Health & Safety is always front of mind as we do it safely or not at all at Ryman, but one thing some of us might not be aware of is the fact that we walk through areas of risk every day.
That is certainly the case on our construction sites, villages and sometimes in the offices. The Health and Safety team have been investigating our perception of risk, with the idea that when we do our daily work, we should be aware and vigilant of hazards and dangers around us.
Natasha Richardson (Ryman Construction Health & Safety Administrator), says the first in a new series of workshops on the health and safety strategy – in particular, identifying the difference between a hazard and a risk -- have been held in Christchurch.
Attendees have been picked from all areas of Ryman so far, with a focus on team members who are likely to visit our construction sites or operational villages. The team at the newly started Riccarton Park site and Havelock North site, have received training so far. The remaining construction sites are due to receive the Risk Management training in early November.
Those who work on construction sites do sometimes become accustomed to potential dangers. “The workshops are about creating awareness around hazards and risks. Sometimes workers become used to working around hazards without identifying the risks involved. We want to encourage our workers to be able to identify and control the risks involved with the work they do so we can ensure everyone goes home safely,“Natasha says.
The workshops were led by David Fuller, managing director of HSE Global, a firm dedicated to supporting other companies to ensure they put their people at the centre of their health, safety and wellbeing activities. Over the years he had looked at corporate life or ‘people, behaviour and culture’ within organisations. At Ryman he was asking workshop attendees to “get their eyes on” on risks and how people should control them. “Are these controls effective, are they enough”, he posed to the class.
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He emphasised to attendees that everyone was exposed to risk every day, whether they were at work, at home, driving or on the construction site. There were also obviously risks associated with some hobbies and sports including hunting and netball.
“It’s about caring for people and businesses … people were able to take the concepts from this course and lay them across their whole lives, not just work.
“That’s where the lightbulbs have really come on for people. What would ‘one step safer’ look like? And that’s the message for this programme.”
Other workshops and sessions will be held at Ryman construction sites and rolled out across 39 Ryman villages.
Ryman Healthcare has, for some time, looked to spread an embracing attitude towards safety to all of our people including residents, team members, contractors and the wider Ryman family.
