I know I mentioned this in last month's newsletter but I thought I should let you all know just how much this means to me and the rest of the team.
Many of you know that I have been visiting workplaces for nearly 25 years, that is, 25 years of travelling all over the world. Some of the other members of the CNB
Safe team have also been travelling for many years.
COVID stopped this, with border closures and travel restrictions. We are slowly opening up and I have been lucky enough to get back on the road.
It has made me realise just how much I love it. A different workplace or location, a new bunch of people to share my story with, and even some people sharing their story with me. Don’t get me wrong I don’t like living with an injury, but I’ve managed to make the most of the situation I am in.
The CNB Safe team all share their stories with people to try and stop someone else from going through the things that we have been through and are dealing with on a daily basis.
So I’ll keep travelling and enjoying the experiences I have, and who knows, something I say may just stop someone from getting hurt.
Is there a connection between your mental presence and your safety at work?
When we turn up at our workplaces each day, there is an expectation from our employers and our colleagues that we present each day fit-for-work.
We would usually relate being fit-for-work as solely being physically fit as opposed to being mentally well and/or mentally present…and it’s now time to place a greater focus on our mental presence.
On reflection in my time as a leader of people and teams, there were unfortunately times when safety incidents would result in damage to equipment or people being injured. When I reflect on the incident investigation outcomes, in many cases speaking to the person directly involved in the incident event, the person not being mentally present
during the task was certainly a main contributing factor.
So this week I finished my job in Sydney and drove back to the airport for my flight home to Melbourne. I returned my hire car and pushed my wheelchair with my bag on my lap and a backpack slung off the back of my wheelchair.
I got to the terminal and headed towards the lift to get me up to the check-in level only to find a barrier in front of the elevator saying that the lift was out of order.
Okay, so I knew there was another lift
up the other end of the terminal, which was a fair way to go with luggage in tow. But I had no other option.
When I got to the lift at the other end of the terminal I pushed the button to summon the lift and I waited and waited and waited. Nothing was happening.
Next to the lift there were some escalators and the occasional passenger was going up or down them, but they were unsuitable for a wheelchair.
I asked the next person that came to the escalator if he could check the lift when he got to the next level to see if it was working from there. He said “Sure mate, I’ll check it.”
He headed up the escalator and disappeared for a few minutes only to return to the top of the escalators and lean over the rail and when he saw me he shouted at the top of his voice “The lift is Fkd mate.”
"James shares his powerful story in this short book in a way where he nudges readers to consider their behaviours to avoid his fate.
More than 20 years ago I heard James tell his story to a room full of coal miners ready to start a shift at one of Australia’s largest coal mines. Back then Woody captivated his audience with his honesty, openness and directness. He cut though to everyone in a way the management never could, the room was hooked from the moment he started speaking. This book is the same, it is a quick read, but you want to go cover to cover without stopping. It is insightful and makes you think about what might happen to you and others around you if you hurt yourself at work and it is a
strong incentive not to do so.
This is a great read for anyone and provides powerful incentives to stay safe and avoid harm. Great job James."
