Observation process checklists

Develop behavioral checklists for particular jobs and departments. When checklists are developed, they are not cast in stone. First draft checklists, then revise and improve them as necessary to aid the observation process. In general, checklists should be developed for each area. Keep the list of checklists as small as practical. A good practice is to keep the checklists short and manageable— ensure checklists focus on the critical behaviors. Don t forget to... 

As discussed previously, one of the benefits of an observation process is that employees who conduct observations learn to work more safely (see the discussion of the observer effect in Chapter 27). Observers begin to perform the behaviors on the checklist much more consistently, surprisingly even when they have not been observed or received feedback on their own safety practices. In addition, by conducting safety observations, employees are learning to identify hazards in their work areas, which may, at least in part, explain why they begin to work more safely. 

You should walk through the entire observation process and debug each step. Be prepared to go through several revisions of each checklist and procedure. 

Once you have completed your trial run and made final revisions to both your checklist and procedure, the design team should present the observation process to management. This step should be one of the milestones on your initial schedule. Use this meeting as an opportunity for... 

Overview of the observation process o Observation checklist o Steps in conducting an observation o Feedback discussions... 

Management should outline the purpose and types of job safety observations, including how to select a job or task for planned safety observations, how to prepare for a planned safety observation, how to use a checklist of activities to observe unsafe procedures, what the employees role in the observation process is, what occurs after the observation, and how to deal with unsafe behavior and performance. 

After preparation, a checklist may be used by less expert engineers than the preparers for inspecting the process areas to compare the process equipment and operations with the checklist oidrcr on hardcopy or laptop computer. The analyst fills in the checklist according to observations from their inspection, process documentation, and interviews with operators and their perceptions. 

PERFORMING THE ANALYSIS. After a checklist is prepared, it can be applied by less experienced engineers if necessary. Team members should walkthrough and visually inspect the process areas to compare the process equipment and operations to the checklist items. The checklist can be reviewed in either hard copy or computer-based form. The analysts respond to the checklist items based on observations from their visual inspections, process documentation, interviews with operating personnel, and personal perceptions. If the process... 

Meta-cognitive processes These were coded in crew communication when hypotheses were generated ( I shonld be able to tune in to an ILS frequency using the dial on the VOR unit to get a reference for the inbound course 003 ), when changes were observed ( 1 have switched to the backup system and have now received an artificial horizon ), when rules were deducted ( when I put down the nose [in manual backup law] then speed increases ), when explanations were constructed C What is nty problem I cannot put in the frequency, etc. ), and when the task was stiuctured C I first want to stabilize the aircraft before finishing the ECAM checklist ). 

Perform trial runs and fine-tune the observation checklist and process (McSween, 1995, p. 134). 

The only empirical approach to improving safety that has proven to be effective is a behavioral safety process. Behavioral safety is the only approach that has routinely produced significant reductions in incidents in well-designed research studies. The approach involves employees using a systematically developed checklist as the basis for feedback on critical safety practices observed in work areas (1998, p. 49). 

At the end of this period the checklists and the goals are reviewed and updated and the cycle starts again. Usually at this stage new observers take over so that, over time, all members of the work group take part in the process. 

Field measurements, 511-521 pressure surveys, 511-513, 520 temperature, 513-515 flow, 515-516 drilling out bleeders, 516-518 sampling techniques, 518-519 levels, 519 checklist, 521 Field observations, 17 Filter plugging, 94 Fin tube damage (process heaters), 325... 

To prevent later problems, specific measurements and observations of fouling conditions should be made in development trials. The outcome should be a comprehensive set of guidelines, checklists, and workable procedtues, resulting in die development of a safe, stable, and nonfouling process. Some of the specific items to consider during development are ... 

Many companies have adopted an observation-based behavioral safety process to improve compliance with safety procedures, but simply implementing the basic elements of a behavioral safety process does not always work. Companies can encounter problems in getting employees to conduct needed observations, in getting employees to effectively provide feedback to other employees, and in employees filling out observation checklists informally without conducting actual observations. These problems may indicate an overemphasis on the reporting process and inadequate attention to the values required to implement safety improvements successfully. 

Where do observers get observation checklists and how do they submit completed observations You will also need to plan the administrative aspects of supporting observations, as in where employees obtain blank observation checklists and, after the observations are completed, how they submit the checklists to the steering committee. As part of the data feedback process described in the next chapter, you may want to establish a safety bulletin board in each area. This board can display the blank checklist, and it is a good area in which to locate drop boxes for submitting completed observations. In some cases employees can submit completed observations through interoffice mail, and in others the observers can enter their observation data into a computerized database. 

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