5 February 2016
This week Shoreham Port welcomed Jason Anker MBE from Proud 2b Safe (P2bS) to give a hard hitting talk to staff on the importance of health and safety in the workplace. The P2bS programme was open to all members of staff, from every department. Those who attended were questioned about their own relationship to safety, with the use of film, live presentation and finally making a personal commitment to safety.
Jason suffered a life changing accident at work 23 years ago which inspired him to share his own story with others to change the way we think about safety, not just in the workplace but in everything we do.
Jason had staff gripped for one hour as he spoke in detail about his accident and the effect it had not only on himself, but on his family, friends and co-workers. Jason’s key message was to take five seconds before you act to think about whether the task you are about to carry out is really safe. He reminded everyone that the workplace does not become any safer the longer you have been there. It is complacency that takes away our fear and can lead to accidents.
Jason Anker commented “I would like to say thank you to Shoreham Port for a really enjoyable day, the P2bS presentations were really well received. Each session was opened and closed by Chief Executive, Rodney Lunn who stayed for all three presentations. This showed commitment from the top and the sessions were also attended by the Port’s Senior Leadership Team and the Board.”
Jason continued “We need to change the way we think about safety, currently there is still a fear about speaking up if something is or appears unsafe, sometimes this is the perception but we have to strive for a culture where it just the norm to accept that everybody has the right to go home safely to their loved ones.” Jason emphasised how safety should not just be something we are told to do, but it should be part of our culture and something we do for ourselves and for our families.
Rodney Lunn, Chief Executive at Shoreham Port added “We are extremely grateful to Jason for coming down to the Port to deliver his presentation. Sharing his personal experiences was very moving and his talk was extremely impacting. Safety is of paramount importance at the Port and hearing from Jason reinforces to all of our staff the importance of taking personal responsibility for the safety of yourself, colleagues and anyone else around you.”
