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tomdignan  
#1 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:24:55(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
tomdignan

Hi There
I have just signed up to IOSH forums and looking for some ideas!

I have been in the safety role now for approaching 2 years and was previously a Shift Manager. We had no H&S previously systems and had quite a lot of LTAs,RIDDORS etc etc...

I have build a whole new H&S systems with the backing of our new Ops director and as of next Tuesday will be 1 year with no LTA which is a record for the site ( Site is 20 years old!)

We are now embarking on a behavioural safety focus after having Ken Woodward come in and do sessions for all our staff which was very effective !
I have started a Behavioural audit system of commitee members and management doing behavioural audits and safety observation cards but does anyone have any other ideas? ( We are a biscuit factory)

We are also going to reward all staff with a voucher next Tuesday when we reach 365 days!

Thanks
Tom
jodieclark1510  
#2 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:38:51(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jodieclark1510

Be careful with rewards- sometimes the incentive becomes more important than reporting accidents which is counter-productive.

What about safety champions for each area to help on the ground or programmes to give staff the opportunity to get more involved in workplace safety?
RayRapp  
#3 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:43:25(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RayRapp

'Any good ideas'...don't advertise the amount of days without an LTI. Doomed for failure.
tomdignan  
#4 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:45:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
tomdignan

Why would you say doomed for failure? Its a good achievement for us!

tomdignan  
#5 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:52:26(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
tomdignan

Hi Jodie
I'm in the process of getting the committee more involved in H&S with audits, RA, Training at the moment

RayRapp  
#6 Posted : 02 September 2016 11:56:40(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RayRapp

tomdignan wrote:
Why would you say doomed for failure? Its a good achievement for us!



Maybe so, but who wants to be the first person to spoil that record. Advertising days without an LTI drives the reporting of accidents underground.
Mr.Flibble2.0  
#7 Posted : 02 September 2016 12:01:42(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mr.Flibble2.0

Celebrate your achievements when you have them and do not following them up with Negatives e.g. its a great result but we could do better.

Yes there is a risk of under reporting as soon as some reward is implemented for having no accidents, LTIs etc with any reward make sure it is achievable by everyone who works at the site from the cleaner to the senior manager.

Good behavior is all about supporting, about asking and not telling and a lot of this will come from Managers and Supervisors. Its about driving change through positive re-enforcement just simply going out of your way to say thank you to some for doing a good job or when someone isn't performing or had an accident, asking them how it could have been avoided or how things could be done differently rather than finger pointing.

Tea and Toast morning are quite popular where by the senior managers / directors join the staff in the canteen once a month for a friendly chat.

Its a long road and it will take a while before you see the change or culture affected but worth it in the long run and well done for going down this route.
Andrew W Walker  
#8 Posted : 02 September 2016 12:07:03(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Andrew W Walker

RayRapp wrote:
tomdignan wrote:
Why would you say doomed for failure? Its a good achievement for us!



Maybe so, but who wants to be the first person to spoil that record. Advertising days without an LTI drives the reporting of accidents underground.


I have found that incentives and advertising the number of days since a LTI can lead to people not reporting. Like Ray has said- who wants to be the first one to report?

If you have the 'buy-in' from the top it makes things quite a bit easier...

Andy
chris42  
#9 Posted : 02 September 2016 12:49:21(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

I used to get members of the safety Committee to go to one another's areas and observe and take notes of both things badly done and well done. These were just observations and issues noted as seeming to be badly done were then discussed by the group to decide if it was and if so what could be done about it. We encouraged equal numbers of good and bad points to be observed to remove any malice.

This worked well for us, as it was fresh eyes and not the eyes of the management / safety bod. They then started to walk around with their safety eyes on, all the time !

