The M4 Initiative: a new safety vision

The M4 approach is very different

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Go beyond individual safety

Achieving a higher level of mindful safety amongst individuals is a very worthy aspiration, but we are also obliged to pay attention to relational, organisational and societal factors. The M4 approach delivers change by training individuals to have a positive impact on those around them – calmer employees create less stress in the workplace. 

 

Learn the preventative mindset

To avoid workplace injuries, we must adopt a ‘preventative mindset’. This is essentially about spotting the risks far earlier than is normally the case and equipping people with the mental tools to attend closely to their environment. All too often, we wait for something horrible to happen before acting. If there is one lesson worth pressing home, it is that turning a blind eye is usually a costly mistake.

 

Mobilise resilience

An important feature of mindful organisations is their ability to mobilise resilience when unexpected events occur. It is not just situational awareness and the act of noticing that matter, but also the response under pressure that follows in extraordinary circumstances. Responding, rather than reacting, to such situations will help secure more successful outcomes.

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Train risk awareness

Instilling risk-awareness into employees is critical if the safest course of action is to be followed in a given situation. Factors such as one’s physical and mental state, and internal and external distractions, are important to acknowledge and monitor – they have a direct bearing on safety. This is risk awareness rethought to include the mind and body, and not just what is ‘out there’ in the environment.