The Most Important Asset Of

periodically surface among enlightened maintenance of plant and machinery is accepted caring for its staff using the full-time managers and public servants, but sadly are irrespective of cost as being necessary to ensure occupational health nurse as the “carer”, often too quickly forgotten. What are they? maximum productivity, management’s prior supported by visiting occupational phy- concern should be to care for the people who use sicians. Small industry needs special 2 5 Robert Owen and New Lanark, 19th century this equipment”. attention and the Garland model of in- Robert Owen (1771-1858) was a successful He went on to write: dustrial health centres developed in New Lifetime’s cotton manufacturer during the industrial “Apart from all other considerations, manage- Zealand in the 1950s should be revisited. revolution, initially in Manchester, then at ment have a social responsibility as one human Isolated workplaces – farms, fishing vessels, New Lanark in Scotland. His biographer being does to another, to ensure the health, welfare forests – need special attention. summarised his views on health and safety and safety of the people they employ and equally Skill, expertise, experience and a caring at- at work as follows: the employees in their own interest, have a respon- titude to people provide the building blocks “He was the first to tell his fellow employers, sibility to co-operate with management”. for success. Finally, let us remember the title 6 in that age of scramble for profits and pared costs Two successful managers and a senior of Sir Reginald Smythe’s World Health Day which we call the Industrial Revolution, that the public servant speaking with a similar voice Address in Auckland in 1976: “Safety (and experience human machines which they used in their factories across a span of nearly two centuries. Is Health) Begins in the Boardroom”. would repay careful treatment and upkeep fully as their message still relevant? Judith Hackitt, much as did the inanimate machines”. chair of the UK’s Health and Safety Execu- Dr Bill Glass is an occupational medicine specialist. Robert Owen saw no conflict between tive, thinks so. Here is what she said when In the wake of the Pike River Commission’s report we invited profitable productivity and the welfare of addressing the 11th World Conference on the work force – in particular the need for Injury, Prevention and Safety Promotion, 1. Tamati Kruger, Chief Negotiator for the Tuhoe, some recipients of Safeguard’s Lifetime Achievement award to a healthy diet, adequate rest, exercise, good Wellington, October 2012: 2012. give their views on the report’s broader recommendations. housing, reasonable working hours and a “I have long been a believer that good 2. Cole, Margaret. Robert Owen of New Lanark, safe and healthy work environment. performance in health and safety can be aided pub. Batchworth Press Limited, London, 1953. by regulation, but that true excellence only 3. Sir Thomas Legge (1863-1932). Legge, Thomas. 3 Sir Thomas Legge, 1920s occurs when there is a belief that it is both a Industrial Maladies. Oxford University Dr Bill Glass (lifetime achievement award 2008) Sir Thomas Legge was the UK’s sen- moral and statutory duty to manage risks. In Press. London. 1934. ior medical inspector of factories in the any industry there is a moral imperative to 4. Bill Jarvie, Foreword to People at Work – Their 1 “The most reliable prophet is the past” public sector, but with the 1920s, who noted in the first of his four fa- ensure that people go home from work every day Health, Safety and Welfare. Dr W I Glass. A separate health and safety regulator primary responsibility mous aphorisms: safe and unharmed”. Pub. Wormald International NZ Limited, would seem inevitable given the Pike resting with management “Unless and until the employer has done The regulator has to upgrade its skill Auckland 1974. River report, but is it, on its own, enough? As I in the private sector. everything – and everything means a good deal levels and stop discarding its experience 5. Dr Tom Garland (1903-1993), Director of see it, the purpose of a regulator is to To achieve the goal – the workman can do next to nothing to protect and expertise, and provide a consistent Occupational Health, New Zealand Department provide a framework within which advice requires clearly defined himself, although he is naturally willing enough leadership with a defined strategy. The of Health, 1947-1956. and enforcement operate so that the responsibilities for both to do his share”. private sector (medium to large industry) 6. Sir Reginald Smythe (1905-1981), Managing environment in the workplace is such the regulator and management. For the We might have moved on a little from the needs to recognise again the value of Director, NZ Forest Products Limited. that when people go to work they come regulator, the preliminary report from the 1920s, but I wonder how much. home from work uninjured and with their Independent