Key Elements in a Comprehensive Safety Plan: Q&A with Adam Rabesa, Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Q. How do you capture important information when there is an accident and injuries? And does this information help prevent future incidents?
A. We have policies in place where we require a comprehensive incident report to be completed. Those lagging indicators are a critical part of safety planning. They supply important information after an event that you can use to take corrective action and lower your risk of repeat events—if you act on it. The key is actually tracking the information in a timely fashion, analyzing it, and incorporating the lessons learned quickly and effectively. An incident report sitting in a file is not going to impact safety going forward. And lagging indicators are only one piece of the puzzle.
Q. How do leading indicators make a difference?
A. Leading indicators are the other half of the equation. They are an essential part of comprehensive safety planning because they help you identify risks before an incident happens. For example, you might conduct regular safety audits and track the results. If you’re your safety grade drops, even the slightest, that’s a red flag that demands an immediate response. You need to dig deeper and take action to reduce whatever hazards that indicator is pointing to.
Ultimately, you need an approach that continuously incorporates in the full range of lagging and leading indicators. That means accounting for observed behaviors, such as the percentage of employees wearing the correct PPE, as well as leader audits and self-inspections, risk, and hazard assessments, permit to work audits, and job safety analysis (JSA) audits.
Q. How often should training be offered? How do you make sure training is comprehensive?
A. Training is essential to every safety program and should serve as workforce development, instead of only doing it to fulfill OSHA requirements. Training should be on an ongoing basis, monthly and yearly at a minimum.
There are a few important factors. You need to provide employees with the highest level of training you can offer, and then refresh, supplement and reinforce that training often. That’s why UG2 created our Training and Innovation Center and online platform. It allows us to tap the best trainers in the control and put them in front of every employee. But it’s also about training our team on the customer’s facility and practices before they begin working on a site.
Q. How does having adequate staffing help, with regard to safety?
A. It makes a huge difference. We see customers coming to us for this very reason. An employee shortage that leaves a team down even just one person puts everyone at risk, and having people work additional shifts or extra-long shifts means they are not operating at the top of their game, and they are more vulnerable to errors and injuries. Having backup talent who are trained in the ins and outs of the facility is important. A larger team also allows you to cross-train employees for different roles so they can quickly step in and provide support.
Q. What are the human and interpersonal aspects of safety planning and incident prevention?
A. This is an excellent question because the human factor is so often overlooked. As much as a strong safety record relies on best practices, training, and technology, it also demands that you account for human behavior. Research tells us how difficult it is to change ingrained habits. It’s human nature to want to take shortcuts ― like failing to use safety goggles because you don’t happen to have them with you in the moment. Training programs must reinforce best practices by recognizing and rewarding safe behavior. There is also the soft skills factor. Employees have to be confident and comfortable communicating about safety issues, whether it is asking for help in the moment or pointing out a concern.
Like so many areas of importance when it comes to excelling in facility services, safety practice is nuanced and requires continuous attention and recalibration. Maximizing safety for all means incorporating hazard mitigation into every decision and interaction so that it becomes second nature.