We often need reminding of our successes as we work our way along the journey to a positive safety culture. One way that the MCC ensure they do this is to hold a celebration lunch at Christmas time in order to thank all the people who have been involved in their safety program over the year. This includes OHS representatives, committee members, managers and contractors who have contributed. Senior managers are also invited as is the CEO to address the group on the day.

This December we had the privilege to present at the lunch as they aim to invite a speaker each year to present on the topic of safety. During the presentation we explored the fact that every organisation needs to pause for a moment and reflect on their successes. The OHS Manager at the MCC, Stephen Allen, was able to clearly delineate the key wins they had achieved during the year. This included:

• The recertification of our Safety Management System against the SafetyMAP Advanced criteria (this was a full system audit against all 125 criteria).
•  No reportable incidents for the past 12 months (MCC staff or patrons)
•  A very successful internal audit and site inspection program. The audits resulted in just under 80 valuable actions to improve our systems, and the inspections have increased active participation in safety related activities

Participation in this event reminded me how important it is to measure successes using positive lead indicators and then sharing them at a significant event. Perhaps in our annual strategic plans we need to ensure that we build in time to celebrate and thank those that have contributed to our successes.

At a recent Downer Rail project presentation, Chris Hooper presented an interesting project regarding hydration in the workplace.   Read more from the research article.

Download hydration paper

A most recent study published in the Journal of Injury Prevention has shown that the number of people either injured or killed while wearing headphones has tripled in the past six years. The US researchers found that during the six-year period there were 116 cases. Sixteen cases occurred in 2004-05 whilst by 2010-11 that figure had risen to 47.

Most of the incidents involved young people – with an average age of 21 – and 70 per cent of the time the collision was fatal.

“Sixty-eight per cent were male and 67 per cent were under 30 years of age. Sixty-four of the 116 victims (55 per cent) were hit by a train. Eighty-one of the 116 collisions (70 per cent) resulted in death,”

Most of the incidents also occurred in urban areas. The researchers say the reason that most of those injured or killed were young people is because that age group has less traffic experience, is less likely to drive cars and use headphones more frequently. They say distraction and sensory deprivation are the two likely factors.

“The actual sensory deprivation that results from using headphones with electronic devices may be a unique problem in pedestrian incidents, where auditory cues can be more important than visual ones,”

The study however did not take into account near misses or possible suicidal intentions and it covered iPods, MP3 players and other musical devices but did not include mobile phones.

This study has now prompted calls for a government advertising campaign in Australia and the Pedestrian Council of Australia chair Harold Scruby says headphone-related injuries and deaths in Australia is a growing problem.

“We estimate one in 10 people are using some sort of distracting device when they cross the road – be that headphones, using an iPhone, using a mobile phone, texting or looking at a screen of some kind – but certainly the headphones are a very major factor in all this because you can’t hear traffic approaching,”

Though the study focuses on a growing social issue, Safety practitioners nevertheless need to reflect on current practises within their business around pedestrian movements to understand current risk exposure and to formulate or endorse effective controls.