How to make a difference in a new job

[pdhmobile]

Hi all,

Calling all experienced HSE professionals,

I'm starting in my 1st HSE position soon and was wondering how to make a difference in the role, I'm not talking going on and bull dozing all the systems and processes but more getting noticed, making small positive changes.

An issue with that I think it's it's a very mature role in a mature industry with proven systems, policy, procedures etc so no easy hits for improvements.

I guess I could go in and just look it ticking over but ideally want to do more, but what and how?

Cheers

[stephen1974]

Take your time.

Review their systems and practices, observe their behaviour and then identify opportunities for improvement.

You might see something that you have been taught to do differently. Just because it is different doesnt mean its wrong or less safe/efficient and any changes you may propose could have a knock on effect that the employer isnt keen on, example, I could make things safer at work by having people do a job two hours earlier, but that means making two people work 9 hour days instead of 8 hour days which would annoy them and cost the company £6-7k a year in wages. For a small benefit, too much is required.

Also, their way may be better than what you are used to, so dont instantly dismiss it, evaluate it.

Can you make a change without making a change? Looking to improve efficiency is a good one. Your not suggesting anything is wrong or that they have missed something, instead you are potentially making their lives a little easier. Example, reviewing assessments. If they get done annually chances are someone sits there once a month and goes through potentially hundreds of assessments. Sod that. If you have 120 assessments, suggest doing 10 a month. Doesnt take up much time, doesnt become a boring task where things can easily get rushed and things missed when the reviewer gets sick of them after number 100.

(Controversial one here) There is now a lot of training that can be done online instead of on a course, its cheaper and faster and doesnt require employees to be away from their workplace as much (but often, imo, of lesser quality - so you have to decide if the online stuff is acceptable) Example, I did an abrasive wheels course online for something line £15 - where as my company sends people away on courses over £100 and it takes time to organise where as online it can be same day. After I pointed this out they changed how training is done. You can do the same for appointed persons in 1st aid, for fire marshals and so on. You could save your company a lot of money and speed up training - IF - you consider the course content suitable.

[Blackstone]

Stephen cover it quite well.

I would perform a gap analysis to see if there are any glaring or hazardous gaps in the H&S systems.

One thing i always say is to speak to those on the shopfloor. What are their niggles or concerns? Does the system look great but in reality the shopfloor runs differently? When you listen to the shopfloor, you'll get a lot of moaning about this or that but if you can pick out some little things and get them fixed, you'll get them on side.

Can you also work a day in someone's shoes?
What i mean by that is doing a job is the best way to understand how a process works and what the risks are. I've spend weeks on the shopfloor before, working on the lines or equipment to understand the daily issues that are faced and get some great ideas from the experts how to fix them.

[RPN_MSC]

Are you new to the organisation too?

My advice would be to take your time initially in getting to know the organisation, your role and your team. It is also a great opportunity, before your diary fills up, to go to lots of meetings to meet different people and get to know them and their roles. Similarly, get out on site and talk to people, ask for their feedback, etc.

Essentially, what I am saying is try to get people to like you before you start telling them that they are going to have to change what they've been doing for years and you become the bad cop.

[Messy]

The biggest mistake I made when taking my most recent fire safety role was not ensuring the reporting process was directly to senior management at Board level.

To be fair, it was a brand new role in a new team so nothing like your situation. But I have learned from this situation that establishing efficient reporting systems to those with the responsibility and authority (and the wallet) to make decisions is vital and maybe something you might want to gently look at in your first few weeks.

I had to report to managers in the Estates dept, who then reported on to board level. I know much of what I discovered and reported that related to the Estates Dept's area was watered down before it reached corporate level to prevent Estate management looking bad. In 11 years, I never attended a board meeting to present fire safety related information. This was a huge employer who had scores of premises across the world, thousands of staff and many £millions of budget to play with. But everything fire related went via Estates, even my rather critical post Grenfell estate wide survey.

Its just my personal experience, but one that frustrated my efforts to make many meaningful changes and sapped my enthusiasm