COMPLIANCE Governments and their regulatory agencies are already seeking to Both double checks and buddy checks mitigate the impact of climate change with far-reaching regulations can reduce errors and promote safer and better outcomes in your workplace
Check
one, two
As compliance expert Terry Muir writes, instituting a simple double-checking or buddy-checking intervention system at your workplace can catch any problems before they potentially harm people or the environment.
A
s the new year begins this can be the time when many staff in golf course and turf management facilities around the country step up a level in responsibility. And it’s all done in a matter of a few weeks and can include staff taking on additional roles in the workplace or greater high-risk roles. Add into this equation the current pressures being experienced in many workplaces from COVID-19 with staff being forced to isolate and thus reducing the number of maintenance staff on hand to perform tasks and it is even more important to have good systems in place to ensure that errors are minimised. Now could be the ideal time to rollout a ‘double-checking’ or ‘buddy-checking’ program to reduce the likelihood of an adverse event at your facility. 56
Golf course maintenance staff perform countless work tasks every day. Some early in the morning, some during the heat of the day and sometimes in locations that are noisy, with limited light and space and even in time of interruptions to their workflow. This environment increases the risk of error. Strategies that have been recommended in other sectors to prevent errors include doublechecking and buddy-checking and there is considerable evidence that when doublechecking occurs or independent buddy checks are completed, errors are reduced. We know that staff want to jump in and do their jobs, but it is important to convince them of the need to carefully plan and check. Not taking the time to make sure of what they are doing could cost you time or money, and worse, harm them, others or the environment.
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 24.1
DOUBLE CHECK A double check is straightforward. Most of us have heard the expression ‘measure twice, cut once’. Used in a carpentry or building sense, it means you should double-check your measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood. In a figurative sense, it means plan and prepare in a careful and thorough manner before taking action. In other words, think before you act. To double-check simply means that when accuracy is extremely important you should review something twice to be sure that no mistakes have been made.
BUDDY CHECK Many of us are familiar with the phrase ‘two heads are better than one’, meaning that two individuals working together can achieve a better outcome than a single person working
