On thin ice

摘要

Earlier this year, an article on SHP's website1 looked at the myths and legends that have built up around safety management. It was a great article that offered a dose of common sense about this industry's 'Holy Grail': the pursuit of zero lost-time accidents. However, I was dismayed to see that slipping in snowy conditions was cited as an example of an unavoidable "life risk".rnBroadly speaking, the argument was that because the HSE advises companies that they don't need to reduce onsite risks to anything less than the normal "life risks" people face every day, then a slip in the snow may not be a work-specific risk that needs attention. Of course, what constitutes a "life risk" is very subjective, and yes, a line must be drawn somewhere but, in my view, snow and ice are not a good place to start.