A light-hearted look at the characteristics of a good OHS Professional

George’s Safety Reflections – by the late George Robotham

(WARNING – Some may be offended – if you are, sorry!)

He is like Herpes – He will not go away
He is a glutton for punishment
He is structure oriented and used to dealing with people
He understands project management
When necessary, he can be a bull-shit artist of the finest order
He has a highly developed “bullshitometer” and can identify weakness in others
He has no respect for pretentiousness and wannabe’s
He has the guts to take on anyone, regardless of level, who impedes progress in safety
He enjoys the company of others and, when forced, may indulge in strong beverages
He is no slave to political correctness
He has been known to refer to those in positions of authority to be people who engage in acts of public masturbation
AND Before anyone pulls me up, I do recognise there are female OHS professionals

You may also like these:

Ode to a Safety Professional

Qualities of an Excellent Safety Professional

Bio
Latest Posts
More about George

George Robotham

George was a Legend in the Safety World who passed away in Sept 2013 but left us with a great legacy

Latest posts by George Robotham (see all)

Icebreakers and Games that Safety Trainers Play - September 8, 2023
“Risk Makes Sense” Book Review - June 29, 2023
How to improve Safety culture - June 28, 2023
How To Write a Safety Report - September 9, 2022
Safety Communications - May 29, 2022

I have worked in OHS for most of my working life, many years in the mining industry including over 10 years in a corporate OHS role with BHP. Since leaving the mining industry I have worked in a variety of safety roles with a variety of employers, large & small, in a variety of industries. I was associated with my first workplace fatality at age 21, the girl involved was young, intelligent, vivacious and friendly. Such a waste! I was the first on the scene and tried to comfort her and tend to her injuries. She said to me “George, please do not let me die” We put her on the aerial ambulance to Rockhampton base hospital where she died the next day. I do not mind telling you that knocked me around for awhile. Since then I have helped my employers cope with the aftermath of 12 fatalities and 2 other life-altering events. The section "Why do Occupational Health & Safety" provides further detail but in summary, poor safety is simply very expensive and also has a massive humanitarian cost. My qualifications include a certificate I.V. in Workplace Training and Assessment, a Diploma in Frontline Management, a Diploma in Training & Assessment Systems, a Bachelor of Education (Adult & Workplace Education) , a Grad. Cert. in Management of Organisational Change and a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Hazard Management. I am currently studying towards a Masters in Business Leadership. Up until recently I had been a Chartered Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia for 10 years and a member for about 30 years. My interest is in non-traditional methods of driving organisational change in OHS and I have what I believe is a healthy dis-respect for many common approaches to OHS Management and OHS Training. I hold what I believe is a well-founded perception that many of the things safety people and management do in safety are “displacement activities” (Displacement activities are things we do, things we put a lot of energy into, but which when we examine them closely there is no valid reason for doing them). My managerial and leadership roles in OHS have exposed me to a range of management techniques that are relevant to Business Improvement. In particular I am a strong supporter of continuous improvement and quality management approaches to business. I believe leadership is the often forgotten key to excellence in most aspects of life. I hold the Australian Defence Medal and am a J.P.(Qualified). I have many fond memories of my time playing Rugby Union when I was a young bloke.