Emailed to my work puter.

Thanks Laughing

Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Location: Found

Barnsey wrote:

Struth wrote:

Barnsey wrote:

Not reps............safety "professionals"

The reps are usually OK

define safety "professional"

Usually they have a Cert 4 in OH&S, maybe in TAA and what ever else falls out of the cereal box.

Generally, they have a string of "catch phrases" to impress the peasants with, such as zero harm and stuff like that.

Mostly, they are show ponies with little substance, and often do safety, because they've become sick of actually working.

Can we skip to the rant already? You've got us at the edges of our seats! Smile

Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Location: Brisbane

Why can't the various state governments and even internal departments get together and make ONE induction for Australia. Then have a quick induction for each site where you find out the particulars for that site.
And create ONE set of rules and standards for tagging and lock outs. Instead of every site having it's own little empire. cussing

But back on topic, in the past I saw people changing to the OH&S side (And IT was well) that really weren't that good at their trade. The bosses encouraged these blokes to do this. These blokes were often disliked in the previous jobs (You get sick of redoing some elses jobs all the time) and these blokes use their new "Powers" to get even.

In the last couple of years I've seen a shift in this, the OH&S crew are starting to target the people needed to make things change.
So instead of fining a bloke for not wearing safety glasses even thought the store was out, they find out WHY the worker couldn't get the equipment he needed to do the job safely. Since it is now the managers who are also held responsable for the safety breaches, we are starting to see real change in the attitude of the OHS Reps

Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Location: Waikerie; SA

Was a SO a while back.

I'm no dickhead.

I was universally disliked by both workers and management. Razz

One day a crane I was telling everyone was $#@!ed and both sides telling me I didn't know shit ... broke.
Dropped the top half of a 60,000 litre tank onto the base, with two BM welders and a TA inside.

The investigators took one look at my paperwork, got the Chief Engineer sacked, the leading hand and workshop foreman went on holiday, and the owner told me I had an attitude problem. So I left too. The Finger

The three tank passengers sued for damages and got $$$$, enough to start their own business Cool

And I not voting coz I'm sure some are.

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

It's been a long week...........I'm up at 4.00 am gone by 4.45 am and home at 6.45 pm, 5 days a week and sometimes drop in at work on week ends, if some thing's gone to shit.....

Here's my rant:

I separate myself from your cabbage variety safety "dude" for several reasons:

I actually DO give a shit on the topic.

I never wanted to be a cop, or a parking officer, therefore, I don't get off on "busting people".

..........meh, I've had a bad week, need a camp fire and a carton of 4x.

One thing that annoys the crap out of me is the amount of red tape and "procedures" we have in safety these days. People who work in mining will know that you can't take a crap without writing out a Take 5 and wearing a hard hat, in fear that a supervisor or Safety Nazi will peer of the cubical and ping you for "non-compliance".

My view is that these safety systems actually create hazards. We're all too busy COMPLYING with what we have to do, instead of looking at more important things like having jobs adequately resourced with manpower and equipment.

What makes a safe work place is a happy workplace, where people know that the bosses (including safety people) actually give a shit.

The current way of thinking with safety is all about compliance, and being a safety "professional" is all about compliance.

Therefore we have a genre of dickhead Safety people, with personalities suited to the task.

End Part One of Rant.

There's more

Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Location: In the Goatshed in Melbourne

Come and work in Child Protection... I have exactly the same farkin rant atm Crying or Very sad

Joined: 15 Jan 2004 Location: Melbourne

In my experience most Saftey Offers are walking slogans but really don't understand the dynamics of saftey. A good Saftey Officer should listen and ask alot of questions more than they talk but sadly most fail.

Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Location: North West Qld

Emo wrote:

In my experience most Saftey Offers are walking slogans but really don't understand the dynamics of saftey. A good Saftey Officer should listen and ask alot of questions more than they talk but sadly most fail.

Thank you Emo.

Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Location: In the Goatshed in Melbourne

Barnsey wrote:

Emo wrote:

In my experience most Saftey Offers are walking slogans but really don't understand the dynamics of saftey. A good Saftey Officer should listen and ask alot of questions more than they talk but sadly most fail.

Thank you Emo.

X EleventyBoggedtyBrazillion

Anybody here ever worked at Jeff's Shed? Crying or Very sad