When it comes to controlling risk in a dangerous world, very few can effectively speak from experience. Knowledge, skills and attitude are needed, but safety goes beyond the mission at hand; the person delivering has to embody the principles to have a true awareness of his or her surroundings, stated James "Jim" Wetherbee, a former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut.
Wetherbee commented operators that face hazards in life-and-death situations make split-second decisions that hopefully prevent death and destruction. If they don't succeed, then after the accident, an organization typically issues new rules to prevent similar accidents. But these new processes will only work for a while in prevention. Therefore, organizations and operators need something more than just rules and procedures.
Wetherbee, the only American to have commanded five spaceflight missions, noted four principles have to be the guiding force to control risk. And when these principles are in place, people will have mission awareness, situational awareness, and the control to make impactful decisions that lead to teamwork and effective planning and preparation.
The first principle is risk awareness, which is the acknowledgement of risks and the active process of reducing or eliminating those risks. By being aware, one can learn how to prevent and prepare for them. Understand the dynamics of the business, how it works, what it needs to operate and the obstacles it faces, while communicating the wins and losses.
"It's unrealistic to not acknowledge and understand the risks involved in today's environment," Wetherbee stated to a crowd of delegates and attendees at the Operational Excellence in Refining & Petrochemicals Summit held recently in Houston. "On the frontline of danger, your employees are the last line of defense, so bracing them with every dangerous variable is smart business. Once you communicate when losses occur and how they could have been prevented, you start creating a risk awareness culture."
The next principle is to create rulesbased procedures. By clearly stating the rules-based procedures from the beginning, you ensure everyone understands cause and effect through a rules-based model and when to approach the alternative. External risks lie largely outside the company's control; companies should focus on identifying them, assessing their potential impact and figuring out how best to mitigate their effects should they occur.
"Risk management is painful," Wetherbee said, "but it's the people that drive this. Implementing this process voids distractions while allowing for proper training to take its course."
Another principle is commitment to the mission and its people. Wetherbee noted this principle was his beacon each time he traveled to space. With each mission, the variables differed, the stakes were high, and he had to respond to the level of uncertainty. When a project had some uncertainty, a full-speed-ahead approach wasn't optimal, so he completed each mission by "protecting his teammates, protecting the hardware, then completing the mission -- only in this order."
He added that mental attitude largely controls the situation and confidence is good, but "overconfidence can be deadly."
The last principle is to do the right thing. An option provides the opportunity to take an action without the obligation to take that action.
"If you can't avoid the risk and there's nothing you can do to reduce its impact, then accepting it is your only choice," Wetherbee said. "By this time, try to buffer the impact to everyone involved and, ultimately, do the right thing."
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