The ability to analyze risks effectively is key for employees to keep themselves and others safe.
People tend to become complacent and overlook risky situations over time. This is common in the construction materials industry, where an it-won’t-happen-to-me mentality often prevails.
As an example, consider backup cameras on vehicles. Giving operators a false sense of security by suggesting backup cameras will prevent them from backing into or over an object can lead them to inadequately assess a situation.
This is when complacency sets in and incidents occur. People must recognize the risks involved when backing up a vehicle with blind spots and take the necessary precautions to conduct the task safely.
Risk analysis is generally defined as Job Safety Analysis (JSA). JSA is the process of looking at an assigned task, determining what could go wrong and making the necessary adjustments to decrease risk prior to starting the task.
Accidents by definition are unplanned events – unexpected releases of stored energy generally resulting in harm, damage or loss. Through proper risk analysis, planning and training, accidents should never occur on a jobsite.
Proper planning and communications through the chain of command are vital to the functionality of a company. A team is needed to develop a culture. To develop a team, you have to develop good communication.
Building a safety culture
Safety culture can be thought of as the values, beliefs, perceptions and normal behaviors that are shared by employees. Whether intentional or not, every organization has a safety culture. The questions are whether the safety culture is positive or negative and what can be done to change it.
In a positive safety culture:
- Communication is open at all levels of the organization and feedback is seen as vital to improving safety processes.
- Individuals at all levels focus on what can be done to prevent injuries or illnesses.
- There is a commitment to safety regardless of all other concerns in the business.
- People and their well-being are valued. The focus is on protecting people, not the bottom line.
- All personnel, especially senior managers, demonstrate their commitment to safety by following all safety processes and procedures, just as they instruct their employees to do.
In a negative safety culture:
- Communication is not open at all levels. Employees do not openly communicate with upper management.
- Safety rules are used to discipline employees.
- Management may not follow safety rules (for example, not wearing hearing protection or other personal protective equipment as they are supposed to).
- Production demands require less focus on safety.
- Management’s concern is not for the well-being of the employees, but rather for a good safety “record.”
Near misses
Near misses are leading indicators in the workplace that must be identified and investigated to reduce overall incidents. Near-miss incidents are situations that did not result in personal injury or property damage but had the potential to do so. To get to the root cause of a near-miss incident, they must be treated with the same attention to detail as if the event actually occurred.
If near misses are identified and corrected, future incidents may be prevented. They are an inexpensive opportunity to make changes in the workplace before something more severe occurs.
Information from this article derived from Pit & Quarry University. Learn more at pitandquarry.com/pit-and-quarry-university.