Communication, communication, communication and communication. These are the top four on Adrienne McKenzie’s list of priorities. And the SailSafe project manager at BC Ferries in Vancouver uses everything from workshops to a special intranet site to get the safety message across.

Working safely again: Francesca Sawyer standing by the doors that she ensured operate correctly

But it is important to Adrienne that the message is a positive one. In too many organisations, health and safety has a negative connotation. Yet safety works best if everyone is involved and everyone feels good about doing it. So at BC Ferries they make a big fuss of the things they get right.

“It’s clear,” she says, “that everything we’ve accomplished so far has been a direct result of the commitment and involvement of all employees.”

SailSafe is a sophisticated programme designed to ensure passengers and employees of the ferry company stay safe. Getting everyone thinking and talking about safety is part of that. Among other initiatives, a system of alerts allows people to easily report concerns knowing that colleagues will take speedy action.

This has resulted in some big changes over the last few years, including better systems and improved reporting. But it is just as important for Adrienne that BC Ferries people celebrate the actions of individuals.

“A deckhand noticed how slippery and awkward it was to get into the ship’s rescue boats – he suggested a change“

Francesca Sawyer, for example, works as a ticket agent for foot passengers in the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. She noticed that the automatic doors leading to the waiting area closed while people were still passing through. She was worried that a child or an elderly person might be trapped.

Francesca used the alert system to ask for an immediate check of the door sensor. In two shakes, a repair man was there. He adjusted the sensor and the risk of a passenger being hurt was removed.

A deckhand on the Skeena Queen also submitted an alert when he noticed how slippery and awkward it was to get into the ship’s rescue boats. He suggested a stepping stool chained to nearby railings.

The very next day, a senior officer was out looking at the problem. He decided there wasn’t room for a  stool, and that it might be a hazard in itself. Instead, he suggested converting a section of the railings around the rescue boat into steps. Between the two of them, they have reduced the chances of a sailor slipping and being hurt around a critical piece of equipment.

“BC Ferries has 23 different ways of communicating about safety – that’s how seriously they take it“

But communication works both ways. By publicising these alerts and other safety successes, BC Ferries fosters a culture where people feel good about getting involved. When they read about others being celebrated for spotting hazards and preventing accidents, it helps them understand where safety problems may lie in their own working environment.  They see what they can do about them and, importantly, they feel happy to engage.

BC Ferries has 23 different ways of communicating about safety – that’s how seriously they take it. Bulletins, regular town hall meetings, newsletters, special noticeboards, websites – you name it, they’ve thought of it.  One of these is the Communicating the Wins Bulletin – dedicated to trumpeting the company’s thousands of safety success stories.

BC Ferries carries people and goods on 25 routes along the coast of British Columbia in Canada.  It began in 1960 as a two vessel, two terminal operation and has grown into one of the largest, most sophisticated ferry transportation systems in the world, with 36 vessels and 47 ports of call. http://www.bcferries.com/

This story is part of Lattitude’s Inspiring Safety Campaign.

You may also like to read about The Day I almost Killed Colin Morgan

“It’s easy. Just mix these two chemicals together, Ken.”

This is the story of one man, his family and his friends and what happened to them all the day two hazardous chemicals were mixed together for a routine cleaning procedure.

It’s a story of horror. Of regret. Of painful experience. And it’s a story no viewer will ever forget.

Reflective, thought provoking and beautifully filmed, Hindsight is Ken Woodward’s emotionally charged call to action – to all of us.  The perfect antidote to safety cynicism.

• In hindsight, it never should have happened.
• In hindsight, all the warning signs were there.
• In hindsight, a good safety culture wasn’t good enough.

The comprehensive trainer’s guide, supported by a PowerPoint presentation, (plus an additional customisable version), provides all that’s needed to conduct a powerful safety session, running from one to one-and-a-half hours.

Two posters are also included as an ongoing safety reminder.

The training package includes:

DVD contents:

• A two-film version of Hindsight (21 mins and 12 mins)
• A presentation from leading safety trainer Martin Woodall, the first trainer to work with Ken following his accident.

CD-rom contents:

• PowerPoint Presentation
• Trainer’s Guide
• 2 x Posters on the accompanying CD

It Will Never Happen To Me is a safety training programme that changes attitudes.

Jennifer and Kieron Deeney were a young, newly married couple, looking forward to starting a family.  Life couldn’t have been better, until Kieron was killed in a tragic workplace accident, just thirteen weeks after their wedding day.

In this moving, heart-felt training film, Jennifer tells of the devastation that followed her loss and why there really is no excuse for turning a blind eye to an unsafe act.It Will Never Happen To Me is an appeal to employers and workforce alike, from someone who has felt the very real consequences of poor workplace safety.

Key areas include: Hazard awareness, workplace accidents, construction safety and risk assessment

The perfect training aid for reminding a workforce that:

• All accidents are preventable
• We should never walk past an unsafe act
• We can all make a difference looking after each other
• Nothing is worth being hurt for
• We should think about the potential consequences for our family and friends

Since the accident that deprived him of three of his five senses, Ken Woodward has become an inspirational consultant and educator on health and safety issues.

Ken’s films have also inspired thousands to take a step back, think about the way they work and change their attitudes and behaviours.

Now, in a short, sharp, compelling new film, we’ve tracked back to the source of Ken’s own inspiration: the training he received at the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

In the film, Ken re-visits Manor House, where he first came to terms with his blindness, learned a new approach to life and started developing the skills needed to tackle the challenges of sightlessness.

Remarkably, Ken has never had an accident since his rehabilitation. He attributes this to the principles driving his programme, including:

• Concentration
• Cooperation
• Communication
• Prioritising safety

If you’ve already seen Ken in action, you’ll find this his most powerful film ever. If you’re new to Ken, you’re in for a treat.

No one makes safety issues come to life like Ken Woodward.

The Lessons From A Blind School training programme contains:

DVD

• Main Feature (with a male narration)
• Main Feature (with a female narration)

CD-ROM

• PowerPoint Presentation
• PDF Poster
• Background Notes

In this workshop pack, Prof. Hopkins’ ground breaking analysis of the Esso Longford Gas Plant explosion provides a detailed case study of how the eleven key contributory elements of the safety chain are crucial to spotting weaknesses in the OH&S systems of any organisation.

It provides strategic decision makers (managers, supervisors, etc) with the tools to develop the lessons learned into a detailed action plan. By not only alerting management to possible weaknesses in their OH&S structure, participants are also encouraged to present ways to improve management.

The training package includes the main programme on DVD and extensive support and training notes on an accompanying CD-Rom.

Mary’s Message is the story of a workplace incident that was preventable.

When Mary’s husband John died as a result of a workplace accident, she heard of the accident on the radio four hours after it occurred. This was just the beginning of a shattering experience for Mary and her family.

• An accident that destroyed a family’s future
• A vital message everyone should hear
• A ‘call to action’ to renew your commitment to health and safety
• The reason we have workplace health and safety training

Her reminiscences of a happy family life before that tragic day- and her portrayal of the heartbreak aftermath are deeply moving experiences for all viewers.