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What do the Big 5 Safety Rules mean?
Richard Brown, a former Winslow HSE Manager, came up with the idea to focus Winslow’s critical risk management by aligning the high-risk elements of our work to the Big 5 African animals (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo) to create the Big 5 Safety Rules.
Africa's "Big Five" are the continent's most iconic and sought-after safari animals. Coined by 19th-century big-game hunters, the term refers to the five most dangerous and difficult animals to hunt on foot.
Why are the Big 5 Safety Rules relevant to Winslow?
Richard developed the Big 5 Safety Rules to focus Winslow’s safety efforts and drive HSE compliance on sites. The alignment of the Rules to Africa’s most dangerous animals provides simple and iconic safety messages for our field workers that never change and make it easier to recall and manage the 5 most dangerous high-risk activities on any Winslow site.
Business Unit specific Big 5 Safety Rules
With an expanding number of Winslow group business units, some of the original Winslow Big 5 Safety Rules have been amended to reflect the unique high-risk activities of the respective Business Unit.
The theme of dangerous and difficult African animals continues to reflect and align to these Business Unit specific high-risk activities.
Ecosphere specific Big 5 Safety Rules:
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Big 5 Rule 1.
Working from Heights = Chimpanzee. Working from heights and the arboreal life of chimpanzees share significant similarities in terms of physical risk, required grip techniques, and the need for environmental awareness -
Big 5 Rule 3.
Hot Works = Black Mamba. Like potentially flammable or combustible materials, the black mamba venom is highly toxic that often induces symptoms which can be fatal. -
Big 5 Rule 5.
Crane Works = Giraffes. Industrial cranes share several striking similarities, largely due to their function of reaching high altitudes and manoeuvring in industrial landscapes.
Nexpave specific Big 5 Safety Rules:
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Big 5 Rule 3.
Reversing vehicles = Hippopotamuses. Large mammals and one of the most ferocious They are unpredictable, very quick and if not vigilant can cause unforeseen damage and injury. -
Big 5 Rule 4.
Handling Bitumen Products = Nile Crocodile. Handling bitumen products and the Nile crocodile both require specialised, cautious approaches due to extreme risks. Both require strict temperature management (hot bitumen, cold-blooded crocodile), protective equipment to avoid severe injury (burns vs. bites/aggression), and professional, trained handling.
Who is Richard Brown?
Winslow honours the former Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality Manager Richard Brown, a safety trailblazer within the Group, with an annual award. The Winslow national Richard Brown Safety Award is given at the end of each year to the person within Winslow that goes above and beyond to ensure our sites and staff are safe.
Richard's Legacy
Richard began his career with Winslow in the civil construction industry in 2002 as a Leading Hand and quickly progressed to foreman.
His first large-scale project that he supervised was Sanctuary Lakes comprising of large-scale earthworks and civil construction.
He worked as a supervisor on many projects including freeways, bridges, earthworks, and sub-divisions.
Richard’s interest in safety was evident early in his career, and he was soon promoted to the position of HSEQ Manager. He was Winslow’s first safety Manager.
“His move into the HSEQ department was a driving force for the growth, development, training and ongoing compliance within the Winslow Group,” Rohan said.
“Using his supervision skills and strong connection to field operations, Richard further developed the backbone of our field operating systems - he always had a keen eye for what was practical in system implementation.”
Richard was passionate about safety and his commitment to driving Winslow’s safety culture was unquestionable.
“He spent countless hours with the team to help train and lift the safety skills across the group. He was always on hand to help everyone improve safety however he could,” Rohan said.
Richard’s safety legacy lives on today, thanks to his creation of the Big 5 Safety Rules, and his role in championing the My Family, My Safety campaign.