For this issue of Building and Facilities News, we are pleased to announce that Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) Ltd has been chosen for our highly inspirational Health and Safety Company of the Month profile.
The story behind Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) Ltd lies with founder Paul Mahoney, who became a motivational and behavioural safety speaker after he encountered a terrible, avoidable, workplace accident. Paul was working at a paper mill back in November 2000 when a miscommunication and breakdown in procedures in the workplace ended up with him severing his left arm. After a gruelling 16 hour operation, which was covered in BBC’s 999, he managed to have his arm re-attached, but the knock on effect of the accident, operation and recovery all took a toll on him. The husband and father of just 27 years old had to get to grips with a completely new way of life.
Despite the great increase in workplace safety over recent years, events like Paul’s are still far too common. Ticking off health and safety checkboxes isn’t enough to maximise workplace safety, especially when there’s a lot of risk factors that go unnoticed.
Today, Paul shares his story at presentations, conferences and special Training days, and helps others to realise that ignoring health and safety can have physical, mental and emotional issues that remain long after the recovery stage. Not only that, but he can also guide businesses and workplaces on how to improve their practises to minimise accidents and identify hidden risks.
We spoke to Paul about how Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) Ltd was set up, to which he explained, “The company’s formation goes back to when I was in hospital and being asked if I would talk to the media, as my operation was ground breaking. I replied that I only wanted to appear in the broadsheets as I wanted people to learn, and not be tomorrow’s chip paper. We believe in Stories Inspiring People, as once I share my story of what happened, we find others want to share theirs to. Then before you know it, people are willing to talk safety and other things that they feel passionate about.
“The main role of Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) Ltd is to inspire people to work safely and get home to their loved ones. I tell the story of the lead up to the accident, the accident itself, and the aftermath of my accident. As much as possible, we tell it from the point of view of the delegates in front of me. We have a laugh and share a tear along the way, but it is to get them to realise the fall out of a major accident to themselves, family and friends. It encourages them to look at their workplaces in a different way and speak up as much as possible.”
Paul shares his story all over the UK, and has even delivered his presentations around the globe. His story has been praised around the world for looking into the practical, emotional and lasting consequences of the accident, covering everything from the effect on his personal life to the effect on family, friends, finances and of course, his desire to make a difference. He has worked with SMEs to multi-national corporations such as Asda, Shell, Nokia, and Allied Bakeries.
One of the best things about Paul’s presentations is that they can be customised around a specific industry or company. In fact, Paul will often take the time to review a work site himself and then deliver a presentation to the relevant delegates, tailoring the presentation to relate to them, their work, and their own practices. On top of that, if a company would like to focus on a certain theme, Paul can gear the presentation to cover these certain safety aspects, such as machine safety or negligence. As each worksite has its own culture and environment, it is important to realise that tragic results such as Paul’s can come about from any number of factors, whether its faulty equipment, haphazard settings or human error.
Paul often highlights risk assessment, communication and lock off procedures as fundamental to ensuring workplace safety. He added, “Having acquired my NEBOSH General, I am more than happy to survey sites and organisations to spot key risks that have gone unnoticed. My presentations can be for industries like manufacturing and engineering, but they can also be made very much about the delegates in front of me, with my story applicable to safety and regulations across all industries. It depends on where clients are on their safety journey, and how I can help boost the creation of a safer culture for their organisation.”
On top of the presentation, Paul also runs a CPD accredited full day safety course, as well as a team building course. Everyone can get involved with these courses, from the workers on the site floor to the directors who run and decide upon operations. It is important to note that safety does not just apply to the shop floor, it is something which must be considered when making any type of work decision. Paul explained, “My mentor Andy Gordon taught me how many organisations see safety as a separate element of the system, and as a separate part, people often rely on a specialist to get jobs done or simply pass the buck, instead of making it an organic part of their operations.
“There are organisations that fail to realise that everybody in the organisation can work unsafe, and it might be someone in an office that orders the wrong equipment or sets the wrong targets which has a trickledown effect on others.”
In addition to presenting at many companies and conferences, Paul also takes his insights to numerous trade shows up and down the country. This includes the Health and Safety expo in London and next years’ Safety Expo in Dublin. In order to connect with as many people as possible, Paul has written about his experiences and the lessons learned in his new book Man V Machine Journey of Complacency. The book was released in the Summer of 2018 and has seen an immense response from the professional community, with many praising the way it opens up readers to the long term consequences of blights such as Paul’s, as well as how to actively make safety a part of your natural routine and how to spot potential hazards. You can find a copy via Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith and Spiderwize.
If you would like more information on Paul J Mahoney (Inspiring Safety) Ltd or to book Paul for a transformational presentation at your business, be sure to get in contact using the number below. More details can also be found on the website.
T +44 (0)7715 297606
www.pauljmahoney.co.uk
