10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH….. Q3
Every issue, we will be asking a Health & Safety professional the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Chris Abbey, Head of HSEQ for Hertel UK and Ireland Limited.
WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY, DO YOU
MOST ADMIRE? It has to be firefighters. As humans, we have a natural defence mechanism in the face of danger so it takes a special kind of person to forsake their own health, safety and wellbeing to help others, day after day, in the most extreme environments.
Q4
HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? I feel strongly that people hide behind legislation which can obstruct progress and growth. In reality, health and safety legislation does not need to be complicated. I would cut the layers of red tape and overwhelming bureaucracy which has had the effect of ‘de-skilling’ our workforce and stopping people thinking for themselves. We have to place emphasis on making the individual more accountable for their own actions.
Q5
Q1 Q2
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? Pipeline Test Engineer
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? By accident – literally. I had been caught in a chemical explosion where, as a result of flashover, I sustained significant burns. The subsequent investigation found that the working party had not evaluated and mitigated the risks that came with the task.
The opportunity arose for me to carry out a review of safety and working procedures and, as my experience had given me the drive to make sure this type of incident did not happen again, I grabbed the chance with both hands. My career in health and safety was born.
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WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT NEGATIVE
ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEALTH AND SAFETY? Negative attitudes are often related to a poor safety culture within a business where there is a feeling of having to comply with safety standards, rather than wanting to. A positive safety culture has to be centred on trust and communication, which comes from the boardroom downwards as well as from the workforce upwards. Trust comes through transparency and openness between management and the workforce and everyone has to take ownership of the safety culture and have a proactive involvement in shaping the processes.
Q6
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE EIGHT
YEARS OLD? I wanted to be a fighter pilot after watching Top Gun!
www.tomorrowshs.com Q7
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY INDUSTRY? In the litigious climate we live and work in I can only see that there will be more prescriptive legislation. We need to employ a sensible approach to health and safety.
Q8
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WITH ANY
THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY? To prepare for the evening I would have Michelle Roux Jr cook the meal so that I could critique his food as he does to others on Masterchef, and the music would be provided by Audioslave.
Around the table would be Jeremy Clarkson, who is a fantastic entertainer and I am right behind the campaign ‘JC for Prime Minister’; Stephen Fry, who I think is just the most intelligent person alive; and completing the trio would be The Duke of Edinburgh so I could try and understand what goes through his mind.
Q9
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF
TOMORROW’S HEALTH & SAFETY? I would like to see a review of the CDM 2015 – specifically how the new regulation has been received, interpreted and applied.
Q10
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO
SOMEONE NEW COMING INTO THE SAFETY PROFESSION? It is vital to stay focused. The world can look black and white when in actual fact it is grey. As a support function it’s imperative to have ‘buy- in’ from the operations team from the start and to always remember that some of your advice will have costs attached so be sure that you offer an ergonomic and economic solution wherever possible. The effort will be rewarded.
www.hertel.com
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