SMAC-24 Conversation Starters
At the heart of this year's SMAC campaign is the focus on diabetes prevention.
If you have already engaged with diabetes prevention and the issue of diabetes site safety this year, you may want to engage in SMAC 24 on another topic: this can be done using our 'Conversation Starter' kits as a jumping-off point. These are to be used by all the workforce to discuss key concerns about what their job function requires of them, and how both the individual and their organisation can do to help address these concerns.
Although no topic is off limits, we are suggesting the following key areas to be addressed:
RESPIRATORY (Health) - There are still too many people dying due to respiratory diseases and we need to change current working practices in order to reduce exposure of all dangerous airborne particles. Indeed, the links between exposure to emissions from construction activities (cutting, drilling, welding, etc) and cancer are well documented. What would you change and how?
PEOPLE PLANT INTERFACE - Again, too many workers are killed or injured due to working around machines and machinery. What can be done to improve your working environment?
MENTAL HEALTH & WORKPLACE STRESS (Wellbeing) – We know that Covid-19 has and continues to affect our personal and working lives. What needs to change to improve your working environment?
CANCER - Sadly, construction workers are an at-risk group when it comes to cancer. This is largely down to preventable causes, like smoking and drinking alcohol being much more common in construction workers. We know that men tend to have their cancers diagnosed at a later stage, when they are harder to treat. As a predominantly male workforce, and particularly now when fewer people are seeing their GPs with worries because of COVID-19, raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis is crucial. There are steps we can all take to support workers to lead healthier lives, both in and out of work – how will you support your staff?
DIABETES – Despite its fast-growing prevalence, the majority of employees do not understand the workplace risks of diabetes and would not be able to recognise or assist a colleague suffering with diabetic symptoms. Diabetes is a hidden epidemic leaving all companies exposed to increased absenteeism, increased risk of accidents and therefore increase risk of criminal and civil liability. Diabetes continues to rise with 700 people a day diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK. One third of the population are either at increased risk of the condition or are already living with diabetes. What are you doing to keep you and your staff in work, productive and safe from the risk of diabetes?
Although we believe the above areas to be fundamental in improving our Health, Safety and Wellbeing, we also understand that there are other topics that you may still be interested in. To this end, we will also be producing Conversation Starter Packs for:
- Access/Egress
- Electrical Installations
- Hand Injuries
- Lifting Operations including MSDs
- Office Safety
- Risk Zones
- Slips, Trips & Falls
- Working at Height
- COVID-19.
How To Get Involved
Whether you are a major Tier 1 contractor or a specialist SME within the supply chain we are asking everyone to get involved in one way or another.
For example, you might want to;-
- As a minimum, ask everyone to engage in the Conversation Starter Programme – Starter Packs are available to download below.
You might also want to;-
- run a more formal workshop with speakers.
- provide signposting to key providers who can help you with your specific concerns.
- engage with Cancer Research UK and Mates in Mind programmes if appropriate.
- discuss what good practice looks like in your work environment (including working from home).
- provide materials (eg. posters) to reinforce particular messages.
Obviously not all activities will be appropriate but CECA will try and help wherever and whenever possible. This could even extend to providing webinars on specific topics should demand dictate. Details will be made available through the CECA website, SMAC website and other well-known sources of information including IOSH, BoHS, HSE etc.
Below you can download subject-specific 'Conversation Starter' kits for SMAC-24.
The 'Conversation Starters' are intended as a starting point for engaging your team in SMAC-24. Please follow the instructions contained in the SMAC-24 Introductory Notes. If you would like to publicise your SMAC-24 engagement on social media, please use the hashtags #StopMakeAChange and/or #SMAC24.
The 'Conversation Starters' are intended as a starting point for engaging your team in SMAC-24. Please follow the instructions contained in the SMAC-24 Introductory Notes. If you would like to publicise your SMAC-24 engagement on social media, please use the hashtags #StopMakeAChange and/or #SMAC24.
