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Health, Safety & Environmental Bulletin No 066

S Martin – 06 December 2007

Addressing Unsafe Behaviour at Source

Food for thought……….

What is the definition of an accessory to a crime?

“accessory n. (definition from www.thefreedictionary.com) a second-string player who helps in the
commission of a crime by driving the getaway car, providing the weapons, assisting in the planning, providing an
alibi, or hiding the principal offender after the crime. Usually the accessory is not immediately present during the
crime, but must be aware that the crime is going to be committed or has been committed. Usually an accessory's
punishment is less than that of the main perpetrator, but a tough jury or judge may find the accessory just as
responsible.”

How does this apply to us at our place of work?

Consider this………….we see someone working unsafely – maybe on a poorly erected tower
or not using adequate barriers to protect the work environment. We ignore it because it is
easier than taking the time to tell him, and in any case, he won’t like it and we are too
busy………..

Half an hour later, a car hits the tower and he falls down and is killed………..are you then an
accessory to manslaughter?

Legally, you are obviously not, but morally could you sleep at night knowing that you could have saved this
person’s life……………………………not even mentioning the effect on his wife, children, parents and family?

Wouldn’t you wish you had said something? You don’t need to “grass them up” – just address it and report as a
near miss so we can identify that it happened and review (with our customers) how we stop it from happening in
the future.

If you do see someone working unsafely, please approach them in a courteous manner, take them away from
where other people can hear and explain that you are worried for THEIR safety, asking if they know of a safer
way to do the job. There is no need to be confrontational, or get into an argument, but please address the unsafe
behaviour at source, in line with your “Incident and Injury Free” (IIF) training.

“let’s make sure that we continue to make our sites THE SAFEST by helping ourselves, our colleagues,
our customers and even our competitors by improving training, helping where necessary and
addressing any issues of concern there and then”

If you have any queries regarding the Safety Bulletin content or require further information please
contact any staff member of Xmo Strata Ltd.