"Imagine a worksite where everyone takes responsibility for hazard recognition and control.” — Carl Potter
Competency — it’s a word we hear when we discuss workers’ knowledge, skills and aptitude. Competency implies someone is effective and efficient in doing something. Add the word “safety” and we are describing someone who can perform work effectively and efficiently without injury. OSHA’s definition is “One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.” How would your organization be different if every person was fully capable of performing work safely? Some might say there’s no possibility of having a workforce proficient in knowing and applying safety rules, practices and procedures. It’s a challenge worth taking up.
Competency is a foundation for good business and an absolute for a sustainable safety culture. Developing a culture where competency is fundamental requires commitment to building understanding, promoting application and instilling motivation. The commitment must come from leadership for focus and resources — both time and money. While many executives tend to be more comfortable with financial statements than with safety processes and procedures, they are responsible for the safety of employees and contractors who work for the company. Part of that responsibility is ensuring the organization has safety-competent personnel.
Who is the competent safety person?
Have you asked yourself who the competent safety persons at your worksite are? If not, you should. According to OSHA, competency is based on knowledge, experience, the ability to recognize hazards and the authority to mitigate them. If you are a supervisor, manager or executive, you must know who the competent personnel are and ensure they remain up-to-date on the requirements for their work to be accomplished safely.
Why do you need to know? First, the most effective and efficient way to get work done is through competent workers. You need to know who knows how to get work done safely. The risks to life and the financial well-being of the company are at stake. More than that, during an investigation of a serious injury or fatality, an OSHA inspector will ask, “Who is the safety-competent person on the job?” The company leaders have an obligation to know and answer. The answer is not “the safety department” or “the safety manager.” No one person can know all there is to know about every aspect of safety in the organization. Leaders must know who is competent to do specific types of work required in producing and delivering their products and services.
Creating competency in safety is a journey that must begin with basic understanding, application, and motivation to know and do the work without injury to self or others. General safety courses, such as the OSHA 10- and 20-hour courses, are good for broad education but do not address job- or task-specific competencies, such as electrical work, scaffolding, excavation, hazardous material and machine guarding.
These are only a few of the particular categories of work to consider; the OSHA regulations for your industry provide the guidelines. Ensure your hiring and training practices take safety competencies into account. To lay the groundwork for a competent workforce, all employees must be trained to recognize hazards related to the work. Training should extend to mitigation, which means fixing or controlling the hazard.
Three ways to do your part
As a leader in your organization, do your part to:
• Ensure everyone understands their roles with regard to specific skills and general hazard recognition and control.
• Provide sufficient training so employees know how to apply the safe work procedures to their specific work.
• Motivate employees to take responsibility and be accountable for safety throughout the organization.
These actions can mean your workplace is one where it’s difficult to get hurt and everyone will go home to their families every day without injury.
For more information, contact Carl Potter at carl@safetyinstitute.com or visit www.safetyinstitute.com.
