10 November 2008
Bridget Leathley

The BBC is obviously experienced in understanding what people like to listen to; which voices work; and how to get a message across to an audience in sound only. So its radio programmes quite naturally make good podcasts. For providers of health and safety information, the job is harder.

Some rely on a single voice, but unless it's a very short podcast, an exciting voice or a fascinating topic, these are not the easiest to follow. Others use an interview format, with two voices. These are easiest to listen to when the voices are very different; a man and a woman works well, or two different accents.

The RRC podcasts go a little further, using several voices and trying to add a little humour. In general, I admire them for this, and earlier podcasts on workplace stress and safety management systems were very good. Both the August podcast - providing tips to NEBOSH students on exams - and the October podcast - on choosing a NEBOSH training provider - were interesting, and featured representatives from the examinations body itself.

But I was a little confused by RRC's September podcast on training techniques. It wasn't clear whether fictitious educationalist Ms Morrissey was being criticised for wanting to call herself Ms, or for daring to have a teaching qualification. It made good points - the need for lesson planning and the promotion of active learning - but I think RRC needs to be careful that some misplaced humour doesn't put listeners off. See www.rrc.co.uk/Podcasts.aspx for a list of RRC casts.

Michaelwilkinson.podbean.com uses the single-voice formula. The most recent podcast, in September, asks "How much is injury worth?" and gives some legal and financial reasons for ensuring you correctly risk assess all tasks and keep the assessments up to date. Mr Wilkinson's previous two podcasts were "Two year HSE campaign", outlining the HSE's two-year focus on risk assessment (July 2008), and "Lack of understanding" (February 2008), on non-English workers misunderstanding safety procedures. I'm not sure why he calls these "weekly" podcasts when quarterly would be a closer description, and I would be careful to double-check any of the advice given, but nevertheless I found them interesting and concise (usually under four minutes).

Undercover agent

Navigation in the Amicus section of the Unite the union website at www.amicustheunion.org makes it difficult to find the podcasts, but I did find the insights in "Simon's undercover diary" useful. Simon describes the perils of agency work, including a lack of PPE provision and companies' failure to record accidents. He highlights that while he was treated badly, as a white British male he was treated better than the migrant agency workers. To find the list of archived podcasts, select "Union TV" on the homepage, and then "The Amicus Podcast". Note that Amicus podcasts contain video and are very slow to download. 

The 35-minute podcast at safetymattersradio.com/?34 uses the two-voices format. "Mr Safety" discusses highway safety with a technology expert, focusing on how to avoid tyre blowouts. The emphasis is commercial, but if you have time to sit through the podcast and don't mind the advertising, you could learn a lot about tyre pressure. Though both voices are male, they are easy to distinguish because of the heavily distorted voice of Mr Safety compared to the relatively clear voice of the interviewee.

The female/male format works well in the asbestos podcast at www.thameslabs.co.uk/guidance/interview.html, in which Workplace Law's Kelly Mansfield interviews John Richards of Thames Laboratories on the Control of Asbestos Regulations. While it's a little dated, the podcast provides a useful summary of control and peak limits, the need for asbestos awareness training, the responsibilities of duty holders and contractors, and concerns over post-asbestos-clearance certification.

At the time of writing, there was still no new "monthly" podcast from the HSE; watch this space at www.hse.gov.uk/podcasts

Categories:
Management skills, Safety, Article