And so, another week comes to an end...
We worked on the Riskmaq assignments again, and luckily we are in the home stretch now. The fourth assignment, as anticipated, caused some frustration and it was pretty long as well! Because we didn’t have access to a functioning Health and Safety System, we couldn’t examine or review the documented measures that should be in place for a H&S Representative to function properly. Instead we interviewed Carel and Francois on Wednesday, and that was a situation...let me tell you. Anyway, after reviewing the questions that we asked, we eventually got what we needed and mostly finished the fourth assignment on Thursday.
In conjunction with the assignments, we also worked on the OHS System that we must develop and implement for IRCA. Unfortunately, none of us have ever been part of the implementation of such a system, and due to this we spent a whole lot of time throwing ideas around, debating the angle of approach, and basically trying to convince all the people around you that you had the right idea and it should be done in this way..... Honestly, I think we wasted time, BUT, I realised that there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to re-invent the wheel!!!!! Together with this we were getting floating suggestions from people that were complicating our thoughts so much, that every time we started a conversation we started from scratch. It is imperative, that when you want someone to learn something by doing the work, the people who advise on the matters relating to the work must speak from the same voice! If two different people advise two different things to someone who doesn’t know much about the subject, it is CONFUSING!
But anyway, I made a few calls, spoke to some people, and within a day, I felt like we made more progress with this system, than we did in a month and a half! I mean, we’ve got all this people at our disposal, why not use them.(Might I add: Use them correctly.) I think everyone was so focused on doing it their way, and doing it themselves that no-one even thought of the idea of tapping the knowledge of people other than the mentors. I mean seriously, if we had started doing this whole system piece by piece – first a very general framework, then assessing what is already in place, then doing a new risk assessment and gap analysis, then moving on the ways to mitigate the identified risks, and then... – we would’ve been much further than what we are at this stage! I concede that “process” in blue is extremely simple, but I’ve heard so many times from different people that “Simple is good in Safety”, and “Don’t over complicate things!”
I’ve learnt a helluva lot, but it could have been done in a much shorter time, and in the long run that would make us competent in a shorter time, and in so doing IRCA would see return on investment much faster too! Don’t get me wrong, I value the experience and the learning immensely, I just feel it could have been done in a more effective way.
Now how was that for a clearing of the throat! I just hope I don’t sound negative! On the contrary, I would much rather be faced with challenges like these and have fun solving the problems, than working somewhere where you are yelled at, working under stressful conditions and worst of all not enjoying what you’re doing. I am having a ball here, and I know the other people are too. So all in all, it was a busy week, and we got stuck in thoroughly and that, with Wesley being away for two days. Anyway, I enjoyed it, but now it is time to enjoy the weekend. So in time old fashion,
Stay Classy Guys.
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