The strengths between us
We're on a quest to rally a diverse legion of individuals from across sectors, roles, and disciplines, to forge a collaborative force that will redefine and develop health and safety practices that work for everyone.
Most safety professionals that I meet seem frustrated by a mountain of problems in front of them, reluctantly focused on immediate patch-fixing, and are largely alone. This familiar groove mires us into what is wrong and misunderstood by others, despite the promise of the thriving world ‘if only’ people would listen and trust.
What if we awaken the human ability to work together in healthy, more productive ways? Could we build a new future for health and safety, where we support each other to create the changes we seek?
The pathway to this, at least in part, is to focus on what is strong. We only know what we need once we know what we have, and when we know what we have we realise what we’re capable of.
In our recent Safety re-crafted workshop we asked our cohort to explore this question: What do we have available to us that is strong, that we can grow?
Initially, there was some head-scratching and a tendency to default to familiar discussions about problems and past disappointments. It felt like searching for lost keys in all the usual places, despite knowing it was futile. However, with a shift in mindset, new criteria for our 'keys' emerged.
The group transitioned from feeling powerless and stuck to being empowered and proud. They recognised their common interest and purpose, and many of the things they had to draw on to explore new approaches. Their strengths emerged from the fog of familiar negativity:
A demand from younger workers, in particular, for more and better from their work.
Strong networks, both formal and informal, locally and nationally, with individuals eager to support one another.
A collective willingness to try new things and embrace change.
Access to a diverse range of technical disciplines, providing holistic insights into problems and opportunities.
Broad and diverse skills and experiences that could be mutually supportive in driving change.
Who wouldn’t want to be in this position? Our focus shifted away from what we were missing, and turned sharply towards accessing and sharing what we have. We found inspiration in realising that progress could be achieved by utilising existing resources and nurturing what was already strong.
In conclusion, our Safety Re-crafted workshop illuminated the vast, untapped potential in front of us. The energy and pride that emerged from the exploration of our collective capabilities is the fuel for the engine of change. Collectively, we hold the keys to our own progress.
Our intention with the Safety Re-Crafted series is to create an enduring platform that supports and enables collaboration between like minded people. Participants connect at events and are supported in subsequent collaborative activities. These events and activities nurture what is strong, enable sharing and learning with and from each other, and are a fuel to create change in workplaces.
In early 2024, the Safety Re-Crafted series is coming to Auckland (February 28) and Christchurch (March 14), with further locations and dates coming later in 2024. They are endorsed by NZISM, CHASANZ, HASANZ, University of Victoria, and HFESNZ.
We have developed a mini website to showcase the contributions so far about the future week for Health & Safety, the strengths we have, and the themes on our minds. The site has a comments section for you to join in with your thoughts and ideas.
