Guidance for OHS Professionals V2

8/12/2019 Guidance for OHS Professionals V2

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ContentsContents.................................................................................................................................2

Introduction.........................................................................................................................4

Why read this paper? What will I learn? What is in it for me?..........................................4

Why have OHS?.................................................................................................................5

Geoff Mconald.................................................................................................................. !

Safety Myths....................................................................................................................!

"#I$%..............................................................................................................................&

'ersonal ama(e Occurrence Investi(ation Models.......................................................)

*nalysis of +*ccident, e-perience...................................................................................)

*ccess to earthmovin( euipment.................................................................................../

0ritical Incident %ecall...................................................................................................12

Geor(e3s 'hilosophy on "ife Wor and %elationships......................................................11

6ac(round to OHS.......................................................................................................... 1!

6ehaviour76ased Safety................................................................................................1!

%ole of the safety professional.....................................................................................1!

Safety incentives..........................................................................................................1&

"ost #ime In8ury $reuency %ate...................................................................................1)

*lternatives to the hierarchy of controls........................................................................1)

9oun( worer safety......................................................................................................:2

;ero harm......................................................................................................................:1

0ommercial Safety Mana(ement Systems....................................................................::

Ma8or mistaes I have seen made in implementin( OHS..............................................: Safety *nalysis.......................................................................................................:/

Geor(e3s down to earth advice to safety representatives and safety committee mem>ers

...................................................................................................................................... :/

%is assessment tips.....................................................................................................


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on OHS tools for mana(in( safety..................................................................................


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Introduction

In nearly 4 decades of involvement in field corporate pro8ect and consultant OHS roles I

have had the opportunity to learn a variety of thin(s. In this pu>lication I have outlined(enerally 17: pa(e thou(hts on safety and safety ali(ned topics with the aim of providin(some >rief (uidance to the newly developin( OHS professional. I >elieve I cover a fair >it ofrelevant (round. Whilst there is a smatterin( of theory in the followin( most is >ased onpractical e-perience. * stron( messa(e is that to >e effective in OHS you need competencyfrom other areas as well as your OHS competencies.

Why read this paper? What will I learn? What is in it for me?

#his paper will e-pose you to the sort of learnin( a>out OHS you will >e unliely to find inmost tertiary OHS ualifications. It is focused on the real world not theory.


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Why have OHS?

#he first fatality I was associated with occurred over ey the le(islation and eep the re(ulators off our >ac

Sure we want to have a (ood company and industry reputation to attract employees

Sure we want to reduce safety related industrial disputation

Sure we want to reduce the financial costs of +accidents, Sure we want wor to >e a pleasant place to >e

Sure we want a hi(hly silled worforce

*s an OHS professional I have had to deal with the emotional trauma of life alterin( personaldama(e and interacted with loved ones and co7worers. $or me the prime reason to haveOHS is to7%@B0@ '@%M*@#"9 "I$@ *"#@%IG '@%SO*" *M*G@

#his is referred to as 0lass 1 personal dama(e and can >e fatal and non7fatal. Whilst werarely (et to hear a>out it the impact of non7fatal class 1 dama(e is much hi(her than fatalclass 1 dama(e

I would >e the first to say there is a lot of >ull7dust associated with implementation of safetyinitiatives. In my time in safety I have seen companies spend tremendous amounts of timeeffort and money on du>ious safety pro(rams and (et little return for their investment.

#he challen(e is to desi(n your safety pro(rams so they meet the specific identified needsof your or(aniCation.

iscussion on a 0anadian safety forum came to the conclusion that you would >e lucy toprevent :2D of your,accidents, if all you did was comply with le(islation

I thin one of my e-7mana(ers said it well when he said EIf you cannot mana(e safety youcannot mana(eE

NoteMy attempt to (ive advice on how to achieve my o>8ective can >e found in the e7>oo SafetyMana(ement Systems under articles on ohschan(e.com.au


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Geoff McDonald

Geoff has >een my coach mentor (uide and adviser on OHS for in e-cess of y Geoff.

Safety Myths

One important factor that influences how OHS is mana(ed is the attitudes and pre7conceptions of those leadin( the char(e. #his paper e-plores >eliefs philosophies conceptsand attitudes and su((ests some common ideas may >e incorrect or unhelpful that is theymay >e myths and misconceptions.

People cause accidents

We would not su((est that people are not essential in personal dama(e occurrencesF*ccidents >ut the people cause accidents myth and misconception is often used as ane-cuse for not carryin( out positive action. What often happens is we >lame the person andfor(et a>out main( positive chan(es to the machine and the environment. #here are fewoccasions when it is appropriate to >lame the person for their past actions this is onlyappropriate when the >lame leads to chan(e in the future.

#he people cause accidents philosophy has >een reinforced in a num>er of ways over theyears.

Heinrich7*lthou(h this >elief has >een part of our culture for centuries it receivedofficial sanction in the writin(s of Heinrich widely held to >e the father of theindustrial safety movement in the 1/y unsafe acts unsafe conditions errors and haCardscom>ine to produce incidents has tended to focus on the person to >lame and has>een a serious impediment to meanin(ful pro(ress.

"e(al system7#his reflects the >elief that people cause accidents.

Insurance industry70losely tied in to the le(al system sees to identify some personto >lame and pursue throu(h le(al channels for any claim.

ews media7Media scream driver error in motor vehicle incidents they scream piloterror in aviation incidents without tain( account of the other multitude of essentialfactors.

'u>lished studies7Many pu>lished studies will have you >elieve /2D of accidents arecaused >y human error. #he reality is all personal dama(e occurrences will havepeople essential factors and machine and environment essential factors.

The main aim of safety activities is to prevent accidents

0ertainly safety activities aim to prevent personal dama(e occurrences. However we musttae one step further >y also seein( to minimise and control dama(e. * classic e-ample>ein( the wearin( of seat >elts and fittin( %.O.'.S. to tractors.

Look after the pence and the pounds will look after themselves

#here is a >elief in safety that if you >rin( controls to >ear on all minor in8uries then the "ost#ime In8uries will loo after themselves. #his >elief has mis7directed effort with the result that


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inordinate effort is directed at minor incidents that have little potential for more seriousdama(e. 0ertainly we should prevent minor incidents >ut remem>er to concentrate ourefforts where we (et the >est results. #he 'areto @ffect says :2D of incidents will (ive )2Dof dama(e. #his :2D must >e identified and concentrated upon. In Mana(in( Ma8or HaCards'rofessor *ndrew Hopins outlines how a focus on "ost #ime In8uries led to insufficientemphasis on hi(h ris events. 'apers are emer(in( uestionin( the wisdom of ;ero Harmapproaches to safety.

It cannot happen to me

#here is a need for each and everyone of us to su>scri>e to this theory for the sae of ourown psycholo(ical well7>ein( and to >e a>le to cope with situations outside our control. #his>elief is often no more than an e-cuse for tain( no action. Often you will wonder why thesilly >u((er did what they did sometimes it is >ecause of this >elief.

Punishing wrongdoers

I am not sayin( we should not punish people who do the wron( thin( in safety. I am sayin(that the fact that we do punish wron(doers will often lead to hi(hly ima(inative efforts toavoid punishment and thus mae thin(s harder. #he history of the safety movement recordsnumerous cases of punishin( the wron(doers not >ein( effective. We should seriouslyconsider the full ran(e of options rather than main( hasty decisions to punish thewron(doers.

W.A.S.P. ethic

#his wor ethic had its ori(ins in the (reat reli(ious upheaval now at the %eformation. #heethics emphasis is 8ust reward for effort conversely people who are hurt in accidents arereceivin( their 8ust reward for lac of effort. #he W.*.S.'. may sidetrac our prevention

efforts.

isplacement activities

* displacement activity is somethin( we do somethin( we put a lot of ener(y into >ut whenwe e-amine it closely there is no valid reason for doin( it. #he industrial safety movementrees of poorly considered displacement activities often mareted >y smooth consultants.

Lost Time In!ury "re#uency $ate is a valid and relia%le measure of safetyperformance

I have personal e-perience with a company that a((ressively drove down ".#.I.$.%. to a

fraction of its ori(inal rate in a space of a>out : years yet illed 11 people in one incident.

LI!"

#he "ost #ime In8ury $reuency %ate predominates discussions a>out safety performance.How can a company >e proud of a decrease of ".#.I.$.%. from !2 to 12 if there have >een :fatalities and 1 case of paraple(ia amon(st the lost time in8uries? #he ".#.I.$.%. trivialisesserious personal dama(e and is a totally inappropriate measure of safety performance.F%efer to the paper on this topic under articles on ohschan(e.com.au


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#ersonal Dama$e Occurrence Investi$ation Models

I have >een e-posed to a num>er of investi(ation models7%oot cause analysis #ripod

I.0.*.M. #ap %oot and *.%.#.#. Of the a>ove the author has found *.%.#.#. F*nalysis%eference #ree #run the most useful. #his method was developed >y 6ris>ane OHSconsultant Geoff Mconald.

