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In the mid 1970’s my grandma made a soft toy cat for my brother. A few years later, when I arrived into the world and was poorly, I had to have a short stay in St. James University Hospital Leeds. My brother gave the soft toy cat to me…
Today my team is the Sky Blues; Coventry City Football Club, and my business is Sky Blue Safety Ltd. Which poses the question; has my life been nurtured by a Sky Blue Cat?
Common Sense!
We often hear it’s just common sense, but what is common sense and how far can it really take us?
Common sense is essentially the basic level of practical knowledge and judgement that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/common-sense
What the Dictionary says:
- Definition – Sound and prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common%20sense
- The definition refers to simple perception, the ability to: See Hear Or Become Aware through our senses
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/perception Perception: A belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem
Common sense then is a personal thing, about how we perceive something, and something we may have developed over time, through e.g. our schooling, parenting, social economic factors, the neighbourhood we live in.
Ultimately through a Sky Blue Cat, how we’ve been nurtured.
When we think something is just common sense, we need to consider what colour cat someone will have. They won’t all have a Sky Blue Cat, they may have a pink, purple, green, red cat or even a multi coloured dog. In essence how they perceive something may depend on how they’ve been nurtured.
The Sky Blue Cat’s Health and Safety Guide
It’s not common sense. It’s a Sky Blue Cat. So when we carry out a risk assessment we need to remember that everyone’s perception is different. We can’t rely on common sense as a reliable control measure.
This means to effectively manage risk we must ensure everyone has received appropriate information, instruction and training. Then tasks and activities are monitored. We can’t rely on common sense that all staff will consistently follow the information, instruction and training they’ve been given.
When undertaking a risk assessment the purpose is to consider how the task or activity could affect the health of those carrying it out; whether that’s physical injury, such as a broken bone, or short or long term ill health.If you need help with your Risk Assessment contact Sky Blue Safety Ltd on 01933 812234
