A couple a year ago ASSE conducted its Culture Symposium in Costa Mesa, CA.  One of the speakers,  Joseph Cohen, PhD presented on the concept of  “justice” as it applies to workplace rules and the use of discipline.  Several times during the presentation he referenced Sydney Dekker and his book Just Culture.  I found the topic and Dr. Cohen’s presentation enlightening, so I decided to purchase and read Just Culture.  What an eye-opener!

I couldn’t possibly share all that I learned reading the book in this short post, but suffice it to say that those organizations or institutions that want to improve safety must develop trust throughout and learn from their mistakes.  I liked the discussion of what a learning organization looks like, and the importance of encouraging near-miss reporting as a part of the learning process.  The book also presented excellent examples of how to shut down learning and destroy trust, both detrimental to safety success.

Earlier this month, Mike Williamsen, Phd. with Caterpillar Consulting, Inc., an expert on creating positive cultural change, spoke on Near-Miss Reporting at the Direct Delivery Leadership Council (DDLC) conference in Las Vegas.  Dr. Williamsen summed up the topic very well and shared several important take-aways:

• In order for any organization to actually improve, it is necessary for it to openly share and learn from its mistakes.
• Since safety happens at all levels, every one must participate and share their mistakes.
• Sharing situations that “almost” or “could have” resulted in injury or loss creates opportunities to discuss what happend and to learn.
• It is very important that there be an open and trusting environment where all near-misses can be reported.
• Reporting near-miss situations should be encouraged and praised.
• It is necessary to have a system that evaluates near-misses by severity potential, establishes priorities, and leads to positive corrective action.
• If reporting near-misses results in disciplinary action or nothing is done to correct high severity potential situations, reporting dies and all related learning stops.

As SH&E professionals we have a terrific opportunity to help our organizations learn and improve.  And in so doing, we will help them not only improve safety, but all aspects of the business.   I think it would be worth your time to find out more about the concepts of a Just Culture and becoming a Learning Organization.   “Just Culture” by Sydney Dekker is a great place to start.

This was Reposted By Request from December 23, 2009.  I hope you enjoy it and comment back with your thoughts.  Thanks.

Special Note: Before beginning I need to apologize for my absence.  It’s never a good idea for a blogger to take an extended vacation, and that’s exactly what I did……both literally and figuratively.  I heard from many of you, and want you to know that I’m back.  More than anything, I want you to know that I really appreciate your following and feedback.  Thanks!

Worker Literacy Affects Safety

The question of literacy is a much bigger problem that we may think.  Recently I came across 2 separate articles that address the subject, both referencing a new study by the Conference Board of Canada, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You:  Literacy’s Impact on Workplace Health and Safety”. This research report outlines the value—including direct and indirect benefits—of investing in literacy with the expected outcome of achieving higher levels of health and safety in the workplace.

Using an online survey, a broad cross-section of the workplace was questioned.  From management to workers, service providers to union reps, aboriginal people to recent immigrants, 319 surveys were returned and analyzed.

So What Does This Mean For You?

Establishing written safety policies and procedures, and then training accordingly should and often does improve safety.  However, the Conference Board study showed that the level of confidence in being able to actually perform according to the procedures is suspect.  At least those who would be expected to follow the procedures, the workers, felt that they needed more hands-on instruction.   The flaw in the logic is that when health and safety practices are communicated in written format, a disconnect occurs if workers’ literacy skills are too low for them to read or comprehend the manual.

1. Assume that your class has participants who have difficulty reading and comprehending the training content.  Provide ample opportunity for everyone to talk about the issue, procedure, situation and its importance.
2. If there are language barriers, make sure to provide adequate translation assistance.
3. Ask checking questions and make sure that you allow group discussion to determine the level of understanding by all.
4. Practice, observe, comment, and ask participants to explain why they are doing the procedure or skill in a certain manner. (This method has proven quite successful with driver safety).
5. Provide follow up discussion after the training is completed.  Ask supervisors to talk with their workers about the subject and to make sure there is understanding.

Done with care, training can be successful and we can be assured that all employees understand what is expected of them.  The literacy problem isn’t going away any time soon, so assume that you have a communication and understanding problem and plan accordingly.

Last year I was a speaker at the Indiana Governor’s Safety Conference in Indianapolis.  I always enjoy being a part of these events because I inevitably meet good people and walk away with useful nuggets of information.  One of the many I found at this Conference was really golden and was given to me at lunch that Wednesday.

Like many safety professionals, I’ve been focusing on the power of Near-miss Incident Reporting initiatives and the positive results reported.  After taking a phone call, I arrived for the Governor’s Award Luncheon a bit late and was seated at a table near the back of the hall. There were two others at the table, we were able to easily chat while eating. One of the others noticed my “speaker” ribbon on my badge and asked about my talk. I told him it was on “100 Years of Safety” and the upcoming ASSE 100th Anniversary celebration and gave a brief recap. I then asked him if he is in safety, to which he replied, “Yes and no”.

His name was Robert and he is the operations manager for an electric components manufacturer’s distribution center. Since he’s in-charge, “Yes he is in safety, but No he’s not a pro at it.” When I asked him about his safety efforts and how it is going, he shared that he’s trying to build trust in safety through a “near-miss” reporting system!  I just about fell out of my chair.  After I told him of my interest in the subject, Robert detailed how it works.

More than anything this operations manager is trying to create a Just and Open culture whereby everyone shares and contributes in a responsible manner. At first, when training was completed and the reporting system was rolled out, he had to deal with some hurt feelings and some “tattle-tale” responses. But once the workers saw that the reporting process didn’t carry any penalties and that safety concerns were corrected without delay, they became believers and participated actively.

Ten months into the “near-miss” reporting process, safety in this material handling intensive DC is greatly improved and a real TEAM atmosphere has evolved. As would be the case, there were many forklift operator and ergonomics related near-misses. One by one they’ve been identified and the TEAM is working to reduce the risk and eliminate hazards.

We finished our lunch, applauded the Governor’s Award recipients and then parted ways with Robert saying, “It’s great having 40 safety coaches teaching each other about safety!” Oh, and he had a great big smile on his face!

It was really great for me to have a conversation with a facility operations manager who really understands the power of creating a learning organization. Way to go Robert!

Please comment and share your Near-Miss Reporting or Learning Organization stories. Thanks.