Page 888 - Xmo Strata - Bulletin Archive

Health, Safety & Environmental Bulletin No 329

15 November 2012

Lessons learned – Driven to distraction

We’ve all had moments while driving that could have posed a serious hazard – whether it be trying to
calm the kids who are arguing in the back seat, or trying desperately to avoid a spider hanging down
from the roof…..

……some things, such as these, we can’t prevent and have to manage as best we can.

But what about securing paperwork above the sun visor?

This poses a potential hazard which can be avoided.

Sign Engineer, Kristian Broome, has identified this as a near-miss following an incident in which some
of his site paperwork fell from its storage compartment on to his lap and caused him to become
suddenly distracted when driving.

Kristian mitigated the risk at source by pulling over and removing all other paperwork from this
compartment and storing it under the seat. Thankfully, on this occasion, it didn’t cause an accident, but
the severity of what could have happened is significant.

Whilst the probability of this kind of occurrence is relatively low, it does send a message to us all to be
more vigilant when securing things in company vehicles (or indeed our own personal cars outside of
work).

Many thanks to Kristian for bringing this incident to our attention and, hopefully, preventing anyone
else within Xmo Strata finding themselves in a similar situation.

We are all a product of learning. Every skill we have; everything we know; everything we believe and everything
we do has been learned throughout the course of our lives. Some of us learn best by studying graphs and
charts, some through visual presentations, and some by reading detailed text books. It is important that we
receive information in a format that works for us as individuals! That’s why at Xmo Strata we use a variety of
communication platforms such as bulletins, newsletters, videos etc. However, if you feel there is a better way for
us to share health and safety information, please let us know. Ultimately, your safety is in your hands – but we
will do all we can to keep you well informed!