Safeguard's second annual State of the Nation survey unearthed a very interesting finding.
Despite hitting a double digit increase in the number of people who believe health and safety is taken seriously in the workplace, the survey hit a downer when it came to rating confidence in the competence of health and safety professionals.
Health and safety practitioners themselves were least confident in the competence of their peers. Out of the three groups of respondents surveyed, 55% of them had confidence, compared with the other two main groups of respondents – health and safety representatives in workplaces (75%) and business owners/senior executives (62%).
We are own worst critics. What is this saying about us? Does it mean that by criticising cowboys in the industry we have undermined confidence in ourselves? Or is it a case of professional rivalry where we value our own services but don't respect the professionalism of our peers? Or does it truly reflect that there ARE a lot of cowboys out there? I'm really interested to hear what you think about this.
Craig Smith
HASANZ Independent Chair
Despite hitting a double digit increase in the number of people who believe health and safety is taken seriously in the workplace, the survey hit a downer when it came to rating confidence in the competence of health and safety professionals.
Health and safety practitioners themselves were least confident in the competence of their peers. Out of the three groups of respondents surveyed, 55% of them had confidence, compared with the other two main groups of respondents – health and safety representatives in workplaces (75%) and business owners/senior executives (62%).
We are own worst critics. What is this saying about us? Does it mean that by criticising cowboys in the industry we have undermined confidence in ourselves? Or is it a case of professional rivalry where we value our own services but don't respect the professionalism of our peers? Or does it truly reflect that there ARE a lot of cowboys out there? I'm really interested to hear what you think about this.
Craig Smith
HASANZ Independent Chair