How to make a positive recovery from a safety stuff up
For some reason most people love a safety fail photo, I guess it just makes us feel a little superior or infallible?
This recent one was no exception and of course went viral on social media. It is genuine and was taken in Taree on the North Coast of NSW, Australia. The electronic sign was installed by the Greater Taree City Council (in a cycle lane) during a recent campaign to promote new laws requiring motorists to give cyclists at least 1.5m (5ft) clearance when passing. Yet another example of safety people not considering the by-products from their controls and initiatives? (see Why Is The Hierarchy of Hazard Control So Ineffective).
Many cyclists promptly complained and the sign was removed. This where it gets positive and encouraging…… we would normally expect leaders to issue a statement to the effect of: “The offending sign has been removed, disciplinary action was taken against those responsible and new safety procedures have been written and will be enforced to ensure that this can never happen again. A complete audit of all public signage will be undertaken immediately”.
However, in this case, and to their credit, Greater Taree City Council posted this response on their Facebook page
Posted by Greater Taree City Council on Monday, March 14, 2016
“As it turns out, cyclists weren’t given the space they needed on Commerce Street this week, which we’ve now sorted. We’re happy to admit when we’ve made a boo-boo, we’ll get back on our bike and try harder next time. Thanks to the person who sent this in, if you see any other signage slip-ups around the place, let us know!”
One of the comments on the post from someone who gets it:
Everyone can make a mistake. Admit and correct is the way to go. Now lets get on with it.
Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below