We interviewed Juan Bueno, Senior PRL Technician at Workout Events; A native of Madrid with more than 23 years of experience in prevention who is making his way in the events sector.
Although Juan has only been with our Madrid office for a year and a half, his relationship with the company goes back a long way. Anteriormente trabajaba en un servicio de prevención multimarca, donde ejerció el papel de técnico de prevención externo para Workout Events durante más de diez años.
According to Juan himself, his arrival at Workout as an employee is no coincidence. The company grew naturally, the number of workers increased and the need arose to create an OHS department within WO to ensure the safety of workers and compliance with regulations.
In this short talk, Juan tells us how he ended up making risk prevention a way of life.
I can tell you like what you do. Is Occupational Risk Prevention a vocation for you?
Well, not really! I studied Chemical Sciences, but when I finished my degree I found it was difficult to work as a chemist, so I had to open up to other fields.
The Regional Institute of Occupational Safety and Health hastily set up a master’s degree and they had no open calls, so they called those of us who had taken other courses there. I took the plunge, did my master’s degree and have been working in PRL ever since.
Have you ever had to apply your knowledge as a chemist at Workout Events?
Not much, although the other day I did have to check the composition of a paint to provide the appropriate safety masks for our workers.
What does a Workout Senior OHS Technician do on a daily basis?
It depends on the time of year. During the first 2 or 3 months, when we are calmer because there is less volume of events, we dedicate ourselves to updating all the ORP documentation (prevention plan, risk assessment, PPE registry, etc.).
The rest of the year we do everything that comes up, such as visiting the services to check that the employees comply with the regulations and work safely.
You have worked in risk prevention at Workout as internal and external personnel, what do you think it means for an events company like this to have its own PRL department?
When I was at the other company, I was limited to keeping all the Workout prevention documentation up to date… so the best thing about having our own department is the greater control we have over the workers. Now I go directly to the events and see and correct anything that is being done wrong in terms of occupational hazards.
What types of occupational accidents can occur in the events sector?
The accidents that may occur from time to time are small cuts, injuries due to improper weight bearing… They happen mainly because the worker was not wearing PPE, because he was doing a job that did not correspond to him or because he did not study the environment well because he wanted to finish quickly.
What is the most fun you have had working in PRL?
I was dumbfounded to see a loading and unloading operator working barefoot on the set-up of a festival in Madrid.
I also saw an employee taking a nap under a lift platform because it was the only shady spot he could find. In this case, nothing happened, but it would not be the first time that the driver did not see it, started and ran over the individual…
Now tell us a little about yourself; When you aren’t at work, are you also thinking about the risks you can find around?
Also! In fact, sometimes I can’t help but comment on it. For example, last year I was eating in a restaurant, I saw that the waitress was holding the tray in an anti-ergonomic way and I had to tell her!
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Those of us in risk prevention are often told that we are “tiresome” because we keep repeating the same thing over and over again.
This way you won’t miss a single imprudence! What do you like to do in your free time?
I am a big fan of current and classic movies, and I enjoy reading books and comics. I also collect figurines, mostly science fiction and horror. If I had more time, I would dedicate myself to building models or legos.
Para terminar, cuéntanos algo sorprendente sobre ti.
Those who know me know that I love plants and parrot type birds (I have 3 lovebirds at home). What not many people know is that I make my own red wine in the village, where I have some vineyards. I do it with the help of my sister and we usually take out several liters for private use.
Wow! Whenever you want, we’ll set up a tasting at the Workout office…
Juan, thank you very much for letting us get to know you a little bit better and introduce us to your department.