@ssentially the personal dama(e occurrence is represented >y a tree7trun lyin( on the(round at the end of the tree7trun you have 'erson elements Machine elements and@nvironment elements alon( the len(th of the tree7trun you have ! time Cones and theannular or (rowth rin(s of the tree represent a num>er of @r(onomic elements. Instead oflooin( for +causes, you loo for +essential factors, F *n essential factor is one without whichthe final personal dama(e could not have occurred #here are (ood reasons why the term+cause, is not used. #he idea is to loo for essential factors where the various cate(ories ofthe model a>ove intersect.

#he model is very easy to use and usually at least e found in eachpersonal dama(e occurrence. #he author hears (ood reports on trainin( in this techniueconducted >y Intersafe.

*merican author #ed $erry has written pu>lications that provide practical how to advice onthis topic. %eaders may find the advice on an investi(ation it in *ccident Investi(ation onohschan(e.com.au of >enefit.

%nalysis of &%ccident' e(perience

Many or(anisations analyse their +*ccident, e-perience in the hope of (ainin( insi(ht intohow to prevent their pro>lems. Most or(anisations will not have sufficient serious +*ccident,e-perience to mae statistically si(nificant determinations.

1. ama(e to people at wor has a num>er of adverse outcomes7

$inancial loss to employer worer and community 'ain and sufferin( islocation of lives 'ermanence of death

2. ama(e to people from wor falls naturally into one of three 0lasses.

Class I damagepermanently alters the person3s life and su>divides into

-

fatal- non fatal

Class II damagetemporarily alters the person3s life

Class III damage temporarily inconveniences the person3s life FGeoff

Mconald J *ssociates

Taxonomy

#his is an incredi>ly simple techniue that it is rare to find used. @ssentially a ta-onomy is acollection of lie. #he most well nown ta-onomy is the phylum of plants their >otanicalnames.*while >ac I was associated with a ta-onomy of the more si(nificant personal dama(eoccurrences in the Kld minin( industry which I thou(ht was particularly effective in settin(


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priorities for the industry. It is important to do the ta-onomy on an industry >asis as it isunliely even the >i( companies will have enou(h of the more serious events to >e a>le todevelop statistically si(nificant determinations.

#he Kld minin( industry has a standard personal dama(e occurrence report form that is sentto the inspectorate. #he hard copies of the forms were o>tained and sorted into lie ie thespinal column dama(es caused >y drivin( a haul truc were put to(ether the spinal columndama(e caused >y liftin( (as cylinders were put to(ether the eye in8uries caused >y(rindin( were put to(ether and so on. #he personal dama(e occurrences were thene-amined for their freuency severity and the essential factors F*n essential factor is onewithout which the final dama(e could not have occurred #his process (ives insi(ht intowhere your principal pro>lems are occurrin( and (uides preventative action.

In these days of computerised data systems I still feel it is necessary to (o >ac to theori(inal hard copy or a scanned in copy.

@-amination of personal dama(e occurrences on an industry >asis can provide meanin(ful

insi(ht into your safety pro>lems.

%ccess to earthmovin$ e)uipment

* hi(hly practical safety pro8ect in the early 1//23s was the *ccess to @arthmovin(@uipment pro8ect. Wor reuired included

0arryin( out a literature review

#horou(h statistical analysis of company accident data

evelopin( a chec7list to assess access systems

$ield assessment of access systems

iscussin( access reuirements with maintenance and operational personnel

esi(nin( and installin( prototype access modifications

*ssessin( the adeuacy of the prototype modifications

evelopin( access purchasin( specifications and maintenance (uidelines and

'rovidin( written (uidance on desired characteristics of access systems.

'resentin( to industry forums in Kld. W.*. J .S.W.

#hrou(h the employer association we successfully applied for $ederal Government fundin(to e-tend the ori(inal research wor >y further research >y an er(onomist L mechanicalen(ineer. #horou(h statistical analysis of Kld minin( industry accident data was the startin(point. #his wor provided si(nificant input into the writin( of an *ustralian Standard for

E@arthmovin( @uipment *ccess, and su>seuently much earthmovin( euipment in open7cut *ustralian mines now have hydraulically operated access arran(ements.

#he focus of this wor was the lar(e earthmovin( euipment used in open7cut minin( >ut thelessons are eually applica>le to smaller earthmovin( euipment and the >ac of trucs.#his research developed an industry manufacturin( and developin( earthmovin( euipmentaccess systems. With the passa(e of time this wor is not well nown in the minin( industrynowadays whilst the wor has si(nificant application outside the minin( industry few will >eaware of it.I can supply further information if necessary f(ro>otham(mail.com

Geoff was a drivin( force in this wor.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Critical Incident "ecall

Many or(anisations will tell you they report near misses or critical incidents. My advice isunless you have or(anised processes in place to surface near misses or critical incidentsyou will only hear a>out a fraction of them.

0ritical incident recall is an awesome techniue particularly suited to hi(h ris environments.#he techniue will not wor unless there is a climate of trust created >etween mana(ementand worers. 0ommunications must >e open J honest and mana(ers and supervisors must>e prepared to put up with a lot of criticism and not react defensively. In the interests of(ettin( to the truth there must >e no disciplinary actions. #he senior department mana(ermust >e prepared to put his reputation on the line. #he potential for some to push industrialissues is hi(h with this techniue open J honest communication and a determination toimprove will defuse this.

either mana(ement or worers will >e prepared to commit to the wor reuired in thistechniue unless there is a (eneral realisation that pro>lems e-ist.

What was done

*ll department mem>ers attended a short learnin( session where the 'erson Machine@nvironment concepts were e-plained. If I was to do this a(ain I would include a case studyof a comple- class 1 personal dama(e occurrence to >rin( out the principles. #he processthey would (o throu(h was e-plained.

Some department mem>ers were trained as critical incident participant o>servers ando>served what was happenin( in the worplace some department mem>ers were trained ascritical incident interviewers and interviewed their wormates. It was essential that thosechosen for these tass were trusted >y the worforce. #he identified critical incidents were

communicated to mana(ement.It was planned to let the a>ove process (o for ! months >ut after a short period of time thefreuency and severity of the critical incidents set the alarm >ells rin(in(.

6ased on the identified critical incidents a uestionnaire was developed and all departmentmem>ers were ased to complete it in a series of meetin(s.

%esponses to the uestionnaire were collated and displayed on histo(rams

In what was a very >rave move considerin( the industrial climate the senior departmentmana(er led a series of meetin(s with the worforce where he displayed the histo(rams andased for feed>ac on reasons why the responses were the way they were. #he mana(erwas advised that no matter how severe the criticism he was not to react defensively. In thesecircumstances if a senior person is criticised severely you will usually find someone in thewor (roup will come to his rescue if he is >ein( fair dinum if that does not happen thefacilitator can come to his rescue.

0han(es that occurred included up(radin( of dia(rams J plans purchase of new hi(hvolta(e testin( euipment >etter understandin( of some test euipment trainin( improvedmaintenance improved procedures chan(es to isolation procedures and improved practice.*n environment of open and honest communication also developed.

F%efer to the paper 'ractical *pplication of the 0ritical Incident %ecall #echniue on

ohschan(e.com.au Geoff was a drivin( force in this wor


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Geor$e*s #hilosophy on Life+ Wor, and "elationships

INITIATING CHANGE

When initiating change remember People

spport !hat the" create#

0hallen(in( the status uo is fun and much >etter than puttin( up with fools and mediocrityoccasionally this really (ets you in the poop. o not let this deter you most of the time youwill have a win

Win7Win is >ull dust you have to win and the other >loe has to lose prefera>ly >i( timethis is the only way people will tae you seriously. *ny other approach will >e seen as a si(n

of weaness >y some of your opponents and it will >e used a(ainst you to your detriment

Within the limits of the a>ove >e respectful and carin( of others

"earn the sills of reflective listenin( and appropriate self7disclosure helps with interpersonalrelationships

"oo after your team and the little people >ecause you are stuffed without them

If he L she deserves it it does not hurt to do thin(s to mae your >oss loo (ood

When communicatin( chan(e use the supervisor use face to face communications and

frame messa(es relevant to the wor environment of the person receivin( the messa(e.%oad shows >y senior mana(ement discussin( chan(e are often perceived as a >it of awan >y the worers

Have a well developed >ull7dust detectorWhile it is temptin( to >e a >it of a >ull7dust artist you have to >e very very (ood at it andhave a fantastic memory or you will >e found out eventually and lose all credi>ility mucheasier to simply tell the truth

It is prefera>le that people lie you >ut this will not always happen so do not worry a>out thistoo much >e concerned however if they do not respect you.

o not tae yourself too seriously and en8oy what you do


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ever reveal your true >ottom line in ne(otiations

If you want to understand how an or(anisation functions tal to the worers the more seniorpeople >ecome in or(anisations the more removed from the reality of how the or(anisationoperates they >ecome

0ele>rate success

Bnderstand people will lie to you as for the solid evidence

#ry to >e uncomplicated and succinct in everythin( you do. "imit (eneral correspondence toa ma-imum of : pa(es. "imit the siCe of ma8or reports >usy people do not have the time towrite lon( correspondence and >usy people do not have the time to read it.

