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Health & Safety

It’s time to replace compensation with common sense

Do you see health and safety as yet another box to tick? Well maybe it's time to apply some common sense and make sure we all get home safely!

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Many people's perception of health and safety in production work, is one of 'box ticking', bureaucracy and risk aversion. But in our new range of occupational risk training we're trying to promote a culture where production staff are confident that they’re doing enough to mitigate risk whilst still being allowed to produce their programmes effectively.

Calculating Risk

We all calculate risk everyday. Picture the scenario: you're late for the train with an important meeting to get to - do you expend time and energy walking a few hundred yards to a pedestrian crossing and risk missing the train, or do you dash across the road opposite the station risking getting run over? Most people would dash across the road.

Similarly people are aware of the adverse health effects associated with smoking or drinking excessively but are prepared to risk serious disease and premature death to benefit from the short term effects.

Many people are willing to take risks in respect of their personal health.

Educated guess work

In all these cases we do a risk assessment, weigh up the likelihood of harm, make an educated guess and informed judgement, almost unconsciously, and proceed accordingly. In essence, production health and safety is no different to this, other than the fact that we record the results.

It's all about balance

Real and sensible health and safety risk management in production work is about balance. There is no clear line separating right from wrong; instead, it is about taking a mature and responsible attitude, implementing realistic and workable systems, and learning lessons from mistakes.

Risk assessment is a tool for achieving an objective safely, rather than the means to prohibit the process of programme making!

It's time to replace compensation culture with a common sense culture.

Find out more by browsing our full portfolio of health and safety courses

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This article was writted by Vittorio Vanloo, senior trainer and product developer for BBC Training & Development. Vittorio develops and delivers health, safety and security training and learning to programme makers and support staff.