HSE Culture & Human Behaviour Flashcards
HSE Climate
is the tangible outputs or indicators as perceived by individuals at a point of time - this is an objective view
HSE Culture
is the shared perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour patterns & values. this can be viewed by an outside party
developing and health and safety culture
- leadership & commitment
- HS policy
- identify & allocate HS responsibilities
- adequate resources
- same importance as other company objectives
- risk assessments
- SSOW
- Training
- communication & consultation
- monitor effectiveness
how to measure a health and safety culture
- attitudes
- communications
- business integrations
- decision making
- committees
- status of a safety advisor
- enforcement action
- policy - documents
- questionnaires
- read documents - minute meetings - interviews
competence
- recruitment
- information supplied
- instruction
- cover of absences
- promotes health & safety
- encourages ideas from employees
consolation - benefits
- demonstrates management commitment
- ownership of safety measures by employees
- improved perception of the value of health & safety
- legal requirement
- use of employee knowledge
- encourages ideas from employees
consolation arrangements
- safety committees (union & joint labour)
- reps
- departmental meetings
- informational conversations between leadership & employees
- discussion during incident investigations and risk assessments
- tool box talks
- discussion groups
- safety circles
- staff appraisals
- suggestion schemes
- appraisals
- day to day meetings
safety circles
small groups of employees who are not safety reps or members of a safety committee, they formally discuss safety issues and he immediate working environment
Safety reps
role - is to work proactively to prevent workplace exposure exposure to occupational hazards
what are the typical activities and requirements of the reps?
typical work activities
- workplace observations and inspections
- examination of records
- listening to complaints
- reading information
- asking members represented - what they think
requirements of the reps
- appointed by election
- have protection from dismissal or prejudicial treatment against them
- be give adequate information on H&S matters
- be consulted with
- able to contribute to the HSE decision making process
- have access to all parts of the workplace, workers inspectors and HSE specialists
- allowed reasonable time
- given training to perform their functions
influential parties that can affect a company’s Health & Safety performance
- employer bodies
- trade associations
- trade unions
- professional groups (such IOSH)
- the public
- ILO/ national government & enforcement agencies
- insurance companies
- media
- pressure groups
employer bodies are:
- groups the represent the interest of employers
- CBI - confederation of british industry - UK
- main lobby organisation for UK and business
works with government & policy makers to help UK businesses to compete more effeciency
influence - sets performance standards
trade associations are:
- groups who require membership
- represent companies who operate in a particular field
- promotes common interest / improvements in health & safety as well as environmental & technical standards
- publication of guidance notes / information notes / good practice & regular briefing notes on technical issues and regulatory developments
- share good practice
- news & events
- meetings / workshops / seminars which lead to networking & exchange of info & ideas on technical safety issues
influence = sets performance standards - self regulation / compliance
trade unions are:
- organisation of workers with common goals in key areas (wages, hours, working conditions)
- negotiates with the employer on behalf of its members ( contracts, wages, work rules, complaint procedures, workplace safety & policy , grievances)
- responds to worker concerns
- agreement negotiated - binding on rank and file members
- unions ma appoint safety reps - investigate accidents and conduct inspections as well as sitting on safety committees
- educates union members on HS
- no type of employer involvement
influence = checks the workplace - gives guidance & guidance
what are professional groups such as IOSH
- individuals who work in a particular profession
- achieved a defined level of competence
- members pay a subscription & receive benefits
- UK - IOSH - is the largest body for professionals / charted professionals / sets standards / provides authoritive advice & guidance on HS
- supports & develops matters
what influence do the following parties have on a companies HS
- the public
- ILO / national government & enforcement agencies
- insurance companies
- the public = loss of custom - poor marketing
- ILO = guidance and enforce standards
- insurance companies = performance standards
what influence does the media have on companies
- publicize incidents
- wide audience
- sensationalist
- may be influenced by pressure groups
- advantageous or detrimental to a business
- perceptions of customers, clients & stakeholders
BP TEXAS / PERRIER WATER / PIPER ALPHA (CHANGE IN OIL INDUSTRY) / SHELL EXPLORATION PLATFORM (WAS GOING TO BE DUMPED IN THE SEA BUT STOPPED BY A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
what are pressure groups
- organised group of people with a common interest
- seeks to influence goverment policy & legislation
- carries out research
- lobbies members of parliament
- aims to influence public & government opinion
- UK - centre for corporate accounting
- promotes worker & public safety
- focus on role of state bodies in enforcing HS law
- investigating work related deaths and injuries
attitude
is the predisposition of a person to act in a certain way / or think in a certain way. this may be determined by ancestry, personal, experience & training
aptitude
is considering the persons talent or appropriateness of actions
anthropometry
is applying data on human dimensions such as arm reach and height. to better design the equipment for use by humans
ergonomics
is adapting the work (equipment, procedures & environment) for the worker
perception
the process by which people interpret information that they take through their senses
factors that affect perception
- fatigue / stress
- drugs & alcohol
- IQ
- education & training
- aptitude
- experience
- expectation
- environmental factors
- disability - sensory
