Waiting for the Good Times

A tea break in Sumatra:

Even with the hard times that are forecast, there are still things that we can do to improve safety in most organisations, without spending a lot, and to have the operation ready when economic conditions begin to improve. Planning is essential to meeting challenges and to have a better chance of coming out on top. This applies not only to the present but also, and just as much, to the future.

The most important thing is to improve the basic safety attitude of the organisation, or the company culture. This may be tough when just about everyone is making staff redundant. A few forward looking companies have tried to tackle this problem by spreading the pain, and asking staff to take lower salaries and voluntary leave, in the hope of retaining their work force, and thus avoiding having to train a large number of new staff at the end of this recession...