Job Safety Observation Form

In a planned observation, the supervisor selects the employee and the job to observe. The supervisor also decides the most suitable time. Some supervisors may want to make assignments for planned job safety observations. The basic tool for making a planned observation is job safety/hazard analysis (JSA/JHA). (If a JSA/JHA is not used, the supervisor must be completely familiar with the job steps, job hazards, and safe job procedures.) The supervisor should observe the employee doing a complete job cycle, paying attention to safe or unsafe procedures and conditions. A Planned Job Safety Observation Form should be used (see Table 14.1). All safe practices noted should result in a sincere compliment to the employee involved while any unsafe actions call for appropriate corrective measures. In either instance, the supervisor should make an observation record. A planned safety observation is a valuable loss prevention tool. 

Some jobs involve only a few simple, routine tasks. Others involve doing many tasks, some more often than others. It is important to keep records of observations. See Table 14.1 for an example of a Job Safety Observation Form. The results will tell each supervisor just what has been or should be done about a particular worker. A Job Safety Observation Form contains the employee s name, department, job title, and a list of the tasks performed when doing that job. If the employee has completed the task safely, place an S in the appropriate column to indicate that the task was performed satisfactorily. An R indicates that, for some reason(s), the employee should be observed again at a later time. Use the comments space to record any observed unsafe practices, or any other information about the task(s) or the worker. To choose the task to observe, consider whether (1) it involves some new procedures because of a recent JSA revision, (2) there has been a change in equipment or machinery, (3) it poses an exceptional hazard, or (4) it is a job infrequently done but is complex. A U indicates unsatisfactory performance at a particular task and corrective action is required. 

The basic idea of job safety observation is simple. It is a special effort to see how employees do their jobs. Planned safety observation involves more effort than an occasional or incidental observation of job procedures. Job safety observatiou is a way of determining unsafe practices and violations of safety rules. This accideut prevention method emphasizes the importance of a proper supervisor/employee relationship. Becoming more interested in the employee through observations will lead to greater cooperation in the safety program. You will find a job safety observation form in Figure 14.2, which you cau use to couduct your owu job safety observation. 

Figure 14.2 Job safety observation form. (From Reese, C.D. and Eidson, J.V., Hand book of OSHA Construction Safety and Health, 2nd edn., Boca Raton, FL CRC/Lewis Publishers, 1999. Courtesy of Mine Safety and Health...

Safety promotion subteam This subteam s objective is the raising of safety awareness. They would audit and approve safety improvements and track and support the JSA (job safety analysis) efforts. They could also collect the safety observation forms and hold a drawing to select a few winners at all company meetings. Rewards earned through these... 

The recognition of hazards is of primary importance. After workers and supervisors have been trained regarding hazard identification, their understanding of Occupational Safety and Health regulations will help identify jobs, equipment and machinery, areas, and industry processes that have exhibited hazards in the past. It will be your responsibility to identify the potential for hazards, or the existence of hazards within your workplace. Some tools used for identification have been presented in the form of hazard hunts, job hazard analysis, and job safety observations, while other techniques provide the means to prevent and control existing hazards. 

Safety knowledge reviews and work observations should be routinely performed by the supervisor to measure the effectiveness of the company s safety program, training, PPE, compliance etc. At a minimum, the work observation form should include the employee s name, job title, year/date, supervisor name, work task(subject observed), OK/deviation, comments, and corrective action. This documentation should be maintained in the employee personnel file or a computerized file designed for this purpose. This information will be helpful in evaluating the company s accident prevention plan and will be used during an OSHA audit to document the company s safety training requirements. 

Accurate and permanent records of observed behavior are essential for a job safety analysis, an injury investigation, and a successful DO IT process. Most existing records are in the form... 

Flanagan (1954) developed the procedure known as the critical incident technique. This relatively simple process involves interviewing job incumbents and asking for descriptions of critical incidents in their job, and also asking what they did in the particular simation. Critical incident information could also be obtained by supervisors keeping a record of simations they have observed, and employees responses to the simation. Thus, a critical incident represents a specific job simation and a particularly effective response to that simation. The critical incident technique can easily be applied to gather safety-specific examples. A sample of employees would be asked to describe a simation which had a safety aspect and then to describe how the safety issue was handled or resolved. Of course it is necessary to ensure that the response to the simation is indeed the correct response in that it is what the organization would want an employee to do when the particular safety simation occurred. Once a number of these critical incidents have been identified, they can be formed into employment interview questions. The job applicant is presented with the question (or scenario) and is assessed on their description of how they would (or have) handle or responded to the simation, and in particular how... 

Figure 4.6 is a form used to summarize routine measurements. You will note that Universal Copper and Metals Mine chooses to measure such things as inspections, safety talks, and spot job observations. Each issue is very operationally focused and has significant impact at the working level. 

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