Superior safety performance systems

Where the culture, the system of expected behavior, demands superior safety performance, the design and engineering, management and operations, and task performance aspects of safety are well-balanced. 

Similar proprietary systems are available from other organisations such as the Brihsh Safety Council who offer a 5-star audit system. The scope of the proprietary systems has been developed after considerable experience in many businesses and cultures. They capture all of the key components for achieving superior safety performance. If an enterprise chooses an internally developed self-assessment route, then keeping a... 

Different metrics may be used to describe past performance, predict future performance, and encourage behavioral change. They are a means to evaluate the overall system performance and to develop a path toward superior process safety performance. This is accomplished by identifying where the current performance falls within a spectrum of excellent-to-poor performance. Such information will allow executives and site management to develop plans to address the specific improvement opportunities that could lead to measurable improvement in process safety. Good process safety metrics reinforce a process safety culture that promotes the belief that process safety incidents are preventable, that improvement is continuous, and that policies and procedures are necessary and will be followed. Continuous improvement is necessary and any improvement program will be based on measurable elements. Therefore, to continuously improve performance, organizations must develop and implement effective process safety metrics. 

Each company had been through at least one downsizing, and staffs were lean. Throughout their operations, more is expected of fewer people. Although their safety achievements were superior, in all five companies executive-led improvement activity was in progress. I discussed how, at that time, the model companies achieved outstanding safety performance, and I set forth the comments I would make to safety professionals on what is necessary with respect to specific elements of safety systems to achieve superior results. 

Chapters of books and articles have been written with titles such as The Hazard Control Process, Basic Safety Programming, Managing Safety Performance, Management of Loss Control, and Safety Performance. But none of the authors considered the impact of an organization s culture on the safety performance attainable. To achieve superior safety results, the system of expected behavior deriving from the culture must demonstrate that such results are to be attained. 

Accountability for safety performance in the superior performing companies is clearly established with line management at every level. Safety performance is one of the elements scored in the organization s overall performance measurement system. Favorable or unfavorable results influence salaries, bonuses, and promotion potential. 

That statement implies that a system of expected behavior is in place, as a reflection of an organization s culture a system of expected behavior that requires a superior level of safety performance. 

It was also stated in Chapter 1 that Section 7.0, the Management Review section, was a close second in importance. Maintaining superior management leadership requires that evaluations be made of the effectiveness of safety processes so that improvements can be made where necessary. The Management Review provisions in ZIO require gathering, at least annually, the data necessary to assess The performance of the occupational health and safety nnanagement systems relative to expectations. Action items for improvement are to be drafted as that performance assessment is made. 

To qualify for the Star designation, an entity must show that its 3-year illness and injury Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and its 3-year Days Away from Work, Restricted Work Activity, and Job Transfer Rate (DART) fall below the entity s industry average. That suggests exclusivity and deserved recognition for those companies which have superior safety and health management systems and stellar performance. 

In summarizing the status of these R D efforts, it can be said that Ca-TC cells are promising primary battery systems and, in several respects, appear superior to commercial Li-TC or Li-S02 cells. These include the volumetric energy density, which can be higher for Ca-TC cells than for Li-S02 cells by 30% [451]. In addition, the safety features of Ca-TC cells are better than those of Li-TC or Li-S02 batteries. While the melting point of Li (180°C) limits their use at temperatures well below this point, Ca-TC cells withstand heating up to 600°C and short circuiting at this temperature [452], The state of the art of these studies includes tests on the performance and safety features of Ca-TC cells sized from 3.5 A h to 7000 A h [453],... 

In humans, the pulmonary drug deposition of HFA-beclometasone is superior to CFC-beclometasone and is improved by 10-fold in some studies (Sears 1995). Equivalent improvements in asthma control are seen with half of the daily dose of HFA-beclometasone compared with CFC-beclometasone. The greater systemic availability of HFA-beclometasone does not increase adrenal suppression the adrenal effects and acute local tolerability are comparable to that of the CFC formulation at the same dose. Equivalent efficacy at a lower dose and equivalent safety at the same dose indicate a more favorable risk-benefit ratio for HFA-beclometasone. Comparative studies of HFA- and CFC-beclometasone have not been performed in horses. In theory, the enhanced drug delivery and efficacy of HFA-beclometasone may explain, in part, why relatively low doses of beclometasone are therapeutically effective in heaves-affected horses, compared with standard therapeutic doses in asthmatic humans. 

Standardization of the AQS system enables paragon to provide sensors of superior value and quality, which enables car manufacturers to supply comfortable cars with a high performance air-quality management system. As for other components, the trend is that more and more compact cars are equipped with air-quality sensors to improve safety, health, and comfort. The customer is offered an effective air-quality management, with plenty more potential for the future. 

Because of the emphasis given to them in discussions with safety professionals, two performance measurement systems deserve further comment. Scheduled safety audits are performed in eveiy superior performing company. Through a formal process, they provide management with a determination that expectations are or are not being met. In that process a systems aura prevails — an aura of plan, do, check, and improve. 

Discussions of achievements with safety professionals whose oiganiza-tions had top scores did not produce any surprises. Incident investigation for hazard identification and analysis gets done best where the organization s culture includes accountability for superior performance. Here is an aggregate Mst of the conoments made in discussions with safety professionals in those entities with the best incident investigation systems ... 

Systems and processes must be designed to attain superior quality and safety if that is the performance level desired. 

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