Chris
johnmc  
#10 Posted : 02 September 2016 14:23:38(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
johnmc

I would agree with much of the previous posts in particular those that mention managements involvement. Without the senior people being actively involved by engaging with the guys on the ground and sorting out issues raised any momentum built up will soon stop and start moving backwards. Good leadership = good results. Good luck with your efforts tomdignan.
tomdignan  
#11 Posted : 02 September 2016 14:48:22(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
tomdignan

Thanks for advice guys
Cheers
smandeir  
#12 Posted : 02 September 2016 15:17:00(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
smandeir

I once worked for a company who said they had 800+ days without an accident, yet I found evidence that they had had a RIDDOR accident a year or so earlier, so some-one was telling porkies somewhere! Yes it definitely drives reporting underground!
Might be OK if they advertised how many near misses were reported over the same period too.
A Kurdziel  
#13 Posted : 02 September 2016 16:25:19(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

This has been said before that for some employers “behavioural safety initiatives” just boil down to blaming the employees for all the accidents. Managers are encouraged to go to town over minor issues which may or may not be the fault of employees (eg not wearing PPE) while ignoring big strategic cock ups. This seems to be common in the gas and oil industry and a lot of the recent disasters (Buncefield, Gulf of Mexico) involve companies that did just that focus on the petty stuff and miss out on the big stuff.
toe  
#14 Posted : 02 September 2016 20:53:22(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
toe

Do nothing, if you have reached 365 days without any LTI then its all good. Just keep on doing what you are already doing.

The title of the post is behavioural safety; if you don't have a problem then you staff are behaving safely.

Simples..... If it ain't broke - don't fix it.
KieranD  
#15 Posted : 05 September 2016 06:46:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
KieranD

Tom

As you asked whether anyone else has other ideas, I endorse Ray Rapp's implicit warning that you are very much in danger of mistaking the wood for the trees, and the trees for the ecosystem.

As 'behavioural safety' has many elephant traps, it's a good idea to read and DIGEST, 'The New Psychology of Leadership' by Haslam, Reicher and Platow (Psychology Press, 2011) which explains how the social identity of people at work works - and doesn't work - with clarity and appropriate edge.
tomdignan  
#16 Posted : 05 September 2016 09:15:48(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
tomdignan

Thanks
We have decided just to buy a big breakfast for everyone with no cash incentive.
I am going to get Line managers to do daily H&S Audits with there team leaders as they need to lead by example! and safety not just driven by committee members.

I just dont want the staff to fall back into "habits of old" and keep pushing for improvements
Cheers
Tom
Mr.Flibble2.0  
#17 Posted : 05 September 2016 10:32:22(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mr.Flibble2.0

That's the way go Tom, most peoples happiness is through their stomachs!

Just keep promoting the positives and have feedback sessions with the managers and get them to give examples of what they have been finding and their interacting with employees over the issues. You may need to give feedback to the Managers and guide them a little bit.
peter gotch  
#18 Posted : 05 September 2016 13:23:36(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Ray commented "'Any good ideas'...don't advertise the amount of days without an LTI. Doomed for failure."

Agreed - particularly bad for morale when you turn up at a site and the board has been amended to read I day, when you are turning up to be on the investigation panel following a fatal.
pl53  
#19 Posted : 05 September 2016 14:36:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
pl53

A very simple behavioural safety scheme I have used in the past is one that is based on employees conducting safety observations. Basically through discussion with employees you jointly agree what are the key safe behaviours in a particular area.All emloyees in that area, managers as well, take turns at observing whether a particular key safe behaviour is being complied with - yes or no. Over a period of time this allows you to build up a %ge compliance. All employees are encouraged to challenge non-compliance when they see it and re-inforce compliance when they see that through positive feedback. When the %ge compliance reaches a target level for a target period you move on to observing the next safe behaviour. The key to this is regular monitoring and feedback. All employees must take part, no exceptions and employees must be actively involved in identifying the key safe behaviours.

You can get a lot more info an behavioural safety and safety culture by googling Dominic Cooper
DDENCER  
#20 Posted : 07 September 2016 11:38:34(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
DDENCER

We started annual training at a previous company. The sessions involved mixed groups from different departments and we went through why people why people behaved unsafely.

The next year we did a little game show type thing to reinforce the previous training. We also offered a prize for the group who stored the most in the game. We received positive feedback from the majority of the people who took part.
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