The buzz phrase at this time is “Common Sense” and its application within the work place and in the delivery of safety.

At SAMS Ltd we got bored one morning and had a conversation about what this actually means which resulted in much searching of dictionaries and management books to find out.

We are therefore grateful to a Mr Bennett who in writing to a professional trade magazine who provided no less than 2 definitions of common sense being:

“the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18”

or

“A scattered and often contradictory hodgepodge of accumulated advice, experiences, aphorisms, cultural norms, received wisdom, inherited beliefs and introspection”   (Physics World magazine October 2011)

If the above are somewhere near the truth then for managers to trust staff to apply common sense to manage risk is about as reliable as standing in a road and expecting drivers to do the right thing to miss you. At SAMS Ltd we have been involved in the investigation of a number of accidents in the Thanet and Canterbury areas where the managers could not believe that their staff did something which was so obviously dangerous but they still did it.

The application of common sense is dependent upon having faith in people to do the right thing at the right time, but with all the baggage they carry in respect of culture, belief and perceptions of danger all of which differ from person to person.

Surely it’s better that work place risks are identified and managed with clear understanding of what the issues are rather than relying on the belief of an 18 year old who is immortal or a 60 year old who has done it this way for years.

Your call!!!!!!