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if everyone is just instilled to not be reckless, that is,to not rush into situations without 
thinking about the possibility of accidents, and instilling this mindset is part of the job of 
the safety officer. Some other suggestions are ongoing first-aid training, and ‘no accident’ 
reward or star systems. These have had some success, but nothing beats a regular 
meeting, say, once a month, in which the subject of safety is brought to the attention of 
everyone, and any outstanding issues related to this are thoroughly discussed. 
SECTION 3 
You will hear two students, Frank and Nicole, discussing their research on university 
waste. 
Frank: Hi, Nicole. As you know, we’ve got to decide on the best ways this university can 
reduce its waste. You inspected the eastern campus, and I did the western buildings. Did 
you do all the interviews as well? 
Nicole: Yes, I interviewed all the staff, who made some good observations, and I 
interviewed some of the students. The students said little that was interesting. They don’t 
seem to care that much. It was the cleaners, surprisingly, who revealed the most relevant 
facts. 
Frank: That’s not surprising to me. They empty all the bins, so they see the waste first-
hand, whereas the staff just throw things away without thinking. What item was most 
commonly disposed of? 
Nicole: Well, it really depended on where I interviewed. In the cafeteria precinct, 
obviously paper plates and cups were thrown away all over the place. There was almost 
no attempt at recycling. However, across the university in general, it was paper copying 
that filled up most bins, far more than plastic, or other forms of waste. 

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Frank: Do people care about this, then? 
Nicole: Well, some do, if you can believe them. I must have interviewed about 30% of 
customers in the cafeteria, and the results were mixed. Out of all the people I interviewed, 
well over half, maybe about 55% of them, were quite honest about it, telling me that they 
had little concern. The other fraction, 45%, were more troubled. 
Frank: Yes, but do they do anything about it? 
Nicole: Surprisingly, quite a significant percentage do do something, even if they aren’t 
particularly concerned. I mean, small things. About 10% bring their own cups to the 
cafeteria, for example, and at least one third said they use recycling bins, so, in total, 
it’s an equal split between those who do something, or those who don’t. 
Frank: So why do so many people remain inactive, particularly over an issue they should 
care about more? 
Nicole: I think they do care, and many of them are prepared to do something. Obviously, 
there’s an element of laziness, but I’d say that it’s relatively small. If they knew what to 
do, and if stringent systems existed, or if the importance of this was made clearer 
to them, I’m sure you’d see a much larger percentage of people actively working towards 
helping our environment. 
Frank: Well, there’s cause for optimism, at least. 
Frank: Clearly then, there’s a significant waste of paper here at this university, so I’ve 
worked out one practical suggestion which could help reduce it —specifically, the waste 
from the excess photocopying. 
Nicole: Let me hear it, then. 
Frank: Ah obviously, for a start, we’ve got to ensure that people, including the staff, 
without exception, copy both sides of a page. We can’t tolerate single-sided copying. It’s 
just far too wasteful. 

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