Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
constraint..Employees.forced.to.stoop,.bend,.twist,.turn,.stretch,.lean,.reach,.or.assume.
unnatural. postures. to. perform. routine. tasks. are. subject. to. discomfort. and. fatigue..
Discomfort.and.fatigue.may.distract.from.immediate.hazards,.and.chronic..physical.
stresses. may. make. employees. prime. candidates. for. cumulative. trauma. disorders.
such.as.carpal.tunnel.syndrome.and.tendonitis.
Other. constraints. or. barriers. that. could. adversely. impact. performance. include.
conlicting.demands.on.the.employee's.time,.authority,.and.proper.tools.to..perform.
the. required. task.. Are. there. incentives. at. work?. Is. nonperformance. rewarded?.
This may.occur.if.the.job.is.easier.to.do.unsafely.or.the.employee.gets.a.break.if.the.
job. is. done. quickly.. Management. needs. to. address. this. reward. problem. by. elimi-
nating. any. rewards. for. poor. performance.. One. way. to. do. this. is. for. management.
to.make.sure.that.its.only.concern.is.not.just.that.the.job.is.completed,.but.that.the.
employee.is.not.punished.if.the.job.takes.longer.than.normal.
Is.good.performance.punished?.One.way.of.punishing.good.work.is.by.assigning.
additional. work. to. that. “good”. employee.. Management. needs. to. eliminate. “good.
performance.punishment”.by.eliminating.the.negative.effects.and.create,.or.increase.
the.strength.of,.positive.or.desirable.consequences.
Is.there.a.positive.change?.If.a.positive.change.occurs,.then.this.change.must.be.
maintained.through.periodic.feedback,.praise,.and.recognition..This.must.be.done.
on.a.continuing.basis.to.keep.the.behavior.at.a.constant.level.
If.a.positive.change.does.not.occur,.other.actions.may.need.to.take.place..It.must.
be. determined. whether. there. are. meaningful. actions. for. the. desired. performance..
If there. are. not. meaningful. actions,. then. the. remedy. may. be. to. arrange. to. take.
actions.to.make.it.matter.to.the.employee..This.may.be.disciplinary.action.
summAry
The. primary. purpose. of. a. job. safety. observation. (JSO). is. to. help. each. employee.
become.willing.to.follow.safe.job.procedures..When.inding.violations.and.unsafe.
practices,. the. object. is. not. merely. to. stop. the. employee. from. continuing. this.
.behavior,.but.to.get.all.employees.to.follow.procedures.and.to.remain.productive.and.
cooperative..Safety.observation.enables.the.supervisor.to.evaluate.all.aspects.of.an.
employee's.performance.on.a.speciic.job..An.observation.that.reveals.an.acceptable.
performance.level.provides.an.opportunity.to.give.praise.and.reinforce.good.perfor-
mance..A.safety.observation.of.substandard.performance.provides.an.opportunity.to.
take.corrective.action.before.unnecessary.problems.or.losses.occur.
All.companies.must.establish.and.enforce.rules.of.conduct.and.rules.of.safety.for.
everyone.involved.in.their.operation..Because.supervisors.are.responsible.for.follow-
ing.safety.and.health.rules,.a.JSO.is.a.valuable.method.for.accomplishing.an.effective.
job.safety.observation.program.that.can.enhance.all.aspects.of.the.accident/incident.
program,.such.as.job.safety.analysis,.safety.inspections,.and.safety.orientation.and.
safety.and.health.training.programs.
