Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
g
AtHEring
D
AtA
This.step.is.completed.by.trained.observers.who.are,.in.most.cases,.fellow.workers..
These.observers.are.not.intent.upon.inding.fault.or.blaming.workers.for.their.safety.
behaviors,.but.to.document.the.rate.at.which.workers.perform.tasks.in.a.safe.manner.
or.in.an.at-risk.fashion..The.observations.usually.take.10.to.15.minutes..The.data.
sheets. developed. by. the. steering. committee. should. be. the. guide. and. specify. the.
expected.behaviors..These.observations.are.strictly.conducted.under.the.conditions.
that.no.names.are.used.and.no.blame.is.placed..These.observations.are.best.when.
peer-to-peer. observations. are. performed. and. feedback. can. be. given. immediately..
Observation.data.is.entered.into.a.database.for.analysis.and.problem.solving..This.
approach.builds.a.sense.of.ownership.in.this.type.of.safety.program.
t
wo
-w
Ay
f
EEDbACk
The.observer.can.provide.the.person.performing.the.task.with.immediate.feedback.
on. at-risk. behaviors. and. provide. reinforcement. on. safe. work. performance.. If the.
observer. asks. the. worker. why. he. used. at-risk. behaviors. to. perform. a. task,. the.
observer.can.learn.if.there.are.roadblocks.that.prevent.the.worker.from.performing.
the. task. in. a. safe. manner.. The. observer. may. ind. that. protective. equipment. is. not.
available.or.is.no.longer.usable,.which.then.becomes.a.follow-up.item.for.the.steering.
committee.or.management.
This.process.is.founded.on.the.premise.that.for.every.accident.there.are.hundreds.or.
sometimes.thousands.of.at-risk.behaviors..When.at-risk.behaviors.decrease,.the.likeli-
hood.of.injuries.also.decreases..A.successful.approach.does.not.look.for.blame,.but.pro-
vides.two-way.feedback.that.promotes.the.idea.that.the.worker.is.indeed.the.solution.
Any.positive.reinforcement.that.can.be.provided.will.help.to.strengthen.the.safe.
performance.and.cause.it.to.become.the.norm.
C
ontinuous
i
mProvEmEnt
Using.the.comment.data.will.allow.site.personnel.to.target.areas.of.improvement.and.
demonstrate. to. workers. that. their. input. is. critical. and. an. important. component. of.
the.program..If.at-risk.behaviors.are.occurring.in.certain.areas,.then.this.is.an.acci-
dent.waiting. to.happen.. If.there.are.barriers.to.safe.performance,. then. continuous.
improvement.is.deterred..The.most.common.barriers.to.safe.performance.are
•.
Hazard recognition:
.If.workers.did.not.realize.that.they.were.performing.an.
at-risk.behavior,.then.they.could.never.perform.the.task.in.a.safe.manner.
•.
Business systems:
The. at-risk. behavior. was. the. result. of. an. organization.
system.that.was.unreliable.due.to.ineficiency..If.this.occurs,.workers.will.
avoid.using.the.system.and.will.ind.a.way.around.it.
•.
Disagreement on safe practices:
.There.can.be.legitimate.disagreement.as.
to. what. constitutes. safe. performance. and. this. needs. to. be. reviewed. and.
addressed.in.some.manner..This.is.best.accomplished.by.working.toward.
an.agreed-upon.consensus.
