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.

@Arron_Tweets_ Sounds about right. Ensure what’s written is right and aligns with how you do business.

@davidgcant I think external reviews are key to having a defensible management system that is for the end user and organisational protection.

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.

@_QuickFang @TommyVFrankland I need a CSCS card to get on site and have to pass the touch screen test. Have done so for 20 years. Daft for people who are in H&S if you ask me. The NVQ’s people have to get for the cards should be enough IMO.

@davidgcant @TommyVFrankland Don't book it through a third party, book it ditrectly through JIB and I think it's about £25, pick a test centre near you. Download the app - £6 and play it like a game untill you've memorised the whole lot. It's really helpful for finding your way round a site if you're new.

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.

@_QuickFang @TommyVFrankland You're right but the scheme is a light touch on H&S arrangements/knowledge. It's simply a set of questions and answers people can memorise to pass a test. Quickly forgotten. A money making scheme at best. I'm not a fan to be honest. 🤓

@davidgcant @TommyVFrankland Among many other things it covers working in ground excavations and the importance of shoring up the sides.

@TommyVFrankland @_QuickFang No problem.

@davidgcant @_QuickFang Ah OK. Just thought you wanted to know what it was. Soz

@TommyVFrankland @_QuickFang I know what it is, I was just curious to learn what was meant by the comment “that's why we have CSCS in the UK”

@davidgcant @_QuickFang Construction skills certification scheme (building site passport).

@_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

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