*dmit your mistaes and fi- them pu>lically. 6e (raceful when others admit mistaes thiswill (ive a return with time

ot every>ody will >e happy with your decisions that is life

Inte(rity is everythin(

If you have to tell people you are in char(e you are not

etermination7ever (ive7upA

9ou cannot succeed unless you now your (oals you cannot succeed and now you havearrived without (oals. 'lannin( increases your chances of achievin( the (oals. If you do nottae action you will never attain anythin(. irection and purpose are two of the most vitalfactors that you must have in your life if you are (oin( to >e successful.

o not procrastinate

Successful people are usually positive people. #hey thin a>out what they want and areoptimistic they e-pect the >est and they e-pect to win. $aced with pro>lems and o>staclethe positive minded person will loo for solutions and a way forward. #he ne(ative personwill spend so much time whin(ein( they never move forward. We chose in life. #he one thin(that can >rin( success or failure in our lives is our attitude.

* handy thin( to remem>er is that no matter how >lea thin(s loo there will always >esomeone worse off.

See every challen(e and responsi>ility as an opportunity to sell yourself.6e a life7lon( learner in many fields.

+When readin( your correspondence the reader must say +Wow, in the first third of thepa(e,

+When listenin( to your presentation the listener must say +Wow, within the first < minutes,

Get damn (ood at what you do throu(h practice and focus (ive and receive re(ularfeed>ac.

'ush throu(h your difficulties.

Serve others somethin( of value. Whatever you do must >e >ased on a needs analysis.


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Bse personal dama(e occurrences not emotion to (uide your preventative efforts.#a-onomies of your industry personal dama(e occurrences provide >etter (uidance thanenterprise e-perience.

'ersist throu(h failure.

%emem>er your e-ample affects the >ehaviour of others.

ever >e late start J finish on time.

When initiatin( chan(e remem>er +'eople support what they create, Initiatin( chan(e isdifficult at the >est of times if you do not involve those affected >y the chan(e in the chan(eprocess it is unliely to wor.

%emem>er the & ' rule 7 'rior 'lannin( and 'reparation 'revents 'iss7'oor 'erformance.

It is often the relationships you >uild not your technical sills that determine success.

6e sueay clean in whatever you do or you will >e found out as 6ill 0linton .

etwor actively >oth in >usiness and personal life people prefer to deal with people theynow.

Whatever you do as yourself +How will this wor in the middle of the ni(ht when it is pourin(down rain?, Bse +real world, approaches not theory alone.

o not complain.

o not en(a(e with idiots they 8ust dra( you down to their level

o not criticise others compliment instead when you really mean it.

o not mae e-cuses accept 122D responsi>ility for everythin( that happens to you.

Bse humour in your interactions no7one lies a (rouch. "earn how to use humour

Gra> the opportunity to spea pu>lically a>out your passion whenever you can. "earn how tospea well. Influencin( others >ut particularly your peers can >e very satisfyin(. *voidlecture style presentations and >uild activities for your audience into the presentation. %eferto the papers +Adult Learning Principles and Process, and +How to give an unforgettable

presentation+on ohschan(e.com.au for practical tips.

%ead up on written communications oral communications attentive listenin( interpersonalsills Fpro>a>ly the most important of all team7>uildin( personal e-cellence leadershippro8ect mana(ement chan(e mana(ement and time mana(ement and practice improvin(your sills.

%emem>er the num>er one 8o> of a leader is to transmit and em>ed hi(h value standards."earn a>out and apply a continuous improvement philosophy.

'lan ahead and the une-pected will not cause an emer(ency always have a contin(encyapproach.0oach L mentor L (uide L advise the ine-perienced this is the way life7lon( friendships are>uilt. #ry to (et your own mentor.


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Wherever possi>le use on the 8o> learnin( to compliment theory.

6eware of the person who can mae pi( poo loo taste smell J feel lie straw>erry 8am

Strate(ic approaches are important >ut mae sure you spend enou(h time in the field thatyou do not lose contact with the everyday reality of how the >usiness is mana(ed

*lways thin a>out +What is in it for me, from the perspective of others you are tryin( toinfluenceIdentify and separate customer needs from wants

Bse *ction and @-periential learnin( for adults that promotes critical reflection

Get some runs on the >oard uicly

o what (ives you the >i((est >an( for your >uc

Neep promises

Give 122D support to your team all the time help them with mistaes and acnowled(e(ood wor

Minimise the >ureaucracy and >ull7dust

'ro8ect teams with defined delivera>les timelines and milestones can >e a (reat way todrive chan(e

0arefully define the scope of any pro8ect you tae on

0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@ in a way that inspires

$orce7$ield *nalysis is a (reat way to start off any pro8ect

Bse the 'areto 'rinciple to ma-imise the effectiveness of what you do

'assive countermeasures Fthat do not rely on action >y the human >ein( are preferred to*ctive countermeasures

Give somethin( for nothin(

ifferentiate yourself from the others doin( similar thin(s

Nnowled(e of the customer is essential

Say than you to customers

Show the customer how the product will >enefit them

Neep in contact with old customers much easier to sell to than (ettin( new customers

*lways treat the customer lie a Nin( or Kueen7If you do not your competitors will

'eople >uy >enefits >ut want to now features


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Word of mouth from satisfied customers is the >est advertisin( if they are happy they maytell one person if they are not they will tell :2

Maret on value not price savin( the customer time will always >e valued

9our family and your health should always tae precedence.

Have a pet and (o for wals L campin( in the >ush and on the >each.

Give up the smoes and the fast food and drin the (ro( sparin(ly.

It does no harm to do somethin( silly every now and a(ain rela- and (enerally chill out.

Get away from the television and read.

"aurie "awrence says +@-cellence is no accident,

General orman SchwarCopfsays +$ailures in leadership are invaria>ly failures incharacter not competence,

* mate of mine says +#he trou>le with >usiness is some professionals en(a(e in acts ofpu>lic mastur>ation,

#o sum up7$*I"B%@ IS O# * O'#IO


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-ac,$round to OHS

#he 12 most important thin(s in a ro>ust safety mana(ement system

1. Have well developed internal standards of OHS e-cellence.:. efine what e-cellence in implementation of the standards will loo lie.ove.4. Have thorou(h audits of implementation of the standards led >y senior mana(ers.5. 0omply with statute law as a minimum.!. @nsure you have hi(hly effective OHS personnel often difficult to achieve.&. @nsure hi(hly effective safety leadership is driven from the top of the or(anisation.). Neep safety communications succinct and tar(eted at the needs of the receiver

0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@./. Involve the relevant staeholders in the development of an OHS plan truly applica>le

to your needs.12. Bse industry accident e-perience not 8ust your enterprise accident e-perience to

(uide action. Have a focus on 0lass 1 personal dama(e.

-ehaviour.-ased Safety

Many will have you >elieve around /2D or more of accidents are caused >y human>ehavior. I have written elsewhere uestionin( this assertion even if it were true it isunhelpful.

My view is that there are a num>er of proponents of 6.6.S. who mae outlandish claims

a>out the success of the techniue without ri(orous research studies to >ac up theirassertions. Some of the ar(uments for the techniue (et emotive.

I was associated with 4 6.6.S. implementations that ended up >ein( fiCCers. With the firstone the process failed >ecause one of the thin(s the worers were ased to do was o>serveand report on their mates >ehaviors. *ustralians do not +do>, in their mates and the process8ust did not wor.

#he other < implementations were done in the same department at < different sites in theone company and for ! months or so wored very well and a lot was achieved. *t all < sitesafter ! months or so the process was a>andoned >ecause >oth worers and mana(ementthou(ht it was too much lie hard wor and there was not sufficient return for the effort.

My view is that you have to have (ood safety systems and en(ineerin( controls in place>efore you consider introducin( 6.6.S. #here are some safety professionals whose opinion Irespect hi(hly who tell me they have had (ood success with upont 6.6.S. systems.

I would welcome feed>ac from people who have had success with 66S

"ole of the safety professional

It is interestin( to read 8o> advertisements and see what employers e-pect of OHS

personnel. Statements are often made that the OHS person is to >e responsi>le forimplementin( and mana(in( OHS. Of course this flies in the face of mana(ement o>li(ationsat >oth common and statute law.


17/56

Short si(hted companies thin they employ safety people and these people will loo aftersafety. #he more pro(ressive companies often do not have many dedicated OHS personnelmana(ement and supervisors are so well trained and effective in safety that few dedicatedsafety personnel are reuired. Safety personnel should report to the senior officer so thefunction has some chance of >ein( perceived as >ein( of importance. #he dan(er when youhave too many safety people is that line mana(ement (ets the safety people to mana(esafety not themselves. Safety is a line mana(ement function and safety personnel should >eseen as specialist adviser.

In their eenness many ine-perienced safety personnel (et over involved in doin( safety andtae the responsi>ility away from supervision and mana(ement. 6y all means assist them todo their safety 8o> >ut do not do it for them.

