Safety In A Diverse And Creative Environment - with Ruth Denyer

Today’s episode is a decidedly showbiz affair, as Colin talks to Ruth Denyer, the group head of health, safety and insurance risk management at ITV, and soon to take up the safety mantle at Netflix, about the many challenges faced in the creative industries, and how diversity and artistry have an effect upon the decisions made in the entertainment sector when it comes to safety. KEY TAKEAWAYS The main challenge of safety in the arts, is that ideas take form in all sorts of (occasionally) wild ways. Visions require experimentation and consideration. Safety’s role in this is to find a safe way to express these visions. We cannot always communicate our concerns with raw data. Sometimes we need to find more creative ways of expressing the hazards we face. It’s about tailoring the information to the person. Safety teams must be seen not as policers, but as enablers. We are there to help creativity flourish in a safe environment, and to help the business to be successful as a result. It’s important for people to own the risks they take during any activity. This may manifest itself in creative ambition or making a profit, but whatever success looks like to you, consider the risks that you are willing to take, and own those risks. BEST MOMENTS ‘What I’m passionate about is always learning’ ‘We’re trying to make creative visions happen, and give people the tools to think about things themselves’ ‘We need to take away the jargon and talk in a way that’s concise, clear, to the point, and really engages with people’ ‘Let’s not be someone who goes and checks the controls are in place. Let’s help design and think about, and manage that risk at the very early stages'  VALUABLE RESOURCES The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/vn/podcast/the-interesting-health-safety-podcast/id1467771449   Ruth Denyer LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-denyer-82641130/?originalSubdomain=uk ABOUT THE HOST Colin Nottage ‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’ This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions. He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation. Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses. Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive. He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).