Breathing life into your safety Systems (March 05)
The problem
You spent a lot of time and money getting a safety system in place. You were keen and committed. For several months, you gave it your personal attention. Then there were other crises to deal with.
It seems like only months, but apparently, it was 2 years ago! The signs are not good now. General lack of interest, people with safety roles have moved on and the workplace has fallen back into that laissez faire feel that you sense is not good for business. You know intuitively that the disciplines and routines that came with a safety system were entirely compatible with other important values and behaviours. You'd like them back.
Let's take stock. Weren't you doing a few things right?
You have a Manual and templates people use for record keeping. You even have a copy of your own. Somewhere.
There's the safety committee, which still meets monthly, although last time you looked in, they were being dominated by that guy whatsisname. They had a set of plans and objectives you gave them to complete.
In 2003... Wonder how that went?
Wasn't there some sort of amendment to the HSE Act recently? Surely, someone would have told you if there were any new requirements? That consultant who sold you the safety manual should let you know about these things.
And aren't you due for an audit again this year? Not sure if you're really ready. You do most things but some stuff just seems to slip. Including the safety coordinator. She was darned good but she left at Christmas.
That's the trouble with systems. They need maintenance. If the above rings a bell with you, chances are the safety system is a hollow shell. You're spending money on lip service and empty gestures. Why not wrap up a few thousand dollars, go out in the street and have a bonfire instead?
Sorry to be unkind, but we do see the above scenario often. There are reasons, like the busy season, the silly season, the resignation season, the crisis season and the up-to-the-neck-in-alligators season. Meanwhile, to be brutal, if someone had an accident, OSH would take a look at your system, ask a few questions and conclude that a mass of paper on the shelf was just that. They would use your own system to prosecute you with.
So, what can you do to keep life and breath in the system?
Well, clearly, nothing is static. The manual you bought may need updating for new legislation. Events such as new methods or equipment may have been introduced. You may wish to reverse a particular accident trend. Maybe you want to achieve a recognized standard, such as ACC's WSMP or NZS 4801. Maybe you just want to stay in the ACC scheme! There may be pressure coming on from employees, customers, government agencies, unions or the public to clean up your act.Do you react impulsively to these demands and pressures, or do you have a planning system to identify, prioritise and deal with them?
Try looking in the HSE Act for guidance on review systems. You won't find it. The Act steadfastly tells us what we must do without telling us how. That was the intention. It was always designed to be open ended in terms of allowing "excellence" in health and safety management.
If you are in the ACC WSMP or Partnership Programme , you don't need us to tell you that they give you a number of ways to keep your system constantly under review. These range from an annual self assessment to system reviews, hazard process reviews, emergency system reviews and setting and reviewing of annual plans and objectives. NZS 4801 is similar but has a broader base of inputs, including the opinions of other "stakeholders" in the community. In some ways, you end up with too many reviews. Wouldn't it be nice to integrate them all together?
One thing is for sure. You have to give attention to any system and keep tending it like a garden. There are periods of sowing, cultivation, maturity and replanting, followed by re-growth.
So, what are the methods you can use to review and refresh your system?
Here are a few. Essentially, the methodology involves identifying the broad issues, coupling them with some of the more detailed concerns and fine tuning it all down into actual actions, plans and tasks.
Identifying the broader issues: What are the main impact areas as far as health and safety are concerned? What general constraints and compliance issues are there? Here is a checklist for identifying these broader issues.
- System audits by independent auditor or self assessment.
- What development or expansion plans do you have?
- Are there any new or developing public, supplier, customer or employee expectations?
- Is the current system working? Why? Why not?
- Are there any indicative accident or incident trends?
- Have safety meetings identified longer term issues?
The above may represent the first stage of an annual review. The outputs may be expressed in terms of a general new direction or impetus, or they may immediately lead to the formulation of specific actions.
Now, move on to looking at specifics:
- Any critical event or accident that required action?
- Any personnel/role changes or performance issues that need addressing?
- What new legislation, codes and standards now apply?
- Did you meet your previous goals and objectives?
- Has health monitoring indicated any issues?
- Are all potential emergencies covered?
- Could you improve some of the hazard controls currently in place? (Particularly with regard to serious injury risks)
- Are there any new or refresher training issues?
- Have you evaluated the competence and performance of your suppliers and contractors?
By the time you have completed the above, (preferably in conjunction with employee representatives), you should have identified a number of areas of opportunity.
Turn it into a plan:
All you need to do now is express these as SMART* objectives and ensure that the safety committee is empowered to execute them. (This is one reason why having only employees on the committee can't work. They'll drown in a sea of good intent and no action).
Review the plans and objectives regularly. Show you have a personal interest in getting them done. Be prepared to support initiatives that you may not personally see as important and explain carefully when you cannot approve something. Don't fudge it. Be honest. Say: "I agree there is a problem, but the risk is very small and I can't justify the cost of your solution. We have to come up with an alternative that is more practical".
Apart from anything else, this review and planning exercise should provide the safety committee with enough real things to do for a year. It will update your system, provide compliance, purpose and meaningful actions.
What's more, it will make your auditor very happy. (If that's possible).
Most of all, it should make you happy. Instead of burning cash, you will have a number of workplace influencers hard at work "making a difference".
* SMART has several versions, however, ACC uses Specific (you know exactly what it refers to), Measurable (you know when it is complete), Achievable (you know it's going to happen within a reasonable time), Realistic (you know it's not pie in the sky) and Time-bound (you know when it has to happen).
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