Comments

  • Career advice in the world of health and safety
    I'd recommend considering freelancing and specialising in the industry you have come from. I come from a background in entertainment and events and have set myself up as a H&S consultant almost exclusively to this industry. That way I can tap off the knowledge and connections I already have and the understanding of "work as done" and still get to work in an industry I know and love.
  • SSSP - Have we lost our way
    My question would be why are the workers reading and signing off on an SSSP?
    If it is for worker consultation purposes it's a bit late as the mitigations are already decided on. If it's a means to pass on crucial safety information then it is one of the most ineffective avenues to use, and I doubt them signing off on this will pass any "all practicable steps" litmus test for risk management.
  • Masks where wet, heavy physical work is performed
    PPE and "telling workers the rules" are both at the lower end of the risk management continuum in term of effectiveness.

    If you really need to keep people separate you might need to put some more robust infrastructure in place... physical barriers, engineering controls etc, with the PPE and "rules" overlaid to manage residue risk.
  • Impact of pandemic on your H&S practice
    As an H&S consultant to the entertainment and events industries my skills were sought after pre-social distancing but since the ban on mass gathering new work has pretty much vanished overnight. And it is predicted we will be one of the last industries to come back online... it will be many, many months before we are able to gather in large crowds again.
    I have a small back log of H&S management system design contracts to complete (if the clients are still able to afford my services, or indeed if they still exist as a business in the next few months).
    Otherwise it is working within my industry networks to provide support to the individuals who have lost all forms of income overnight and are dealing with the mental stresses of this.