Implementing a safety culture

Everyone must be able to return home safely at the end of their workday or vacation.

Unfortunately, some people become too focused on other priorities at work or in their free time, failing to pay enough attention to their own health or the health and well-being of others.

The quad bike accident in which a young Italian tourist fell off a cliff and died has shocked many.

This caused an immediate reaction from the authorities, whose duty is to ensure safety in public places and make people aware of existing threats in particular places.

A proposal to install safety barriers near the accident site was initially rejected due to the negative impact the incident would have on the appearance of the area.

The decision was made to put up warning signs for people who visit places that are inherently dangerous for visitors. However, more needs to be done to embed a culture of safety in the community, including those visiting for the holidays.

It is depressing that those responsible for ensuring public safety often do not do this and only react when accidents occur. Regular accidents on construction sites are ample evidence that employers, employees and health and safety authorities often do not believe in a culture of safety.

Despite regulations specifying what must be done to promote public safety, non-compliance is widespread. Authorities often do not act until it is too late to prevent fatalities.

The way many people ignored safety instructions near the Azure Window a few years ago shows that the lack of enforcement of safety regulations is widespread and tolerated.

Doctors for Road Safety are doing an admirable job of persuading governments to take their responsibilities towards the health and safety of their citizens more seriously.

For example, they are right when they say that those most at risk on the road are motorcyclists and pedestrians.

Undoubtedly, the increase in the number of cars on our roads, the questionable safe driving skills of many drivers and the inadequate enforcement of traffic laws are serious threats to which road users are exposed every day.

Municipal police officers often focus more on punishing drivers who park in unauthorized places than on punishing those who engage in dangerous practices on the road.

Employers and those responsible for ensuring public safety must adopt a safety leadership approach as a priority management approach that prioritises the safety of employees in the workplace and the well-being of people using public places.

This is about more than just focusing on compliance and subsequent incident response.

It’s about proactively identifying potential threats and taking action to prevent them. Unfortunately, in this country where laws are made to be broken, we need ongoing educational campaigns and sometimes we have to go back to the basics when it comes to teaching common sense and decency.

The community also needs safety leaders who actively promote a culture of safety in workplaces and areas open to the public. They go beyond simply enforcing rules and regulations, even though that element is crucial.

They create an environment where safety is a core value embedded in the community mindset. Safety leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve safety protocols and mitigate potential hazards before accidents occur.

They work with safety managers who ensure that everyone responsible for keeping the community safe is following the various health and safety regulations. Safety managers also investigate accidents and update their practices based on lessons learned.

We simply can no longer ignore avoidable accidents.