Risk Management in facility services includes developing rigorous, effective, across-the-board training around hazard recognition.
Like all aspects of safety, hazard recognition must be part of every employee’s job description and inherent to the way they go about their day. A training program’s design, and a company culture that supports its effectiveness, are key to success.
UG2 works continually at refining our approach with input from our field managers and line-staff, led by Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Adam Rabesa. Below are some of the critical lessons we have learned in striving for incident free facilities for our team members and tenants—and achieving the highest safety ratings as a result.
Master the basics. The core practices of hazard recognition and mitigation involve:
- Conducting routine job hazard analysis (JHA) and risk assessments (RA).
- Identify and mitigate the risk(s) before they lead to an incident.
- Incorporating a safety observation program at the site level. Empower and engage site level staff to notice unsafe acts and environments, then act on those observations. Again, mitigate the risk before an incident occurs.
- Developing and revisiting safe operating procedures based on JHA and RA. The staff who performs the task frequently will have the best insight on the hazards and how to mitigate them. Make sure to include them in the JHA and RA process.
- Including ergonomic assessments to protect against muscles strains and repetitive motion injuries.
- Conduct a daily safety briefing to identify potential hazards and ways to eliminate them.
Practice real-world training integration. The American Society of Safety Professionals’ webinar on incorporating technology in hazard recognition discusses the problem of variation in identifying hazards. Different people viewing the same scene will see hazards differently or may even find themselves focused on hazards that don’t actually exist. The solution lies in understanding how hazard recognition training plays out in practice, and ensuring that training is available, that its content is understood and absorbed, and that trainees have ample opportunity to practice the lessons learned.
Create and sustain a culture of mitigating risks. Employers must build organizational and systemic support for safety processes at every level. UG2 was forged on a foundation of safety, and we prioritize safety as one of our core values. Essentially, “safety” is baked into our operational process. We encourage our field supervision to conduct field audits to ensure our training processes are being implemented in the field, further cementing our safety culture and mitigating risks. Safety is within our operational process, not a side item or task.
Don’t get too comfortable. Some elements of hazard recognition in safety planning might seem counterintuitive. For example, while knowing your workspace well is essential, operating in familiar surroundings can make us normalize, or become desensitized to, the hazards that exist in our work environment over time. We tend to fall into patterns and routines that can make us complacent and less tuned into our surroundings. Continually remind your teams of the hazards around the jobsite and the task at hand.
Engage and communicate. A successful program begins with a commitment from company leadership and extends to the working reality of every employee. Communication cannot be top-down—you have to direct traffic on a two-way street that enables leadership to fully hear from employees on their observations and perceptions of hazards. Our Field Technicians witness safety deficiencies directly and are our best source for hazard mitigation information. An effective approach to communication includes training employees on the soft skills they need to raise issues of safety with customers, coworkers, supervisors, and visitors.
Optimize emerging technology. Advances in technology are allowing for virtual safety training that use immersive environments like virtual reality-based training for practicing hazard recognition without the risk. These are much more effective than simply powerpoints or short videos because they place the learner in a virtual operating environment. As with UG2’s groundbreaking Training and Innovation Lab and its virtual offerings, emerging technology can make practice more accessible and more effective.
Mitigate and prevent. Reducing potentially hazardous situations is as critical as learning to identify existing hazards. Your checklist of mitigation tasks should include addressing inadequate lighting for the facilities—indoors and out—eliminating tripping hazards, and using clear and attention-getting signage to call attention to hazards like changes in floor elevation.
Finally, effective safety programs not only have formal plans for responding to and documenting hazards, but they also reward proactiveness and practice transparency. Do you have questions about incorporating an effective hazard recognition practice in your workplace? Get in touch today—we’d love to explore how we can make your space safer.