In this edition of the “award-winning” Interesting Health And Safety Podcast, Colin talks to Eric Ball, the man who runs the occupational health system for Park Health And Safety about the many projects he’s worked on, including heath and safety for the London Olympics 2012, HS2, Battersea Power Station and Thames Tideway.

In this second part of their two-part conversation, Eric and Colin talk about the importance of good designers, effective education around materials, the sometimes surprising factors that need to be considered when planning a project, and the importance of prevention.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Effective design can be a source of great education for both Eric’s team, and the designers themselves. Healthy collaboration leads to forward-thinking innovation, and can help to push the sector onward.

 

• Learning about the health benefits and detriments of chemicals and materials is an ever-evolving and ongoing pursuit. 

 

• Every single project has its own demands, its own drivers. It can be a simple case of location at times. Projects must be weighed and balanced around many different factors, even something as simple as transport links to and from the area.

 

• Many businesses see the introduction of occupational health as a “can of worms” that will cause huge disruption. But Eric points out that although this may be the case to an extent, it will pale in comparison to the scenarios that may develop down the line if not addressed early.

 

• The key to effective engagement is to make the engagement appealing to the teams personally. By benefitting them directly, and having a positive impact on their personal wellbeing, you can create a natural sense of engagement that proliferates outside of the strictures of business-ordered health and safety.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Designers are by their nature inquisitive and challenging’

’The healthiest way to build a tunnel is not to build a tunnel’

‘It’ll be nothing compared to the “can of worms” that will open on you if you don’t engage in legislative compliance’

’The more they do that, the more they become attuned to the things that happen in the workplace'

‘It’s the guys on the sharp end who are becoming the “police force”’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Interesting Health And Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/training-competency-creating-effective-plan-process/id1467771449?i=1000452692837 

Park Health And Safety - https://parkhs.co.uk/#home

Eric Ball LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-ball-582a2822/?originalSubdomain=uk

Eric Ball Park Health And Safety - https://parkhs.co.uk/team/eric-ball/

ABOUT THE HOST

Colin Nottage

‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’

This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.

He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation.

Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses.

Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive.

He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).