Why mindset and wellbeing are so important – with Jason Anker: Part 1

After surviving a serious accident twenty years ago which left him paralysed, Jason Anker has turned his focus to motivational speaking, so as to help everyone better understand the events surrounding his accident, but also the mindset required to move on and ensure it doesn’t happen in your workplace. In the first part of Colin’s interview with Jason, he discusses the accident itself and its aftermath, the responsibility that staff and managers face in making decisions as to the day to day suitability of someone to face the potential risks in their job, and the effects of mental health issues in the workplace. KEY TAKEAWAYS As managers, we need to have the courage to halt proceedings if we feel that a staff member is not up to the task, or may face danger. Similarly, as staff, we should have the courage to speak up if we do not feel up to the task.   Jason suffered his fall while performing a job he wasn’t supposed to have been performing, using the wrong equipment, and while unsupervised.   One of the most traumatic experiences during aftercare was the feeling that he was surely going to undergo a miraculous recovery, but being constantly disappointed by his inability to do so.   Jason was invited to many events to talk about his experience, and while doing so, he gained a wealth of knowledge on correct safety procedures, which he has since incorporated into his own speaking.   Anger was highly debilitating following the accident. There was a genuine sense of frustration at the world that took many years to overcome. BEST MOMENTS ‘It wasn't about breaking rules. I was broken as an individual’ ‘When you’re in hospital and you're a patient, you are visited. But when you get out it’s very different’ ’The mental wellbeing side has so much impact on safety in the workplace’ ‘Workplace rules are fine until they get weaponised' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Interesting Health And Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/training-competency-creating-effective-plan-process/id1467771449?i=1000452692837  Jason Anker Website -  https://www.jasonankerlive.com/about_jason/ Jason Anker Twitter - https://twitter.com/Proud2bSafe   ABOUT THE GUEST Jason Anker was paralysed from the waist down due to an avoidable incident on a construction site in 1993 when he fell off a ladder. He was 24 years old. His story of his life before the incident, the day of the incident, the time spent in hospital and rehab, his initial release from hospital and his struggle with life over the last 26 years is an honest and sometimes graphic account of the devastation the incident has had on Jason and his family & friends. For 26 years he was unable to talk openly about his experience of a work related major incident. This is reflected in a story that is very raw; the emotion in which he delivers his talk is as strong as if it was the day of the incident. 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).