10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH... PAUL SAMBROOK
Every issue, we ask a health and safety professional the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Paul Sambrook, Group Risk & Compliance Director at Servest.
due to H&S. For example, schools banning traditional games such as conkers due to safety fears. Personally I think children learn by doing and shouldn’t be wrapped in cotton wool. I prefer to shift the focus to why someone wants to do something in the first place, and then find a way to do it safely.
Q5 Q1
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? I worked as an ammunition
labourer one summer when I was living in Germany with my parents who worked at an army base. It opened my eyes to the working world and the importance of safety. I saw some people being injured trying to lift heavy objects and a few were even hit by forklift trucks.
Q2 Q3
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? I had the opportunity to join Servest in 2009 and stepped into the H&S and quality role. I had previously worked as an operations director, focusing on manned security, for a large services provider.
WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY, DO YOU MOST
ADMIRE? I take my hat off to any entrepreneur who has put their money where their mouth is and taken on that massive commitment of setting up their own business. Rob Legge, Servest’s CEO UK and Europe, is just one example. I admire people who can focus on the reward being greater than the risk.
Q4 48
HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? You still hear far too many stories of things not being allowed to happen
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
TOWARDS HEALTH AND SAFETY? I don’t recommend just applying a rule and expecting people to carry it out. Consult and discuss with people by telling them about the consequences of not following the rule, and make it relevant to their lives. For example, cleaners are better persuaded to always put the “wet floor” warning sign out if they think about their loved ones entering the store and slipping and falling on an unmarked floor. Help people to understand the “why” of what is being done.
Q6
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO
SOMEONE NEW COMING INTO THE SAFETY PROFESSION? Rules and regulations can be quite dry. They are fine and necessary, but there is much more to the profession. Why not bring some personality to the subject? Always bring context to what you are trying to do. Consider the environment you’re being asked about, who is asking, their level of expertise, what their request is for, and so on.
Q7
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY INDUSTRY? We need to adopt a more positive approach and embrace H&S as something that can help and not hinder. If we don’t, there’s a danger that everything will become increasingly litigious, and eventually
H&S won’t allow anything for fear of a lawsuit. But if H&S can be there to help, guide and support things then we’ll be making progress.
Q8
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WITH ANY
THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY? I’d invite the chef Raymond Blanc as I love food. Blanc exudes passion and love for what he does. It’s infectious. Maybe he’d even cook for the party. Jack Nicholson is an amazing actor and a bit of a rogue so he would add some edge and no doubt be able to tell some stories. And then a sports star, someone like the US skier Glen Plake, who was influential in forming my addiction to skiing.
Q9
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF
TOMORROW’S HEALTH & SAFETY? Most businesses do the ‘what needs to be done’, ‘when’ and ‘how’, quite well – by way of method statements and risk assessments. But there’s not enough focus on the ‘why’. I’d like to see examples of where companies have helped teams to understand the why as it relates to them.
Q10
ASKED BY KATE LANGWICK, OFFICE
MANAGER AT HSL: WHAT IMPACT HAS BEING IN THE H&S INDUSTRY HAD ON HOW YOU GO ABOUT THINGS OUTSIDE OF WORK? I’d like to think that I practice what I preach. I don’t do the ‘I’m not at work so I can switch off’ thing. I have more awareness of the impact of doing something wrong, such as driving, DIY or cooking, on my family and friends. Accidents happen, but it helps to think of the consequences – to bring a bit more awareness to the task.
servest.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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