I often wonder why Health & Safety or security thinking seems to only apply to industrial (“blue collar”) workers.
The recent events in Bangkok & Mumbai prompted me to send and email out to my team of internationally active Project Managers & Architects to remind them of the facilities that our employer Oracle has in place to deal with emergencies while travelling on business.
I also took the opportunity to add some hints and tips on how to keep the emergency contact information handy in case of emergency. This includes having it available in multiple places (not just on your laptop, phone or wallet) and formats (hard- and softcopy).
It seems a bit uncool and patronizing to do this (a bit like fire drills: nobody really seems to take them seriously). But that is the danger – it never seems necessary to take a few simple precautions, until it’s too late. Then you (really) wish you had.
Same thing in a project context. One customer, that I worked with for a long time, started every meeting with a short safety reminder (there is the fire exit, there is where we assemble in case of an emergency). After a while you get used to it and it becomes an automatism and that automatism is what can save you when the chips are down.
What are you doing to look after your (project) team members’ health and safety?
Comments (4)
I travel about 75% as a consultant for my employer, a software firm. I always listen to the airline safety announcements, even when I have to force myself to do it. Here's why: there was once a flight that ran off the runway at takeoff, and burst into flames. Everyone was evacuated in about 90 seconds, and no one was hurt. That's because everyone on the plane was an airline employee: they were "deadheading" to another location. But they knew what to do, and they did it. I want to be that prepared.
Sometimes, I'll play a game with my seatmate, and ask them to close their eyes after the safety announcement, and tell me where the nearest exit is. We laugh about it afterwards, but if I repeat to myself, "Forward 3 rows" or "Rear 6 rows" during the announcements, hopefully I'll remember that if smoke ever fills the cabin.
Posted by Bob Watkins | December 2, 2008 2:25 PM
Posted on December 2, 2008 14:25
Indeed - when you have no time to think that is when training takes over.
I checked out your blog at http://www.bwatkins.com/ and will add it to my blogroll list (once I figure how to get the widget up.
You have some great practical advice on business travel.
Posted by Andrew Sparks | December 2, 2008 5:19 PM
Posted on December 2, 2008 17:19
Very much liked Bob's thinking here. Like all good ideas the simplest are the best. 3 forward or 6 back.
Another theme is taxis. In far flung locations. Where all you have is a piece of paper with an address. Hoping your chosen driver can read English. Then you hope he/she has read the highway code, have a regularly maintained taxi etc etc. Think about this way would you let your son or daughter do this. As you state Andrew these are our tools that would not be tolerated in other industries. Where ever you are travel safe
Posted by John | December 23, 2008 11:13 AM
Posted on December 23, 2008 11:13
ery much liked Bob's thinking here. Like all good ideas the simplest are the best. 3 forward or 6 back.
Posted by kamyon | November 7, 2009 9:51 AM
Posted on November 7, 2009 09:51