I recall visitin( one or(aniCation that won a presti(ious industry safety award. #hey had nosafety staff no health J safety representatives and no safety committee. When uestionedthe Mana(in( irector said all employees are our safety officers all employees are ourhealth and safety representatives and all employees are on the safety committee. #hey

invested considera>ly in trainin( all employees in safety a similar approach was taen inother functions.

#he or(aniCation was the >enchmar for the industry in many mana(ement aspectsinterestin(ly they went >roe after a>out 5 years operation.I find it difficult to thin an OHS person can >e effective if he is not a >it of a stirrer anduestioner of the status uo. *lways research issues thorou(hly so you are sure of yourfacts and >e prepared to stand your (round. #here will >e times when unreasona>ledemands are made for you to compromise your safety principles.

Safety incentives

$or the :2 years I was in the minin( industry we had a variety of safety incentives. #herewere stu>>y coolers >elt >ucles caps 8acets sports >a(s and so on. *wards were (ivenfor various periods without a lost time accident often a more valua>le priCe was (iven for(reater periods without a lost time accident.

*t one 8o> I (ave out sticers for 1:ecause they had had an accident and supplyin(e-tra sticers for peoples collections it suced up a lot of time

One of the thin(s we found was OHS people usin( the va(aries of the lost time accidentclassification system to not count compensa>le in8uries as lost time. We also found theemployees came to e-pect the award as 8ust another per of employment that had norelationship to safety. #here were occasions when employees were in8ured due tomana(ement failures and they ar(ued they should still (et the award.

Inter7mine safety competitions saw amaCin(ly innovative ways of not countin( accidents and(enerally fud(in( the fi(ures.

#hese thin(s are also uite painful to administer. #he uestion was also raised a>out whypeople should need L deserve an award for worin( safely. #he costs were su>stantial andsome people ar(ued the money could >e >etter spent stoppin( personal dama(eoccurrences. *t the end of the day I >elieve safety incentives are a distraction and have noplace in a safety pro(ram. #here is plenty of literature to support this view.


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Lost ime In/ury !re)uency "ate

#he "ost #ime In8ury $reuency %ate is the principal measure of safety performance inmany companies in *ustralia. #he definition of ".#.I.$.%. is the num>er of "ost #ime In8uriesmultiplied >y 1 million divided >y the num>er of man hours wored in the reportin( period

* "ost #ime In8ury is a wor in8ury or disease where the in8ured party has at least 1 completeday or shift off wor. ote that a fatality and a cut where a person has 1 complete day offwor count the same in "ost #ime In8ury terms.

#he followin( are my reasons why the ".#.I.$.%. impedes pro(ress in safety.

Some safety people cheat lie hell with their ".#.I.$.%. statistics encoura(ed >y mana(erswith an eye to eep their ey performance indicators looin( (ood. #he more the pressure toeep N.'.I.3s looin( (ood the more creative the accountin(.

Safety people spend inordinate periods of time o>tainin( rulin(s on what to count and how tocount it from >odies such as the *ustralian Standards *ssociation. Often answers o>tainedare imprecise and the decisions are left to personal opinion

Most measures in mana(ement are of achievements rather than failures such as the num>erof "ost #ime *ccidents. #here is a (round swell in the safety movement talin( a>out'ositive 'erformance Measures in safety It is relatively simple to develop measures of whatyou are doin( ri(ht in safety as opposed to usin( outcome measures such as ".#.I.$.%.

I have personal e-perience with a company that a((ressively drove down ".#.I.$.%. to afraction of its ori(inal rate in a space of a>out : years yet illed 11 people in one incident.

#he "ost #ime In8ury $reuency %ate predominates discussions a>out safety performance.How can a company >e proud of a decrease of ".#.I.$.%. from !2 to 12 if there have >een :fatalities and 1 case of paraple(ia amon(st the lost time in8uries? #he ".#.I.$.%. trivialisesserious personal dama(e and is a totally inappropriate measure of safety performance.

*ll or(anisations have limited resources to devote to safety it seems more efficient toprevent one incident resultin( in paraple(ia than to prevent :2 incidents where people havea couple of days off wor Fsome will say this comment is heresy

Somewhere in the push to reduce ".#.I3s reduce the ".#.I.$.%. and conseuently achieve(ood ratin(s in safety pro(ramme audits the focus on serious personal dama(e tends to >e

lost.

%educin( the ".#.I.$.%. is as much a>out introducin( reha>ilitation pro(rammes and main(the place an en8oya>le place to wor as it is a>out reduction of personal dama(e.

$or further information refer to the ".#.I.$.%. paper on ohschan(e.com

%lternatives to the hierarchy of controls

#he traditional wisdom when developin( haCard controls is to use the Hierarchy of 0ontrols.#he author3s e-perience is that a >etter result will >e achieved >y usin( either Haddon3s 120ountermeasures or the *.0.I.%.". / 6o- Model. #he main advanta(e of these approachesis that it e-pands your options for control


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Hazard Control Model

arious haCard control strate(ies and models have >een developed >y safety professionalsover the years. One of the most effective >ut still easiest to apply is that devised >y*merican researcher 6ill Haddon

Haddon3s model for haCard control is as follows

0ountermeasure1

'revent the marshallin( of the form of ener(y in the first place.

e(. %ippin( seams 7 instead of >lastin( su>stitution of radiation >in levelsources with ultra7sonic level detectors usin( water >ased cleaners ratherthan flamma>le solvents.

0ountermeasure:

%educe the amount of ener(y marshalled.

e(. %adiation P (au(e source stren(th e-plosive store licencereuirements control num>er of (as cylinders in an area

0ountermeasuree more relia>le in the lon( term. * short term solution to

an immediate pro>lem may reuire the adoption of an Qactive3 countermeasure e(. tool>o-

sessions on replacin( (uards over a mechanical haCard the lon( term or Qpassive3

countermeasure mi(ht >e the fittin( of interlocs to the (uard so that power is off when the

(uard is off.

Further reading

Haddon W QOn the escape of tigers an ecologic note strategy options in reducing losses inenergy damaged people and property3 #echnolo(y %eview Massachusetts Institute of#echnolo(y &:& 4475o-es. @-perience in industry su((ests many or(aniCations have many 'reventioncontrols and many 0ontin(ency controls Fnice trucs with flashin( red li(hts first7aid itstrained first7aiders etc >ut that they are poor at Monitorin( the effectiveness of thesecontrols

'revention Monitorin( 0ontin(ency

@pt L @n(ineerin(

'rocedures

SillsL0ompetencies

0oun$ wor,er safety

Worin( with youn( people >rin(s uniue safety challen(es to the OHS professionalsupervisors and mana(ers. Worers 157:4 have a &5D (reater chance of >ein( illed on the8o> often their accidents happen in the first : wees of employment. Wor in constructionusin( motor vehicles and movin( machinery is particularly haCardous to youn( people.

#hey are still developin( physically and mentally lac e-perience and are unfamiliar with thedemands of wor. #hey usually will not spea up and uestion what they are ased to do.#hey are (enerally unsure of their OHS ri(hts and responsi>ilities. 9oun( worers can find itdifficult to fully (rasp riss so they may mae impulsive decisions. $or some youn( people

(ivin( them somethin( physical and L or with their hands to do is a >etter option thanactivities that reuire a lot of thou(ht or are otherwise theoretical.


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*lthou(h the >rain reaches its full adult wei(ht >y the a(e of :1 it continues to develop forseveral years. In fact a study done >y the ational Institutes of Health found that the re(ionof >rain that inhi>its risy >ehavior does not fully form until a(e :5. #his is the final sta(e of>rain development.

#he sleep hormone melatonin is produced later at ni(ht in youn( people main( it harder towind down at ni(ht and results in a stru((le to wae up in the mornin(.

*dolescent >ehaviour can >e associated with ris tain( and reclessness. Some youn(worers will want to impress and this can lead to risy >ehaviour. 9oun( males are moreprone to mae a((ressive responses to a ran(e of situations. Many youn( people areunsure of themselves and will not reveal their inner selves in (roup situations worin( oneon one with them can >e productive however .#hey will often not reveal their uncertaintya>out instructions they have >een (iven. Some youn(er worers are more prone to fati(uethan older worers. *lcohol and L or dru(s can >e a factor.

*n important messa(e is to advise them to as their supervisor if they are unsure of anyaspect of the wor they are ased to do. If they thin the wor is haCardous refer to thesupervisor and refuse to do it if there is no satisfactory conclusion. #hey need to now theyshould not (et in trou>le for not doin( haCardous wor.

Get them to write down instructions or use a documented safe worin( procedure.

6e very specific in your instructions to youn( people.

Induction trainin( and (eneral trainin( needs special emphasis for youn( people they willnot understand common worplace terms and euipment detailed checs for understandin(are necessary.

Supervision of youn( people also reuires special emphasis. One must allocate appropriatetass in line with their e-perience.

'erformance feed>ac and usin( positive adult role models is particularly important

*llocatin( a coach or mentor to wor with them can >e productive.

ource!afewor" #ictoria$ %or"cover &..%.

In my research to write the a>ove I found it difficult to o>tain (ood source material I wouldappreciate it if others could advise relevant references.