Health & Safety Taskforce health unimpaired. identified the need for greater skill levels and Bill Jarvie, 1974 Of course, this is a big ask given the past experience at the regulator’s head office and Bill was group general manager of Wormald “THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET OF ANY ENTERPRISE and present state of affairs and our “she’ll at its branches so that risks can be identified International New Zealand Limited. In his be right” culture. Nevertheless, there must early and advice and enforcement carried foreward to the 1974 book People at Work, IS THE PEOPLE IT EMPLOYS … MANAGEMENT’S 4 be this goal with both a long-term and out promptly, consistently and effectively. their Health, Safety and Welfare , he expressed short-term strategy. However, there is no Given that success rests primarily with this view: PRIOR CONCERN SHOULD BE TO CARE FOR THE way a regulator on its own can achieve such management action in the private sector, “Although not accounted for in the balance PEOPLE WHO USE THIS EQUIPMENT”. Bill Jarvie, 1974 a goal. There is a necessary partnership what can be done? Historically there sheet, the most important asset of any enterprise between the regulator and the private and are, I believe, certain approaches which is the people it employs … thus while preventive 40 SAFEGUARD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 SAFEGUARD 41 Neil Pearce (lifetime achievement award 2010) Marlene Thomson The first of the Royal (lifetime achievement award 2009) Commission’s 16 recom- THE HSE ACT CREATED ‘ONE ACT, ONE AUTHORITY’. A separate health and safety regulator for the inspectorate, mendations is that ‘a new can only be an advantage to employers, who are required to Crown agent focusing IT COULD HAVE WORKED BUT IN PRACTICE IT employees and stakeholder interests. Injury monitor and establish solely on health and safe- and death rates are not decreasing and that a workplace is safe. ty should be established’. DIDN’T BECAUSE OSH WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY for some workplaces, health and safety is Also, small employers THE SCOPE OF In fact, we used to have INDEPENDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR. still considered a constraint rather than an tend to prefer a specific A REGULATOR’S something equivalent to this (more or less) in added value. Such a move would clearly recognised standard to the form of Occupational Safety and Health indicate a commitment from government work to. The downside is that a prescriptive ROLE WOULD NEED (OSH). OSH was formed as a result of the that OHS is a matter to be taken seriously. document may restrict innovation in HSE Act of 1992. Before that, occupational tended to have inconvenient opinions, and we recommended that ‘there should be a Modern workplaces are diverse and the a rapidly changing and competitive TO BE CAREFULLY health was a neglected responsibility of the approaches which didn’t fit in with the clear lead agency that inherits, restores and scope of a regulator’s role would need to be environment, so any ACOP must be formally CONSIDERED. Ministry of Health, whereas safety came ethos and other activities of the Department. implements the original mandate under carefully considered. Emerging evidence reviewed on regular basis. under the Department of Labour. The HSE So ten years later, in 2002, almost none of which OSH was created’ and that ‘this lead shows that lifestyle issues such as mental The HSE Act currently places the EMERGING EVIDENCE Act created ‘one act, one authority’. It could them were left. agency should have occupational health and health, obesity, and alcohol and drug accountability for workplace health and have worked, but in practice it didn’t, because At that time, I was asked by the then safety as its primary responsibility and a impairment are impacting on the safety safety on employers and principals. We are SHOWS THAT OSH was not sufficiently independent of Minister of Labour, Margaret Wilson, clearly identifiable public profile’. culture of many workplaces. These issues seeing a trend in England and Australia the rest of the Department of Labour, which to head a new National Occupational The Royal Commission has now recom- should not be ignored, as health and safety is to move accountability up the chain to LIFESTYLE ISSUES didn’t know what to do with the occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee mended essentially the same thing. Without not just about injury from a physical hazard. those in charge of an organisation with the SUCH AS MENTAL health resources (occupational medicine (NOHSAC), to provide an alternative stream this recommendation being implemented, To operate successfully the regulator power to allocate resources where specialists, hygienists, nurses) that had of advice, because the advice coming from nothing much will happen, because other must be adequately resourced with an they see fit.

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