- inadequate or ambiguous information
- workplace pressures - peer group
motivation
is the driving force or incentive which persuades people to behave in a certain way and do something willingly
how workers can be motivated to behave in a positive way
- management commitment - leadership - lead by example
- consultation - communication of the change
- maintenance of equipment / right equipment for the right job
- praise / recognition & encouragement
- incentive & reward schemes
- job satisfaction
- sufficient time
- positive peer pressure
- safety campaigns
- discipline
influence of behaviour in the workplace
- motivation
- personality - individual traits and preferences
- aptitude - innate skills - possession - spacial awareness
- experience
- education
- intelligence
- training - development of cognitive & physical skills
- perception of risk
- disability
HRA = Human Reliability Analysis is…………
is a structured way of estimating the probability of human errors in specific tasks. it has similar principles to task analysis
you can improve human reliability by
- ergonomics
- individual / personal
- job / task
- organisational / management
explain these further
- ergonomics = working environment (comfortable & noise) / machine interface is it ergonomically suitable
- individual / personal = competence / employee selection (right person for the right job) / training & instruction / consideration of vulnerable workers / performance monitoring / provision of support materials / health surveillance / job satisfaction assessment
- job / task = task analysis of safety critical jobs / changing work patterns (fatigue) / job rotation (boredom) / improve worker communication / appropriate rest breaks / adequate staffing levels (reduce pressure)
organisational / management = develop a positive HS culture / management committed & leading by example / installing a safety management system / involving employees in safety matters / ensuring consultation / MOC / adequate supervison
improving human reliability in controls
controls
- minimum number - avoid confusion
- easy to operate - position
- logical order flow of the operation
- operated by a positive action
- feedback to indicate successful operation
- stereotyping conventions
- positioned next to displays
- emergency controls - prominent
- arc around the operator - prevent over reaching
- frequent access - nearer to users
- if force is needed power assist
- not over sensitive
improving human reliability with displays
displays
- visible from the normal position
- large
- labeled pictograms
- safety critical - normal sight line
- follow stero type - red for danger - green for go
- digital vs analogue
- avoid glare
- avoid duplication
skill based behaviour and errors
a low level pre programmed sequence of actions where workers carry out routine operations, often as though they are in automatic pilot
when a similar routine is incorrectly selected, when there is an interruption or inattention causing a stage in the operation to ve missed or repeated. or if checks are not completed to verify that the correct routine has been selected
preventative measures
- design routine & controls that are distinct from each other
- using feedback signals to worn when the wrong cause of action has been taken
- allowing adequate work breaks or job rotation to maintain attention
- introduce training
- complete a risk assessment
- high level of supervison
skill based errors can form two types
- slips
- lapses
slips = failure to carry out actions (eg - an experienced carne operator attempts to lower a load slowly and applies too much pressure which results in a sudden violent lowering of the load )
lapses = forgetting to carry out an action / losing a place in a task / forgetting what they intended to do ( eg an experienced machine operator forgets to remove the chuck key, from the grinder resulting in the key being ejected and the machine starting)
rule based behaviours and mistakes
are actions based on recognising patterns and situations, then selecting the action based on learned set of rules
the diagnosis is based on previous experience & insufficient training. operatives apply the usual rule when it is not appropiate. operative may fail to remember the correct rule
preventative measures
- clear & simple presentation of information
- training & competence measurement
- system highlights unusual or infrequent occurances
eg. PIPPER ALPHER
knowledge based behaviour and mistakes
is the higher problem solving level, with no set rules and the decisions made are based on the knowledge of the system
knowledge based decisions occur in familiar situations where there is
- is tried or tested rule
- incomplete information
- misdiagnosis of information
- insufficient understanding of the knowledge of the system
- insufficient time
preventative measures
- training on recognising risks & hazards
- supervision
- checking system
- sufficient time & knowledge
- adequate resources
FIXBROUGH & PORT RAMSGATE DISASTER
Routine violations
violations which have become the normal way of working - speeding on a motorway
situational violations
rules rae broken due to pressure from the job - such as uncomfortable working environment or time shortage
exceptional violations
these occur when something has gone wrong. in emergencies where rule breaking is believed to have more benefits then risks
why people disregard instructions at induction
- organisational
- behavioural
organisational
- employee selection (poor recruitment / poor attitude / intelligence)
- poor induction (fail to engage / training not applicable to the workplace)
- no refresher training
- lack of awareness (experience workers looking out for new ones)
- peer group pressure
- poor supervision
- poor safety culture
behavioural
- lack of familiarity with the working environment
- poor risk perception - age - experience
- cultural issues - values & beliefs
- language issues - reading & understanding
- sensory impairment
- IQ - low IQ = difficulty in understanding hazards and instruction
results of not managing organisational change
- safety profile not maintained
- new job responsibilities may not cover all HS issues
- failure in consultation mechanisms
- training not completed
- poor communication
- poor co operation
- concerns over job security
- cost reduction - concerned about well being
- loss of experience & knowledge
- no MOC
- outsourcing not controlled
- natural resistance to change
