Event Safety Insights Issue Two | Winter 2016 | Page 25

For example , at our recent ‘ CDM for the PM ’ workshops , we had a look at the results of a couple of HSE site visits and one prosecution . A couple of rather scary looking errors in work at height could have very easily been avoided by a little communication of the work plan for that day . Climbing onto a stage roof from a picker basket was only necessary because the decorative cladding on the stage hadn ’ t been removed first . Something missing in the planning there , something we don ’ t hear much of – toolbox talks , an element that , along with site inductions , could be a simple route to much improved performances in risk reduction .
By no means non existent , site inductions are the way to inform workers about safety procedures – first aid , fire , evacuation – as well as site speed limits , PPE requirements ( when and where hi-vis , hearing protection or hard hats may be required ) and perhaps site speed limits for festivals . It can be a face to face session , it can be a short video or it could just be an information sheet that crew sign for once they ’ ve read it . More of a rarity , it seems , is the toolbox talk , a simple briefing on the day ’ s activities . Who ’ s on site , what risks may be present from other contractors , schedule of work . The examples we were shown by HSE , all from last year , were of workers using the wrong tools or methods because there had been no plan communicated . They looked like they didn ’ t know what they were doing . They were probably qualified , trained and experienced , but there was a little lacking in the information instruction and , perhaps , supervision elements . It ’ s worth saying at this point that all of the examples cited were from load outs , it seems that HSE sees rich pickings at that point .
some competent clients . A fair point , and one addressed during the sessions . CDM does place certain responsibilities at the door of the client but it ’ s not for contractors to sit back and wait for them to fulfil those responsibilities , it ’ s for clients to appoint people in roles that can help them discharge duties . The duties remain with whoever has them as defined by their actions ( the client will always be the person for whom the activity takes place , they can ’ t contract that out ), choosing the right suppliers will help them discharge those duties . It was not an accident when major staging and temporary structure suppliers got together to produce a neat code of practice , it ’ s designed to help clients fulfil their obligations and create a safe workplace . There will be more to come too – a revised version is on its way and we ’ re starting work on a guide to choosing local crew , a document to help clients specify the right skill sets for tasks .
I we were to wrap all of these elements , the skills , knowledge , experience , organisational capabilities , add to them the information , instruction , training and supervision , we might say that HSE , by removing the explicit term competence , has gone a long way towards defining it for the needs of a multi-contractor workplace involving construction activity .
Personally , I still have my safety qualification , the knowledge is there , skills and experience have built over time but , after the opening of a tap room at our local brewery , I did manage to gather a good number of local friends in their building and we did get rather squiffy . I ’ m turning out to be a real consultant .
We ’ re not just talking about individuals here either . Productions grow , whether they be festivals , tours , AGMs , whatever . An event organiser may well find themselves with contractors that are happy to say yes to a show that is outside their comfort zone , beyond their organisational capability perhaps . I can cook you a mean curry , just don ’ t ask me to do it for 150 people , I don ’ t have a pan big enough for the rice .
When we asked attendees at our CDM Workshops to send some questions in advance of the event , my particular favourite asked when we could get
Andy Lenthall , Managing Director of the Production Services Association ( PSA )
Originally published in TPI Magazine
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