Safety culture - Introduction to Fire Safety Management - page 77

responsibilities are added such as an evacuation coord-
inator or fi rst responder.

of which can affect their individual behaviour, and which
may be either a strength or a weakness in relation to the
task in hand. Individual characteristics infl uence behav-
iour in complex and signifi cant ways.
Some individual characteristics, such as personality,
are developed throughout the person's life and are not
generally amenable to change.
Others, such as skills and attitudes, can be modifi ed
or enhanced by correct motivation, training and by the
infl uence of the organisational culture. It is vital that the
employer carefully selects individuals to ensure, as much
as possible, that they match the requirements of the job.
Each human can be said to be a unique individual
with a unique blend of attributes that characterise him
or her. These 'individual differences' are often described
as an individual's personality. People's personalities
develop into adulthood and by the time they enter the
world of work their personality is often fi xed and tends
to become more so as they continue to mature.
Attitude is an important facet of personality that has
a signifi cant impact on managing safety is an individual
attitude. There have been many defi nitions of attitude,
including the following:

Job design
The design of the job and working environment should
be based on task analysis of the activities required of
the worker to ensure the correct match between the
demands of the job and the abilities of the worker exists.
The main considerations during job design include:

➤ Identifi cation and comprehensive analysis of the

tasks expected of the individuals, including any
foreseeable errors they may make
➤ Evaluation of the decision-making requirement
placed on the individual

➤ The optimum balance between human and auto-

matic safety actions
➤ Ergonomic design of all man/machine interfaces,
including control devices, panel layouts and infor-
mation and warning systems

➤ Design and format of operational instructions or

procedures

➤ Provision of correct tools and equipment

➤ Design of work and shift patterns

➤ Arrangements for emergency operations and

procedures

➤ A predisposition towards a particular response
in relation to people, objects and situations - not
evacuating when the alarm sounds ➤ Short- and long-term communication procedures.

➤ A predetermined set of responses built up as a

result of experience of similar situations - no fi re last
time

Job safety analysis
Job safety analysis involves the identifi cation of all the
accident prevention measures appropriate to a particular
job or area of work activity and the behavioural factors
which most signifi cantly infl uence whether or not these
measures are taken.
Derived from task analysis, job safety analysis
examines the:

➤ A shorthand way of responding to a particular

situation

➤ A preconception of the way a situation is going to

develop - no fi re - loss of productivity less pay.

The factors that affect the development of attitudes at
work include:

➤ Operations incorporated in the job

➤ Self image and levels of confi dence
➤ The degree of perceived control over a particular
situation

➤ Hazards which could arise, e.g. fi re explosion

➤ Skills required by operators in terms of knowledge

and behaviour

➤ The infl uence of peer groups and group norms

➤ External infl uences on behaviour:

➤ Superstitious and inaccurate perceptions, e.g. 'acci-

dents are bound to happen - there is nothing we
can do to stop them'.

➤ Nature of the infl uence, e.g. noise from a boiler
alarm

➤ Source of the infl uence, e.g. machinery, and activ-

ities involved - machine loading, procedure

Attitudes at work can be ingrained and built up in an
entire workforce over a period of years. Changing atti-
tudes can be a diffi cult and lengthy process and is, most
successfully, undertaken sensitively.
In order to change attitudes it is fi rst necessary to
convince people that there is a valid reason to change,
demonstrating to the individual that their attitude is
based on misperceptions - generating behaviour that
is disadvantageous to both themselves and the organ-
isation can do this. Once the case for change has been

➤ Learning method.

This technique is often used for higher risk or complex
tasks enabling the production of safe operating systems
or safe systems of work.

4.8.3 Personal factors

Personality - individuals bring to their job their own per-
sonal habits, attitudes, skills, personality and desires, all