Workplace injuries often stem not from ignorance but from the gap between how a job should be done and how it actually is done. A recent tragedy highlights why understanding real-world behaviour – including shortcuts – is key to preventing harm, writes Safewise director Tracey Murphy.

There is a perception, particularly among managers, that work will be done the way we expect it to be done – that we show someone how to do a job, train them, give them the tools they need, and that’s it.

The reality is that work is sometimes done the way we expect, and sometimes it is not. This might be because the option we would like is complicated, doesn’t fit every situation, the tools are wrong…

Balance Agri-Nutrients was recently prosecuted after a worker stepped over a conveyor belt, which had exposed moving roller and nip points. The worker was cleaning around the belt while it was in action and stepped over it. He lost his footing and fell, dying from his injuries. Although other factors were involved, the expectation that he would walk around the conveyor was quite different to the reality of him walking over it – who among us would not take the shorter, quicker route?

As managers, owners, directors, etc, we need to look at the work, see the hazards, talk to the team and identify their shortcuts. Once we know what is actually being done or could be done, we can manage it to prevent a similar tragedy.

One of my favourite health and safety tools, therefore, is a walkaround, including getting to know the team, and working out how we can build a safer and healthier workplace together.