This month we examine the top five enemies of safety and training—aside from lack of follow up, which deserves a category of its own.
Complacency
How do you measure complacency? Or can you even measure it? You can sometimes recognize it. Is that reliable?
Consistent practices in hiring can be one of the most critical aspects of our industry. And truly, a bona fide human resources person is key. I feel that the job requires more than a person who hands out applications. There still remains the question of who, exactly, should be involved in the interview process.
The question of complacency applies especially to key personnel. Most large corporations use SJT’s—Situational Judgment Tests—a practice that is not commonplace in our industry. Regardless of whether you are a small independent or large corporation, I highly recommend the use of SJT’s—job specific to your organization, from top to bottom—when hiring candidates. It is a test that recreates scenarios that would be commonplace in your organization. With these tests you can learn a lot about a person’s judgement, without being intrusive. It also demands judgment from the person that is hiring. It can identify complacency or non-adherence.
Training
As for training, is it effective? Is it truly effective? You may have asked the professionals, but have you asked the employees? Most trainers are reluctant to ask for feedback, especially if the employees have to identify themselves in giving the feedback. Was the training truly effective, or did it just meet the minimum requirements of OSHA standards? Most safety people that I know use the same material, copied and pasted from other fellow safety reps or managers. Also, do you convey information that conveys the sentiments of the training giver, not that of the recipient of the test. Is the training interesting? The person giving the test will say yes! Is it on the level for all recipients? Would it satisfy OSHA standards? What feedback do you utilize to gauge effectiveness?
Interpersonal Skills—aka Mental Health—of Employees
Due to privacy laws and the desire to maintain personal decorum, etc., people are not necessarily up front with issues at home. However, if their personal life begins to affect their performance, it can become your issue. Team building and trust, from the supervisory level on up, is paramount and key to productivity. Is mid management trained? Are crew leaders trained to spot issues based on poor performance? One bad apple can cause injuries.
Documentation
Have you heard of anyone inadvertently documenting against themselves? Have you properly documented for yourself? I’ve witnessed numerous lawsuits regarding both instances. Documentation can be your best friend and worst enemy, all at the same time. Be judicious in your documentation. I do not advocate hiding anything. However, learn, if you have not already, to put as many qualified eyes on it as you can, including maybe even counsel. A safety person has to know the difference. Just the facts.
Short Cuts
Who among those who are reading this article has never taken a short cut? For those who admit it, thank you. For those who maintain that they have never taken a s shortcut, you may be lying to yourselves. LOL. Regardless, whether it comes down to taking a back road to location, or opening a package with dull scissors, or using a dull kitchen knife, or doing any of these things or others like them—even though you give yourself “permission” because you are a “trained professional”—again, LOL—we all have, in one case or another, taken a short cut. Whether it be a long trip on which we want to bypass or avoid traffic, we all have at one time or another taken a short cut. Who determines if it’s a safe short cut? You measure the odds. We all do. The sad thing about short cuts is that they are not always shorter or safer.
Lone Worker
Most companies have or should have a Lone Worker program, with specific policies and procedures. Truckers, pumpers, supervisors, roustabouts—all should be keenly aware of proper protocols, practices, and procedures. Most know—and most don’t follow—the procedures. Advanced technology is making it better with current safeguards. However, nothing short of a Life Alert is foolproof, regardless of technology, due to remote areas. Communication is key.
Before closing let me re-emphasize the idea of implementing those SJT’s—Situational Judgment Tests—in our industry. I see where these could be instrumental in the hiring process. And as for the relationship between Safety and HR, I feel it is paramount that they work together, especially in the development of a industry-specific SJT. As we all know, judgement is subjective—so a well-developed Situational Judgement Test helps take some of that subjectivity out of our decision-making. Today, most of our testing is multiple choice (multiple guess) or true/false questions. These tests allow guessing to be a factor in the process—maybe not the main factor, but a factor nonetheless, and I’m not a proponent of guessing. Such testing rewards good guessing (to a degree, anyway) but it doesn’t reveal the candidates’ propensities or proclivities to work safely. Thank you. —Dust
Dusty Roach
Dusty Roach is a safety professional based in Midland. He is also a public speaker on subjects of leadership and safety, and he maintains a personal website at dustyroach.com.
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