10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH... COLIN POPPLEWELL
Every issue, we ask a health and safety professional the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Colin Popplewell, site manager – Manchester mill at SCA.
as Jeff Bezos of Amazon who oversaw a fundamental change in people’s lives, which has had a dramatic impact in a relatively short space of time.
Q4
HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? Health and safety should not be seen as an isolated subject that health and safety specialists manage. Instead, it should be seen and measured as an integral part of any manufacturing role. I am interested in what can be done to improve the workplace rather than the reasons why you shouldn’t. I believe this is a shared goal at SCA and I’m excited to be part of the company’s very first Global Safety Week.
Q1
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? My first ‘proper’ job was a
mechanical engineer working in the steel industry. That role involved a wide range of health and safety aspects where production and logistical movements were high risk, so health and safety has been an important aspect of my career from the very start.
Q2 Q3 58
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? Health and safety is an integral part of the job in any manufacturing role. I have always seen this as my main priority and I consider managing health and safety at work as my personal responsibility.
WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY, DO YOU MOST
ADMIRE? Anyone who shows consistent high performance. A personal favourite of mine is AP McCoy, 19 times Champion Jockey. I also admire those who are entrepreneurial and lead change, such
Q5
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
TOWARDS HEALTH AND SAFETY? I see people’s health and safety as a personal commitment from one individual to another. If unsafe behaviour is highlighted, I consider that as providing added support to your colleagues. In doing this, you are not only showing that you are concerned for their wellbeing but also protecting them, which can only be a positive thing.
Q6
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO
SOMEONE NEW COMING INTO THE SAFETY PROFESSION? The answer is never going to be as simple as black and white. It is always critical to understand the context, the human factors, and the history behind any situation. Lastly, it is critical to formulate your own high standards and to stick to them.
Q7
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY INDUSTRY? I would like to see the focus move on to initiatives around auditing and
developing a safety culture rather than looking back at incidents and retrospectively putting actions into place. As the modern world changes and speeds up, the industry needs to proactively address occupational health issues, such as stress in the workplace, which have been neglected in the past.
Q8
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WITH ANY
THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY? I’ll admit that meeting a big celebrity isn’t really my thing, so I would probably say three school friends I played football with until our paths and careers went different ways. It would be a long evening of eating, drinking, reminiscing and generally talking nonsense.
Q9
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF
TOMORROW’S HEALTH & SAFETY? I am particularly interested in anticipating issues and having our operating teams develop plans to highlight potential health and safety issues in our work environment. As such it would be great to see more examples of where other companies have achieved this and how.
Q10
WHAT’S THE MOST RIDICULOUS/OVER THE
TOP H&S ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN? DID YOU FOLLOW IT? I cringe at slogans that some consultant has dreamt up to try to hook the memory regarding safety. For example “Remember: safety is not an accident” or “A spill or a slip could mean a hospital trip”. Talking to people and trying to work out what’s going to create issues for them is a far more valuable exercise.
www.sca.com/en/uk/Home www.tomorrowshs.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64