1ero harm

Many companies in *ustralia will proudly tell you they have a ;ero Harm approach to OHS.My understandin( from admittedly not widespread research is that ;ero Harm approachesare not widespread in other countries. I am told the 0anadians tried it and a>andoned it.

* small num>er of companies in *ustralia have >een doin( ;ero Harm for many years >ut itappears to have >een discovered >y a lar(er num>er of or(anisations in more recent years.In recent times I have >een receivin( communications from a senior operational mana(er ina prominent Kld or(anisation ar(uin( stron(ly that ;ero Harm is doin( more harm than(ood. #here have >een papers at some ma8or OHS conferences in recent times uestionin(the value of ;ero Harm. #here was e-tended discussion on the topic on the Safety Institute


22/56

of *ustralia OHS discussion forum some months a(o. I found the paper on this topic on theIntersafe we>7site uite informative.

#he most commonly reported pro>lems with ;ero Harm that I hear reported are7

1. It leads to coverin( up and under reportin( of personal dama(e.:. Inordinate amounts of time effort and resources are spent on very minor issues thus

main( a mocery of the safety mana(ement system

;ero harm is warm fuCCy stuff with an emotional appeal the trou>le with emotional appeal isit sometimes prevents lo(ical analysis.

Some people say Cero harm is a fallacy and the (oals are impossi>le or unachieva>le andthere is far too much focus on minor in8uries to the detriment of the serious side of town.

I thin my ma8or o>8ection to Cero harm is it does not tar(et attention effort and limitedresources on the serious in8uries where you (et the >i((est >an( for your >uc. Of course

you are also iddin( yourself if you thin you can actually achieve Cero harm. Goals must >erealistic and not only admira>le.

*ustralian safety researcher Geoff Mconald has a system of classifyin( personal dama(eoccurrences F+*ccidents + that (oes somethin( lie this7

0lass 17'ermanently alters the future of the individual0lass :7#emporarily alters the future of the individual0lass < PInconveniences the individual

Geoff has investi(ated many thousand 0lass 1 dama(e occurrences in his career andmaintains the most effective way to mae meanin(ful pro(ress in safety is >y focusin( on the

class 1 phenomena.

* study into *ustralia3s personal dama(e e-perience >y the 'roductivity 0ouncil said 1t there are commercial safety mana(ements systems that add value toor(anisation3s safety effort >ut I e-perienced one that was a disaster.

#he introduction of the overseas S.M.S. was led a((ressively >y senior mana(ement despitea worshop of safety staff re8ectin( the concept. #he first step was a consultant conductin( aseries of >riefin(s for mana(ement supervisors and worers. #he consultant started talin(a>out the thousands of people illed in industry in his country and a union rep ased himwhat made him thin he could teach us anythin( a>out safety when fatalities in *ustralianindustry were much less.It went downhill from there. *t smoo the 4 senior mana(ers came to me to as that theconsultant wrap the show up uicly >ecause he was doin( more harm than (ood. I wrote areport on the trainin( session which was not warmly received >y those leadin( the char(e.#he mana(er leadin( the char(e (ot a si(nificant touch up a>out the trainin( at the ne-tsenior mana(ers meetin(.


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#he safety staff reuested detail a>out the system >ut it only >ecame apparent when theauditors came to *ustralia and showed us their auditor3s >oos. #he detail was ept close tothe chest prior to that and when it was revealed I did not thin it was anythin( earthshatterin(. #here were a few thin(s that were pro>a>ly pretty silly in an *ustralian conte-t.One of my 8o>s was to accompany the auditors on their audits a tas I did not relish. #heauditor3s >oo was their >i>le with little interest in other thin(s. #he auditors were definitelyno stars and would have not lasted lon( worin( for me.

Somewhere alon( the way we had a : wee auditor3s course that was woeful. @arly in thepiece a meetin( of participants was called to (ive the presenter (uidance on how to do it>etter. I was in the middle of my 6achelor of @ducation F*dult J Worplace @ducation and itwas o>vious the presenter was main( a num>er of fundamental mistaes.

#he system had a num>er of trainin( courses we were reuired to do as part of the auditprocess >ut there was si(nificant concern a>out the standard so we flew the trainin(mana(er over from overseas so we could discuss a process for *ustralianisin( their

courses. #his was done with considera>le cost and effort.

#he system ran a few years in the company >ut died a natural death.

@ven if the system had >een technically (ood it was socially and culturally difficult for*ustralia. #he psycholo(ical process of (roup thin was evident in the consultants and thoseleadin( the char(e in the company. Many commented on the arro(ance of the auditors. #hedifficulty of usin( a standardised approach without identifyin( the uniue needs ofor(anisations was emphasised.

Since my association with this system I have had dealin(s with a num>er of *ustraliancommercial S.M.S *ll suffer from the deficiency of lacin( a focus on the 0lass 1 personal

dama(e occurrence phenomenon.

#he followin( are my o>servations on the a>ove systems7

#hey usually loc you into havin( audits with their auditors at considera>le cost

Some loc you into specified trainin( with their trainers at considera>le cost

*ll adopt a standardised approach where it is difficult to accommodate the uniueidentified needs of or(anisations

"a( indicators of safety performance rather than lead indicators tend to >e used.

My e-perience is that some have had poor uality auditors

Generally costs are hi(h

Ma/or mista,es I have seen made in implementin$ OHS

#he >i((est mistae is mana(ement and supervision main( decisions a>out safety withoutinput from the worforce. 6ear in mind some are not interested in contri>utin( (ive them theopportunity >ut do not force them.

"ac of mana(ement demonstrated commitment leadership and drive from the top of theor(anisation.

#oo much concentration on la( indicators such as the "ost #ime In8ury $reuency %ate at

the e-pense of leadin( indicators.


24/56

#hinin( minor personal dama(e is a (ood predictor of life7alterin( personal dama(e.

ot usin( the continuous improvement philosophy and other facets of Kuality Mana(ementin your safety approach.

"ac of succinct paperwor. #here is not much point in havin( detailed paperwor that is toomuch lie hard wor to read. 6ear in mind however your paper wor needs to >e detailedenou(h to >e defensi>le in court.

Bsin( theory instead of real world approaches7Whatever you do reality test it with theworforce first.

I(norin( +When implementin( chan(e7%emem>er people support what they create,

ot usin( face to face communications whenever possi>le.

0ommunicatin( chan(e with the worforce use the supervisor not senior mana(ement use

face to face communications and frame communications relevant to the immediate worarea and processes.

ot trainin( formal and informal leaders in Safety "eadership.

Bsin( enterprise +accident, e-perience to (uide action rather than industry ta-onomies ofpermanently life7alterin( personal dama(e.

'uttin( too much emphasis on the ris ratin(s from ris assessments the reality is that a lotof ris assessment is very su>8ective.

Spendin( too much time in the office instead of the field where the action is happenin(.

'or further guidance refer to the free e!boo" on ohschange.com.au

he tou$hest safety assi$nment I have had

Geor(e (ets a call from a mana(ement consultant can I commit a >it of time to review acompany3s Safety Mana(ement System? Said yes and was told : of the company directorswant to meet me >efore (oin( ahead. I thin they must tae safety seriously if the directorswant to meet me >i( mistaeA

*m there a wee or so and they present me with 5 'rohi>ition otices and a>out out :2 of theImprovement notices are a>out confined space wor they >uild >i( steel tans.

I discovered the mana(ement style of the or(anisation was very autocratic. #he worerswere e-pected to follow the orders of mana(ement without uestion or discussion. #heor(anisation had massive turnover what happens when you treat your people lie crap.

I loo at the relevant le(islation and relevant *ustralian Standard wor with the health Jsafety representative tal to the >loes o>serve practice and do an audit. #hey haveconfined space worin( procedures that cover possi>ly 52D of the reuirements >ut eventhese are not >ein( followed. In talin( to the >loes who do the wor I hear stories of >loes>ein( overcome >y fume and havin( to >e dra((ed out of the confined space.


25/56

My audit report detailed the many areas where practice was not meetin( le(islative and*ustralian Standard reuirements. In my innocence I thou(ht my audit would (alvanisemana(ement into action. When I realised my audit had little impact I convinced the directorin char(e of the worshop to (et an outside consultant to do an audit. #hey did a verythorou(h 8o> and as e-pected slammed the or(anisation. #here was (rud(in( acceptancefrom mana(ement that there was possi>ly a need for minor wor. #he reality was that ama8or overhaul was reuired.

I came under a fair >it of pressure from mana(ement to pull my head in and >ac off on thematter.Meantime the Mana(in( irector comes >ac from overseas and is a(hast that I have spenta few (rand on an e-ternal audit. I suspect he is (ettin( a filtered version of events from thedirectors who do not wish to admit what a mess thin(s are in.

We have a safety committee meetin( where I report on the consultant3s audit. #he Mana(in(irector fou(ht me every inch of the way and tried to (et me to >ac down. He (ot uitean(ry >ecause he was not used to people sticin( to their (uns when he opposed them. I

advised the M.. to tal to his solicitors and he would find out I was ri(ht. *fter the meetin(one of the safety officers said he had never seen anyone stand up to the Mana(in( irectorthe way I did.

eadly silence for a couple of wees and then the M.. >ounces into my office all een tomae the chan(es we all reconed he had >een to see his solicitors. One of the directorssaid it was the >i((est turnaround he had ever seen in the M..

