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Safety culture : Removing the # 8 wire?

Does creating a culture of safety mean getting rid of the 'ol number 8 wire'? This is a general 'fear', 'concern' or misconception I come across on a regular basis when talking to people about health and safety. 

Before we can answer that question, we should look at three things, what is 'culture'?, what is 'safety'? and what exactly is the 'ol number 8 wire'?

Culture is defined in many ways by people. However a couple definitions that resonate with me are   'Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. In this case 'safety'
By Kim Ann Zimmerman
The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group. Again in the context of this discussion 'safety' is the focus, the group is New Zealand.

Safety is a very interesting word. It can be defined as 'the condition of being protected against harmful conditions or events, or the control of hazards to reduce risk' https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_(disambiguation). The question I always ask people though, is what does it mean to you? Safety and what makes people feel safe is very subjective which means it can be something different to everyone. 

Ol number 8 wire what is it? This is the tradition of Kiwi ingenuity.  Often known as the ‘no. 8 wire’ attitude, a reference to a gauge of fencing wire that has been adapted for countless other uses in New Zealand farms, factories based on a need which otherwise is difficult to get access to due to our geographical location.

So is health and safety getting rid of the 'ol number 8 wire' attitude of New Zealand? The skeptics would have you believe yes. But I don't believe that is the case. There are many great examples of the same 'ol number 8 wire' attitude being applied to keeping people safe.

You have for instance some great kiwi companies developing online safety management software. Two very such New Zealand examples are Risk Manager by Impac (https://www.riskmanager.co.nz) aimed at large/medium to large businesses and then there is also Auditz.io (http://www.auditz.io) aimed at small to medium size organisations). New Zealand companies, with solutions to meet an international market for keeping people safe.

Another shining example is Lowie Fatigue Management and the development of GPS monitoring vests to indicate to forestry workers workers when they are fatigued (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9727432/Sports-invention-to-save-workers-lives). Developed out of nessicity to reduce the large number of deaths in the forestry sector.

Then there is New Zealand transport who recently won an award for their innovation in safety at the 2015 Safeguard Conference (https://www.nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/nz-transport-agency-wins-award-for-health-and-safety-app/). 

These are just four examples of New Zealand businesses applying the 'ol number 8 wire' attitude to keeping people safe.

Health and Safety is all about the two keys words 'health' and 'safety'. Keeping people healthy and safe so that they can return home to their loved ones everyday. Nowhere in any definition of health and safety have I come across a reference 'to smother and suffocate ingenuity'.

In fact quite the opposite. New Zealand kills between 4 - 6 times as many workers than the U.K. and about 2 times as many workers as Australia. We have horrific events in our history (like Pike River), we continue to have a Pike River size event every year on New Zealand farms. Health and safety needs the 'ol number 8 wire' to help us get our workers home safe. 
Business, Government and Health and Safety Practitioners need to all work together to foster and feed this 'ol number 8 wire' culture which has stood us true time and time again and placed New Zealand on the world stage many a time.

So get out there, start tinkering, have those conversations over cups of tea... and let's ensure the 'ol number 8 wire' culture that is part of our heritage thrives. We need it to, for the sake of our loved ones who go to work every day.


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