David Cant

First week on the job. 19 years old. He didn't want to ask questions. Didn't want to look stupid in front of the lads. So he guessed. We found him in the trench without shoring. Alone. Digging away. I wasn't angry. I was frustrated. Afterwards, I sat with him and said, "The only dumb question on site is the one that gets you hurt". Check on your new lads. Because the ones staying quiet are the ones who need you most.

Update on HSE case. Working with a sharp H&S lawyer, you quickly realise that everything a company has put in place is under scrutiny… and all that paperwork? It can hang you out to dry just as easily as no paperwork at all.

@_specofdirt I know what you mean. There's always a workaround, you’ve just got to find the right one.

@davidgcant It’s hard scheduling shut down work in retail. Sometimes bandaids are the only viable option.

Just fill it with RS 88 joint compound and throw a polisher on it. Good to go.

@_QuickFang I'm curious, tell me more.

@davidgcant This is why we have CSCS in the UK

First week on the job. 19 years old. He didn't want to ask questions. Didn't want to look stupid in front of the lads. So he guessed. We found him in the trench without shoring. Alone. Digging away. I wasn't angry. I was frustrated. Afterwards, I sat with him and said, "The only dumb question on site is the one that gets you hurt". Check on your new lads. Because the ones staying quiet are the ones who need you most.

Walking into a meeting, my client said to me, “I want you to go hardball on CDM with this lot Dave…” I wasn't sure what to expect…. Turned out the developer wanted to do things under the radar.

Want to understand why your workforce do what they do? Three concepts changed how I lead: 1. Confirmation bias 2. Cognitive dissonance 3. Fundamental attribution error Understanding human behaviour is the most underrated leadership skill. I wish I'd learned it sooner.

@ahazard_hunter 100%

@davidgcant anyone silent on a site is a worry.

@SparkbrookWMP About time it's a nightmare parking and driving down that road.

A busy joint patrol with Birmingham City Council civil Enforcement Officers on Ladypool Road Stoney Lane and surrounding roads.They issued 15 fixed penalties and we gave lot's of advice on safe and legal parking #keepingtrafficfreeflowing

@JuliaBramble No harm done.

@davidgcant Wow!

Got cornered on site by some contractors, laughing… One said, “blimey what did you say to the site manager earlier?…. he came storming out the office and took down all the safety first posters.”

@RobMcNealy That's bonkers..

@davidgcant On an asbestos abatement project, we had workers in full hazmat PPE take the exhaust filters out of respirators so they could smoke cigarettes on the job.

Seen my fair share of accidents… A man crushed between 2 skips, a circular saw slice through a carpenters thigh.. and scaffolding pulled away from a building by a forklift.. and people had to jump quickly into the building. I was one of them. I help others prevent the same.

@managementlogo And just like Kate Adie, I've spent enough time in the field and have diverse real-world expertise dealing with people to know what actually works in safety and what doesn't.

@davidgcant Kate Adie of the safety world

@managementlogo What makes you think that Sam?... Just to clarify, the contractors weren't laughing at the site manager at all. They were laughing at the situation itself. There's an important difference there that you seem to have misunderstood.

@davidgcant Now the contractors are laughing at the site manager. Not an ideal situation.

@ChesterOlympics You're right. H&S is there for a reason, and it's not to stop things from happening, but far too many people think it does.

@davidgcant Sadly, theres a mentality that exisits that still believes H&S is there to create roadblocks. I know someone who never came home from work because a machine had a guard removed

@ahazard_hunter @managementlogo I'm with you. 👍

@davidgcant @managementlogo I wouldn't waste my time with people like that on here mate. They’re not willing to think or be interested in genuine debate.

Cognitive dissonance in action: When workers hold conflicting beliefs about risk and safety, they use mental gymnastics to resolve the tension without changing behaviour. Example: “I'm a careful, safety-conscious worker" - yet I skip wearing the harness to save 10 minutes.

@ahazard_hunter @managementlogo Think you nailed it because it feels like that most of the time.

@managementlogo @davidgcant Are you always a chronic dismisser, a troll even on a massive ego trip? Why do hide behind an anonymous account? Most who do have an identity problem.

@managementlogo Fair point - and honestly, “can’t be bothered” is part of it. If the harness takes too long to put on, that friction is a real design problem worth fixing. Understanding the “cognitive dissonance” angle helps us find better interventions. What’s your experience for a solution?