I (ot the approval to mae the reuired chan(es >ut it was lie pullin( teeth >ecause ofmana(ement reluctance. I finally (ot somethin( reasona>ly accepta>le >ut hell it was hardwor. I was later told I was a >it of a hero to the worers as they had >een tryin( to (et thechan(es made for a couple of years.

6etween a num>er of Improvement otices a review of le(islation a review of the relevant*ustralian Standard my audit and an e-ternal audit I have never >een on firmer (rounds tomae safety recommendations. I was lied to treated lie an idiot and pressure was appliedto mae me >ac down. It would have >een very easy to wal away >ut that would continueto put the worers at ris.

$or the first time in many years as an OHS professional I found it necessary to spea to there(ulator a>out my e-periences. I am aware the company has >een the su>8ect of :@nforcea>le Bndertain(s since I left

How to have an effective safety committee

Introdu!tion

Safety committees are much mali(ned and often ineffective. #hey can easily deni(rate to awhin(e7fest and end up coverin( topics that should >e dealt with on a routine every day>asis. #here is a tendency to save issues up to a committee meetin( rather than actionstrai(htaway. #here is also a tendency to deal with minor issues.

1. Have a well developed charter for the committee searchin( educational institutionand (overnment department we> sites will find some (ood e-amples.

:. #rain mem>ers in their roles and responsi>ilities.stantive issues (ive the committee a meaty 8o> to do.4. 0arryin( out a force field analysis F%efer ohschan(e.com.au with the committee can

>e very valua>le.


26/56

5. * (ood way to use the committee is to have them do the le( wor to recommendma8or chan(e to senior mana(ement.

!. 'roduce succinct minutes.&. @nsure people are (iven the necessary time to attend meetin(s and carry out

necessary tass this is a common failure with committees.). #he OHS professional often ends up >ein( the chairperson much >etter to have

someone with mana(ement horsepower so decisions can >e made on the spot./. *n occasional (uest speaer will liven the show up.12. Su>stantive discussion and decisions must >e feed>ac to the worforce.11. o not tae yourself too seriously.1:. 0ele>rate success.1ers to do their homewor14. 6e conscious of Group7#hin F"oo the term up on Goo(le if you are not familiar with

it15. 0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@ 0OMMBI0*#@

%emem>er that mana(ement must respond positively to well researched recommendations

from the committee

Common law

0ommon law is not applica>le in all states in *ustralia >ut in states where it is educatin(supervisors and mana(ers in it can >rin( additional >enefit to your safety mana(ementsystem.

The Com"lian!e with Common Law #in states where a""li!a$le%

#here are four >asic duties under common law

1. #o provide and maintain competent staff.:. #o provide and maintain a safe place of wor.ove duties contain few words >ut the meanin( is uite si(nificant. #he employer reallyhas to do everythin( reasona>ly and practically that he can do. Many would su((est he thenhas to (o a few e-tra steps. Mana(ers and supervisors really need to >e trained in commonlaw duties to fully realise the impact of this important area on how they mana(e safety.

* way I found successful to train supervisors and mana(ers was for me to tal a>outcommon law from the safety perspective for a>out out the same period of time F9ou have to >ecareful the solicitor does not (et too technical We then had a moc court with half theparticipants presentin( the case for a seriously in8ured employee and half the participantsdefendin( the employer. #he solicitor was the 8ud(e and the employer usually loses F%efer tothe paper 0ommon "aw "ia>ility on ohschan(e.com.au


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Safety -enchmar,in$

Over a 14 month period in 1//4 75 6H' Minerals carried out an e-tensive international

safety >enchmarin( e-ercise with +>est in safety class, companies throu(hout the worldwhich cost many millions.

:5 locations throu(hout the world participated in the study. *n appro-imate 122 pa(e reporton findin(s has >een pu>lished.

#he followin( were recurrin( themes in the world3s >est safety performers.

1. @-ecutive mana(ement provides the impetus for safety performance. #his means

that senior mana(ement is not only committed to and supports safety >ut that it

insists on safety performance in a manner that is clearly understood and echoed at

all levels.

:. Mana(ement focus is a ey to uality safety performance.

R1 J : a>ove were seen as ey factors

8ectives are set and or(anisations wor towards set tar(ets for implementation of

the o>8ectives.

5. Safety personnel report in at the hi(hest level in the or(anisations. #hey have mainly

an advisory function. Mana(ement and supervision drives the safety pro(ram not the

safety personnel.

!. @ffective safety trainin( tar(eted to identified needs at all levels. Induction trainin(

and detailed safety trainin( for supervisors and mana(ers was hi(h on the priority

list. %e(ular safety meetin(s were seen as important.

&. *ctive personal involvement of senior mana(ement personnel in the safety pro(ram.

). Safety is considered in performance evaluations of all staff.

/. %e(ular detailed audits of the safety mana(ement system.

12. $ormal approaches to haCard identification and ris analysis employees were fully

involved in this.

11. $ormal emer(ency response procedures that were practiced and audited.

1:. #he >est in class addressed contractor safety >efore contractors were allowed on

site they pre7ualified them >ased on safety and made safety performance a

contract condition. 0ontractors were e-pected to perform at the same safety level as

permanent employees.


28/56

1est in class >uilt safety awareness were

mana(ement participation and leadership dissemination of information safety

meetin(s and rewards or reco(nition of performance.

14. Safety is a condition of employment and dismissals occur for non7performance.

15. Well7mana(ed reha>ilitation pro(rams are in place.

1!. #he >est in class use medical e-aminations and testin( to ensure fitness for duty.

1&. #here were @.*.'.s in place.

1). #here were off the 8o> safety pro(rams.

1/. #here was an emphasis on vehicle L plant maintenance and driver L operator trainin(

pro(rams.

:2. #here were e-tensive ''@ trainin( maintenance and audit pro(rams.

:1. "oc7out procedures were used instead of ta(7out.

::. 6est in class mana(ers and supervisors respond positively to safety issues that are

raised.

:le for safety auditin( investi(atin( personal

dama(e occurrences Faccidents planned 8o> o>servations and trainin(.

:4. *ll levels in the or(anisation mae decisions that reflect the philosophy +Safety first7

'roduction will follow,.

It is su((ested Safety Mana(ement Systems >e >uilt around the a>ove >enchmarin(findin(s.


29/56

OHS tools for mana$in$ safety

2o3 Safety %nalysis

=o> Safety *nalysis F=.S.*. is a simple yet hi(hly effective techniue that is under7utilised inindustry.=.S.*. should >e used with!riti!al tass7

Hi(h ris tass

#ass with an incident history

ew tass

=.S.*. is >ased on the principle that any 8o> or tas can >e separated into a set of relativelysimple steps and that the haCards associated with each step can >e identified. Solutions to

control haCards at each step can then >e developed and written into safe worin(procedures.

#he advanta(es of =.S.*. are

1. S.W.'.3s can >e developed for sills trainin( and use on the 8o>:. evelopin( =.S.*.3s helps to raise the safety awareness of worersservations of safe >ehaviour4. Involves worers in the safety pro(ramme in a relevant meanin(ful manner

&.'.A. Te!hni(ue)'ummary

1. Select the 8o> or tas to >e analysed:. Separate the 8o> into its >asic stepslish controls for each haCard or other potential loss area!. 'repare a Safe Wor 'rocedure

$or further information see the =o> Safety *nalysis paper >y this author under OHS articleson ohschan(e.com.au

Geor$e*s down to earth advice to safety representatives and safety committee mem3ers

I have >een worin( in OHS for nearly 4 decades and in that time have >een stuffed around>y OHS professionals employers employees unions (overnment employer associationsand educators. I have developed a fair >it of cynicism a>out how fair dinum the variousparties are a>out safety.

*t the ris of >ein( crucified castrated and thrown out of the safety clu> I have to say I havea philosophical o>8ection to the need for safety representatives and safety committees. I>elieve if or(anisations have their involvement and communications mechanisms worin(properly there is no real need for these safety mechanisms. Of course I realise this idealsituation rarely e-ists.


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$rom my study in mana(ement of or(anisational chan(e I have adopted the motto +Wheninitiatin( chan(e7%emem>er7'eople support what they create, Widespread communicationinvolvement and participation is essential for effective health safety J environment chan(e.I have to tell you a num>er of the so7called OHS professionals I have wored with would nothave the competency to mae the lamin(tons for the school fete.

#he idea that safety is the num>er one priority of a company is crap and anyone who tellsyou this is playin( with himself main( money is the prime reason companies e-ist.

@nterin( on the OHS >attlefield is not for the faint7hearted and is not easy. 9ou have topresent well thou(ht out and researched ar(uments and accept you will often (et anunreasona>le response.Some of the people you end up dealin( with are >loody7minded with little interest in theworers welfare.

