Aussie Summer Series | Intervening

Aussie Summer Series | Intervening

There’s nothing quite like the bond you can develop with your work mates. Often, you can spend more time with them than with your friends or family! They generally understand what life is like for you on a day-to-day basis better than most. They appreciate the challenges and the wins that occur at work, and, you know they’ve got your back.

And having your mate’s back is the very reason we place such a high emphasis on intervening. It’s all about being confident to step in to prevent someone from getting hurt, and knowing that they would feel comfortable to step in and keep you safe, in turn.

What is intervening?

Intervening means to step in to prevent someone from being injured. It’s about ‘mates caring for mates’ and working together to keep our workplace safe.

The GFG Life Saver Fundamentals on intervening:

I am responsible for the safety of myself and others. I have the

authority to intervene and stop unsafe work.
While working, I will always intervene if I observe a person at risk and will accept feedback if a person intervenes if I am at risk.

Why intervene?

Intervening involves having a simple conversation to stop unsafe activity. This sort of conversation could potentially change someone’s life by preventing a serious injury. Let’s not look the other way!

Barriers to intervening:

There are several reasons why we may not want to intervene, however if you see something that doesn’t look right, it is important to trust your gut feeling, overcome these barriers and intervene anyway. Barriers may include:

  • Feeling intimidated
  • Thinking it’s not your place to intervene or that someone else will say something
  • Not being sure the person is actually at risk.

How to intervene on at-risk behaviour in a few simple steps:

  • Check that it is safe to ENGAGE with the person
  • ASK what they are doing and LISTEN carefully to what they have to say
  • Tell the person what you believe they are doing that puts them at risk and that you are CONCERNED about their safety
  • WORK TOGETHER to find a safe way of doing the task
  • Be constructive and to the point. You are concerned and you want your colleague to GO HOME SAFE
  • THANK your colleague for the chat and let them know that you will RECORD the at-risk behaviour anonymously so that others can learn from what you have discussed. No surprises

The thing to remember about intervening when you witness at-risk behaviour is that it’s an opportunity to stop an incident before it happens – it’s not a criticise – it’s about looking after your mates.

Learn more about the Fundamentals, Life Savers and Be GFG Safe by visiting The Hub, our global intranet.

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