The safe turnaround myth
Arguably the most memorable speech of President John F. Kennedy was articulated in May 1961 when addressing the American people with these words: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Those words were the torch that set ablaze the innovative hearts that would win the space race! But safely? Which part was safe? Being strapped to a rocket with almost a million gallons of liquid fuel? Being accelerated to 25,000 miles per hour? The 240,000-mile journey through the freezing vacuum of space? The landing on an alien world with gaping craters and boulders the size of trucks? The possibility of incineration upon re-entry?
Here is a similar myth: “We can execute safe turnarounds.” We can execute injury-free turnarounds, but executing a turnaround is inherently dangerous! When you mix chemicals, lifts, pressures, temperatures, elevations, energy sources, confined spaces, simultaneous operations, tools, noise, blind spots, distractions, emotions, deadlines and etcetera with human beings, it is Dangerous with a capital D, which is why safety must be the No. 1 priority of every individual involved. Not only do injuries affect employees we care about, they can affect their families, our turnaround costs, insurance costs, credit rating, public image and license to operate. So, how do you truly affect people’s priorities so injury-free turnarounds become the norm?
Skilled managers understand the best way to manage people is by managing culture. Managers clock in and out, but culture is always present. Culture extends the reach of management because culture causes people to manage each other and themselves! I have worked in only a few places where safety was the prevailing culture and you never forget how rewarding that feels. Here is how the safety cultures were built:
- A good contract. Clear safety requirements were written into the contracts with all contractors, even those who did not work on tools. Good fences make good neighbors and good contracts make great neighbors.
- The right first impressions. The moment an employee walks on site, he is greeted with a clear and consistent message that safety is first priority. The gate is the first active checkpoint to look for proper PPE and issue safety bulletins, tokens and reminders.
- Management transparency. Management must destigmatize reporting by modeling it. Managers openly and regularly talk in safety meetings about their own near-misses and mishaps, but sum it up by reaffirming their own philosophy that all accidents are preventable.
- Make near-miss reporting positive. Safety pyramids suggest near-misses are precursors to more serious incidents if the course is not corrected. To capture the near-misses, we remind contractors we all have near-misses at some point, so it is a red flag when none are ever reported. And when they do report near-misses, it shows No. 1 they are honest as a company, and No. 2 they are serious about safety since they are helping to keep small things small.
- Link safety to professionalism. Remind employees regularly craftsmen who are skilled work safely and safety is a part of what we are paying them for in their hourly wages.
- Link tidiness to safety. The level of tidiness affects first impressions and, of course, a lack of tidiness is a major factor in slips, trips and falls.
- All-inclusive safety assessments. All company employees and contractor employees are dubbed “safety professionals” and are asked to do short safety assessments on fellow workers on a regular basis and to help correct unsafe practices in a courteous fashion.
- Say “thanks.” Verbal affirmation still goes a long way when people know it is genuine. Inexpensive safety trinkets and gifts are often retained for years and remind employees over and over safety is first priority.
- Regular measuring and reporting. There is an old true adage: “What gets measured is what gets done.” The statistics should be shared regularly so employees can know if they are improving. Statistics should be not only reported but clearly explained, and they should be personalized in terms of the real impact they are having on the employees and their loved ones.
- Break ties when necessary. Safety must be a condition of employment for every employee and every contractor. Anyone unwilling to align with your safety values is an unaffordable liability.
When are workers likely to have mishaps? At the beginning of the job when they are not as familiar with the risks of their surroundings, at the middle of the job when they are more comfortable and less guarded and at the end of the job when fatigue is an increased factor. We can never take a break on driving the safety culture.
For more information, contact Mike Bischoff at (281) 461-9340, email sales@tamanagement.com or visit www.tamanagement.com.