@lsewhere I have (iven some thou(hts on how to have an effective safety committee so forthe rest of this I will concentrate on the role of the safety representative.

Mae sure you are trained in your role and responsi>ilities.

Have a weely inspection of your area of responsi>ility.

$amiliarise yourself with company safety policies and procedures.

#ry to eep the OHS professional on side If they are any (ood they should >e asource of assistance.

It is easy in safety matters to tae an emotional approach often a well researchedar(ument with financial 8ustification is reuired.

ependin( on the industrial climate in your or(anisation will determine how useful(ettin( unions involved in safety disputes is.

If you have a solid ar(ument stic to your (uns and show no si(ns of weaness.

o not >e afraid to tell your fellow worers when they are fallin( down on safety >ythe same toen communicate your e-pectations to mana(ement.

If your first attempt to introduce chan(e fails analyse the situation and wor smarterne-t time

"is, assessment tips

#he ris mana(ement process consists of haCard identification ris assessment and haCardcontrol. Some people tend to (et fi-ated on the ris assessment part and do not placeenou(h emphasis on haCard control. 'ersonally I find Haddon3s 12 countermeasures moreuseful than the hierarchy of controls when developin( controls

%is assessment is the cornerstone of many or(anisations approach to OHS. #he reality isthat it can >e a very su>8ective process and an over7concentration on ris scores canmislead >adly.

#he traditional wisdom for simple ris assessments is to use a matri- consistin( of'ro>a>ility and 0onseuence or 'ro>a>ility 0onseuence and @-posure. I prefer the lattermethod developed >y $ine.

#he followin( tips are (iven to improve the efficiency of the ris assessment process7

%eplicate the situation you are assessin( as accurately as possi>le

Bse a team approach a>out 5 people seems a wora>le num>er

@nsure team mem>ers are hi(hly e-perienced in the riss >ein( assessed.


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%eality chec the ris assessment with the worforce

@nsure team mem>ers are trained in ris assessment

Have developed ris assessments reviewed >y an appropriately ualified ande-perienced o>8ective third party

%ccident investi$ation summary

#he term accident is an emotionally laden term that implies >lame. I prefer to use the termpersonal dama(e occurrence.

'ummary o* the "ersonal damage o!!urren!e in+estigation "ro!ess

'rovide first7aid and medical care to in8ured persons and mae the site safe

@nsure @mer(ency %esponse 'lans are activated

%eport the event as reuired >y local re(ulations and site procedures.

Secure the site until the or(anisation3s and re(ulator3s investi(ation is complete.

otify ne-t of in

Investi(ate and report essential factors.

Have relevant persons si(n a written statement

Bse open uestions.

#ae heaps of photos from many an(les

It may >e appropriate to develop a setch or dia(ram

#ae samples ta( J preserve them

o not move evidence

Identify the people involved and isolate and separate them. Interviews at >oth thescene and a uiet place will pro>a>ly >e reuired. It is essential to put those >ein(interviewed at ease

It may >e necessary to recreate the incident with due re(ard to safety

%eport the findin(s

evelop a plan for short7 and lon(7term corrective action

isseminate ey learnin(s to staeholders

Implement the corrective action plan

O>tain si(n7off >y mana(ement

@valuate the effectiveness of the corrective action

Mae chan(es for continuous improvement

otify other sections of the or(anisation and your industry a>out the circumstances ofthe incident.

%uditin$ OHS systems

#here is some confusion in practice >etween the terms inspection and audit I distin(uish>etween the two >y sayin( you inspect thin(s and you audit systems.

Or(anisations that are successful at Occupational Health and Safety have re(ularcomprehensive internal and e-ternal audits where OHS standards are introduced. Whate-cellence in implementation of the standards would loo lie should >e defined and peopletrained in this. * detailed set of audit uestions >ased on the fore7(oin( should >edeveloped as well as a detailed set of auditin( (uidelines. #he roles of auditors should also>e defined. Sites to >e audited should >e >riefed on the auditin( (uidelines and auditors onthe audit uestions and auditin( (uidelines. * series of annual @-ecutive Safety *uditsshould >e introduced at the various sites with an audit team led >y a senior mana(er to (ive


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the process si(nificant mana(ement horsepower. * uality assurance approach where 0%Fon7compliance reports are issued should >e used and formal processes introduced tofollow7up on audit recommendations.

Whatever paperwor you produce >e succinct. *uditin( documentation tends to (etunwieldy and difficult to use in practice.

* method of ratin( findin(s must >e used.

eed an openin( meetin( with staeholders includin( senior mana(ement. #he auditin(process must >e e-plained.

eed a closin( meetin( with staeholders includin( senior mana(ement to discuss findin(sand allow re>uttal. Some or(anisations lie to have all supervisors and health J safetyrepresentatives at this meetin(.

eed a written report with a concise mana(ement summary.

* physical inspection of the worplace will identify safety system deficiencies.

eed to e-amine the safety +paper trail,.

It is essential that the (uidelines to implement whatever standard you are auditin( a(ainstare well pu>licised and a(reed to >eforehand as well as the auditin( process a(reed to.

6e prepared for people to lie to you. 6e prepared for people to (enuinely thin an issue wasaddressed when it was not. *s for solid evidence to >ac up people3s assertions.


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4on OHS tools for mana$in$ safety

Safety communications

#here is not much point havin( an e-cellent safety messa(e if you cannot (et it across to thestaeholders. 0ommunications failure is a ma8or impediment to success in safety. #he worldof safety is famous for well7meanin( ponderous (lossy pu>lications that no one reallynows a>out cares a>out or uses. Safety communications are also famous for the use of+weasel7words,. +Weasel7words, promise a lot >ut deliver little.

+When readin( your correspondence the reader must say +Wow, in the first third of the pa(e,

+When listenin( to your presentation the listener must say +Wow, within the first < minutes,

#he followin( tips are (iven to enhance communications7

1. Bse face7to7face communications whenever possi>le:. Bse the supervisor to communicate whenever possi>lescure corporate

(oal4. *void mana(ement road shows to communicate ma8or chan(e a lot of the worers

will see it as propa(anda and a >it of a wan5. *im to >e succinct in >oth written and ver>al communication there is no need to

wade throu(h a whole pile of superficial detail to (et to the essential messa(e. $orroutine correspondence aim for 1 pa(e : pa(es ma-imum

!. Stic to the must nows&. Bse photo(raphs dia(rams flow7charts etc. to illustrate main points.

). Important written communications must always >e followed up >y a face7to7facemeetin(

/. o not >e surprised if your e7mail messa(es are mis7interpreted12. Bse active listenin( and uestionin( to uicly identify relevant issues11. 'rovide detailed feed>ac seein( confirmation as reuired1:. 0ommunications must >e tar(eted at the needs of the audience 8ar(on must >e

avoided and one must >e conscious of >ody lan(ua(e1out your (oal and communicate this to the reader14. @-plain what you want the receiver to do15. @sta>lish your credi>ility early up1!. Have someone proof read your wor.1&. Have an e-ecutive summary with ma8or reports1). Bse short sentences and scanna>le para(raphs1/. ever send when an(ry >i( temptation with e7mails:2. If possi>le write a draft sleep on it and proof read the ne-t day. If you have a few

days (race write the draft and (o >ac to it at least once every day:1. *lways spell7chec::. Have a stron( openin( and conclusion

Safety culture

* (ood safety culture is an elusive thin( those responsi>le for safety mana(ement systems

stru((le to achieve. 0ulture is often defined as +#he way we do thin(s around here,. ScheinF1//2 defines or(anisational culture as the system of shared >eliefs and values thatdevelops within an or(anisation and (uides the >ehaviour of its mem>ers.


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Senior mana(ers are the ey to a successful safety culture. * true safety culture isesta>lished when safety is valued as hi(hly as productivity. Mana(ers and supervisors needto >e held accounta>le for safety in the same manner as production.

"ie many thin(s in safety and >usiness (enerally leadership is the ey.

How to improve safety culture

1. evelopment of a ro>ust Safety Mana(ement System (uided >y the lessons from thepaper +What Maes a Safety Mana(ement System $ly, under OHS articles onohschan(e.com.au

:. Bsin( industry data on 0lass 1 personal dama(e occurrences to (uide your safetyefforts

uild trust >etween all levels of personnelL %ewards for

e-cellent performance and lesser rewards for those that are really tryin(

5. @-cellent teamwor!. @-cellent communications employees really value face to face communications fromtheir supervisor

&. %ole modellin( >y supervisors and mana(ers is important). 0learly defined responsi>ilities and accounta>ilities that are reinforced/. %e(ular ri(orous audits of ey functions12. Short succinct written procedures for ey tass Fuse dia(rams pictures flow7charts

wherever possi>le11. Written mana(ement plans for ey performance areas1:. 6enchmarin( a(ainst the e-cellent performers1y a detailed "earnin( eeds *nalysis

Note$or further detail refer to the paper +Safety culture and how to improve it + under OHSarticles on ohschan(e.com.au

$eferences

Schein @.1//2Organi(ational Culture *merican 'sycholo(ist vol 45no.: pp12/71/

Interpersonal s,ills

When interviewin( OHS professionals many interviewers focus on their technical sills.

