Safe work observations

Safe Work Observations—looking at selected work practices on a regular basis and providing feedback on the safe and potentially unsafe acts observed. 

It is vital that some form of feedback and follow up on the reported near miss incidents is given. Generally, a monthly list of all the items reported is circulated to all via the intranet or posted on the notice boards, or featured in the newsletter. Employees want to see what they have reported in writing and want to see some form of action being taken on their report. In most instances, the reports will be of high risk acts or high risk conditions and safe work observations and few may be true near miss incidents. 

Injection—The injection of hazardous materials into the body sounds, at first, like a bad joke. Who in his right mind would inject themselves—exp>ecially when it is not required by a doctor However, it can occur by stepping on or bumping against a sheup object while working at an incident site. It will happen before you even realize it has occurred and the reality of possible being internally contaminated sinks in. The best precaution for this eventuality is to have on protective clothing and observe safe work habits. 

It is also assumed that safe working practices are observed. In particular, organic solvents should only be evaporated in a properly functioning chemical fume hood, correct protective equipment should be worn when dealing with potentially hazardous chemical or biological materials, and waste solutions should be disposed of in accordance with all applicable regulations. 

The worker training program consisted of classroom instruction followed up with on-the-job application of the material learned in class. Nine videotapes were made to demonstrate the use of safe work practices. Basic information about each work practice and its usefulness was presented, followed by a demonstration of how to perform the work practice. Employees observed one videotape... 

Observations demonstrated that bonding of concrete slabs with polymer PM reduces vertical and horizontal deformations of them of about 50%, allowing for safe work of airfield pavements. It should be noticed that contractions joints deform horizontally of about 5 mm between winter and summer and similar value was measured in cases of vertical deformation. An example of 24 hours measurements of vertical displacements of airfield slab is presented in Fig. 16 (for original slab with bituminous filling and slab bonded with polymer PM). Comparison of vertical displacement shows that the use of polymer joints in contradiction to bituminous mass reduces warping deformations of the comers about two times, what is very advantageous in aspect of airfield exploitation. 

Discomfort due to foot problems not only lowers productivity it also leaves workers distracted and less likely to observe safe working procedures, heightening the possibility of accidents. 

Equipment that operates under pressure is specially designed to withstand that pressure and is fitted with a safety or pressure release valve or bursting disc to prevent excessive pressure developing inside it. The safe working pressure (S.W.P.) should be clearly marked on the equipment and it is important that this pressure is not exceeded. The gauge pressure must be observed regularly. 

Being safe requires attention to all three factors since they have significant influence on your safety. If your college laboratory is safe and you observe other students and teachers there working safely by observing safety rules and safe practices, then you will begin to adopt an attitude that safety is important in the laboratories and I want to be safe, too. ... 

In addition, workers need periodic reinforcement on performing work safely. Some workers develop bad habits that may lead to accidents or leave hazards present for others. In some cases work observation and feedback with discussion may correct unsafe practices. 

The observer can provide the person performing the task with immediate feedback on at-risk behaviors and provide reinforcement on safe work performance. If the observer asks the worker why he used at-risk behaviors to perform a task, the observer can learn if there are roadblocks that prevent the worker from performing the task in a safe manner. The observer may find that protective equipment is not available or is no longer usable, which then becomes a follow-up item for the steering committee or management. 

Much of the material on job safety observation (JSO) in this chapter was taken from the United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration s publication entitled Safety Observation (MSHAIG 84). Job safety observations are one of the accident prevention techniques that can be used to assess safe work performance. 

Supervisors may have reasons for observing certain employees. For example, repeat offenses or observed unsafe behavior are examples of an area where a job would be selected because of individual needs. The supervisor should select the repeat offender for regular planned safety observations. Such planned observations can show reasons why some employees have more accidents than others. Another area selected for observation includes chronically unsafe employees. These may be workers who take unnecessary chances, violate safety rules, and develop improper work methods. Workers suspected of being physically or mentally incapable of safe work may also fit into the area of individual needs. 

Safety and health programs must go beyond management s commitment. Managers and supervisors must make an effort to ensure that hazards are identified and reported when observed. Those hazards then must be removed from the workplace or, at the very least, controlled, to mitigate the potential danger. If employees are not trained in hazard recognition and safe work procedures, they cannot be expected to perform their work in a safe manner. 

The Report of thorough examination must be on a prescribed form. Where the machine has a defect and cannot continue to be used with safety, then a copy of the report must be sent to the Health and Safety Executive within 28 days. Under the Lifting Machines (Particulars of Examinations) Order 1963, reports must contain information such as the identification mark, safe working load, particulars of defects, observations, name of the competent person and the date of examination. The Docks Regulations also stipulate... 

Each supervisor should provide frequent positive reinforcement of work practices to employees. This informal discussion gauges whether training is effective and reinforces desired safe behaviors. Some worksites also provide special recognition for the use of safe work practices. Some supervisors periodically pass out various types of safety cards that can be redeemed for a free cup of coffee or soft drink, or a jacket, key chain, shirt, etc. Other supervisors periodically observe individual employees at their tasks and provide oral and/or written feedback on what was done safely [2]. 

One-on-one training is the most effective training method. The supervisor periodically spends some time watching an individual employee work. Then he/she meets with the employee to discuss safe work practices, provide positive feedback, and/or provide additional instruction to counteract any observed unsafe practices. One-on-one training is most effective when applied to all employees and not just when there appears to be a problem. This is because the positive feedback provided for safe work practices is this method s most powerful tool. It helps employees establish new safe behavior patterns. It also recognizes and thereby reinforces the desired behavior [5]. 

Documented observations demonstrate that employees at all levels are adhering to safe work rules. 

The Success of this Project Depends on Your Support and Cooperation Safety in the workplace is in everyone s interest and so everyone on site in the pilot areas will take part in this project. This is your opportunity to participate in a new venture which aims to make this a safer place in which to work. We ask that you support your colleagues, the observers, and work together to encourage safe working behaviour. 

The accident investigation will now get the facts as to which people were involved, what equipment was involved, what were the environmental conditions concerning the lighting, noise and work situation, and also what procedures and policies were there that could have prevented the accident. These procedures could be the safety induction training, the staff selection process, the observation of critical tasks being carried out, or the written safe work procedures, among others. 

The question the underwriters wanted an answer for was Is this prospective client maintaining a safe work environment and is it serious about keeping hazards and associated risk under control If the observed Artifacts indicated that issues existed that increased the potential for loss and did not reflect the Espoused Values, then the perception left was that the Underlying Belief system was different from the Espoused Values. An example, if inspections were to be routinely done and deficiencies immediately corrected but observation noted maintenance and housekeeping problems, then the real belief is that inspections were not considered important. 

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