$ranly I thin communications and interpersonal sills are much more important thantechnical sills. 9ou can >e really >ri(ht you can >e hi(hly ualified and trained you can >ewell read >ut if you cannot (et on well with people and influence them to chan(e you will >ea waste of space as an OHS professional.

I adopt a philosophy that +'eople Support What #hey 0reate, "ots of communicationdiscussion and identification of needs will (ive you the >uy in you need. * >it of humournever (oes astray.* please (et to the point and do not (ive e-cessive detail. $ocus onthe >enefits of initiatives to the other person.

When interactin( with others you need to try to see the situation from the other person3sperspective and focus on What is in it for me from their view.#he followin( < techniues are invalua>le7


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A""ro"riate 'el*),is!losure

9ou will find in a new relationship if you reveal a little >it of you Fprovided it isappropriatethe other party will reveal a little >it of themFprovided it is appropriate if youthen reveal a little >it more of youFprovided it is appropriate they will reveal a little >it moreof them Fprovided it is appropriate and so the cycle (oes on. #his is very simple incredi>lyeffective and I use it all the time to >uild relationships. Of course if you really han( all yourdirty washin( out it will pro>a>ly stuff up the process.

Re*le!ti+e Listening

#his is a very powerful techniue to (et to the core >eliefs of those around you. Someonesays somethin( you may say +If I understand you properly you thin -, this (ives the otherparty the opportunity to e-pand on their view or +0orrect me if I am wron( >ut I thin you aresayin( y,#he formula

#here will >e times others do thin(s that annoy you often they will have what they thin are(ood reasons for what they are doin( and they will have no idea they are annoyin( you. *(ood formula for these situations is to e-press your feelin(s as follows7

+When you * I feel 6 >ecause 0 and I would lie you to do >ecause @,

#he only person who nows how you feel is you and most people will not now how you feeland many will >e happy to ad8ust their >ehaviour accordin(ly. If this does not happen atleast you have the >asis for on(oin( discussion.

I su((est all safety professionals read up on these techniues it can mae your life mucheasierA

Team)$uilding

How to have effective teams

Set clear (oals

Set clear o>8ectives for measurin( effectiveness

efine communications mechanisms

efine decision main( processes

etermine team mem>ership

*ssi(n a leader

'lan team7>uildin( activities

Monitor and report on pro(ress

0ele>rate success

$or further information see #eam one7pa(er and #eam7>uildin( worshop onohschan(e.com.au

-**e!ti+e listening

#he OHS professional attends many meetin(s facilitates a lot of learnin( and (enerallyconverses with a lot of people often what is not said is as important as what is said. 6ein( a(ood reader of >ody lan(ua(e is essential to (et to the core of meanin(. @ffective listenin( is

a vital sill.


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@ffective communication e-ists >etween : people when the process of interpretin( andunderstandin( the sender3s messa(e is the same way the sender intended it.

Sources of difficulty >y the sender7

#oo low to >e heard *ccent o>scures clarity

$or(ettin( the purpose

6ody lan(ua(e contradicts the ver>al messa(e

Sources of difficulty >y the listener

6ein( pre7occupied

"istenin( mainly for an openin( to (et the floor

"ettin( your personal >eliefs interfere with the messa(e

=ud(in( the speaer

ot asin( for clarification

#he : >est types of listenin( are7

Attentive9ou are (enuinely interested in the communication try hard to understand and activelylisten.$eflective9ou re7state or paraphrase the messa(e as you understand it and reflect >ac forverification and amplification. %eflective listenin( is a core counsellin( techniue.

eeds analysis

* ma8or lesson in my professional life is that whatever is done in OHS must >e preceded >ya thorou(h needs analysis. #he perceptions on needed chan(e that mana(ers supervisorsand worers have must >e incorporated in the chan(e process. #here must >e or(anisedprocesses in place to surface these perceptions.

eeds Analysis /ro0e!t)1eneri! A""roa!h

Identify staeholders

Separate staeholder3s needs from their wants

efine the o>8ective of the pro8ect or wor to >e carried out and facilitate a force7fieldanalysis

Identify pro8ect riss

efine current state

efine desired state

@-plore how important the (ap is

What is the cause of the (ap

What are the solutions to close the (ap

What are the >enefits of the solutions

What are the costs L commitment of the solutions

What are the riss of the proposed solutions

How do you measure success

R#hrou(hout define 'hases L *ctivities L Milestones L #ar(ets of the pro8ect%efer to +Safety 'ro8ect Steps, on ohschan(e.com.au for more detail.Continuous Im"ro+ement


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0ontinuous improvement is a lon(7term >usiness strate(y to improve your >usiness in termsof customer value and satisfaction uality speed to maret fle-i>ility and reduced cost. Oneof the principal o>8ectives of continuous improvement is to increase the sills and capacitiesof all the or(anisation3s employees so they can effectively en(a(e in pro>lem solvin(.

Author&s e'perience with (ontinuous Improvement ) *uality +anagement

While the author was employed in a senior OHS role with a ma8or *ustralian or(anisation hewas involved in implementation of a ro>ust approach to 0ontinuous Improvement L KualityMana(ement.

Some of the initiatives were7

0ustomers were spoen to in order to define what the customers wanted from theor(anisation.

#he wor necessary to ensure success in meetin( customer needs was identified.

How to carry out the wor necessary for success was defined. etailed wor instructions and worin( procedures were developed for core tass

necessary for success.

* document control system was introduced.

*ll employees received trainin( in 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement.

0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement champions were appointed in ma8ordepartments.

* senior mana(er was appointed to lead the 0ontinuous Improvement L KualityMana(ement effort.

#here were re(ular audits of the 0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ementsystem.

*ll employees were actively encoura(ed to uestion the efficiency of the wor theydid and su((est continuous improvement initiatives.

#here were re(ular meetin(s and other communications a>out the 0ontinuousImprovement L Kuality Mana(ement.

*n e-tremely a((ressive approach to up(radin( employee sills in all areas wasem>ared upon after an e-haustive learnin( needs analysis.

Since leavin( this or(anisation the author has wored in or(anisations that have had no0ontinuous Improvement L Kuality Mana(ement systems or systems that while they havehad their systems pass certification audits do not really have a continuous improvementphilosophy.

Some of the thin(s he has noticed in these or(anisation are7

0ustomers >oth internal and e-ternal complain that their needs are not >ein( met.

Wor processes are dependent on the nowled(e of individuals rather than definedprocedures. When $red (oes on lon( service leave for < months the or(anisationstru((les >ecause how to do some of the thin(s $red does are only nown >y $red.

#he >ureaucracy and >ull7shit swamps the or(anisation and impedes efficientoperation.

0ommunication is confused and inefficient.

%esponsi>ilities are unclear.

@mployees mutter a>out how ineffective some of the wor they do is and their efforts

to improve thin(s with their supervisors fall on deaf ears. 'olitics rather than efficiency shape practice.


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#hose who uestion procedure and practice uicly learn this is not an approachreceived favoura>ly >y mana(ement.

@mployees tal to others who do similar wor and realise there are >etter ways ofdoin( thin(s.

Some of the worforce are un7empowered and dissatisfied with their lot.

Mana(ement is perceived as >ein( remote from the real needs of the >usiness andnot interested in the thou(hts of the employees.

#he learnin( function is under7developed and attendance at learnin( is (uided >y un7structured approaches rather than thorou(h learnin( needs analysis.

#he author3s o>servation is that many or(anisations have 0ontinuous Improvement L KualityMana(ement systems that are only partially enacted and do not reap all the >enefits to >e(ained from these systems .

2uestion

In these economic times can your >usiness survive without a continuous improvement

philosophy?

Re"ort writing

OHS professionals write many reports read many reports and as others to prepare reportsfor them. * ma8or sin is lon( ram>lin( reports that do not (et to the point uicly andsuccinctlyA 'repare succinct reports yourself and mae it clear that your e-pectation is thatothers do liewise. If you receive a lon( report as the author for a succinct summary of thema8or points. Often people 8ust want to now what has to >e done and why and can dowithout all the paddin(.

eed to consider your audience7'ersonal style technical >ac(round formality andtheir liely attitude to your communication.

Generally a team approach to preparin( your report has advanta(es put a fair >it ofwor into definin( the scope of your report.

Bse relevant means of (atherin( necessary data. Search the internet >ut >e certainof your source e-periments surveys interviews uestionnaires.

raft set aside after (et comments on the draft and re7draft.

Spell chec and (et at least one other person to edit the final.

Structure

$ront70over title introduction contents pa(e list of illustrations a>stract ore-ecutive summary.

%eport >ody discussion conclusions recommendations.

@nd references appendices.

'ictures dia(rams setches and flow charts can have a powerful impact and save alot of written words.

Bse short words and short sentences and avoid 8ar(on use concrete rather thana>stract terms.

#ry to present >oth sides of the case.

6e succinct >usy people do not have time to write waffle that others are too >usy toread. 6ear in mind howe

Documents

Guidance for OHS Professionals V2