EHS 27 erforming an Effective Safety Walkaroun Engineering Division
Jan 02, 2016
EHS 27 Performing an Effective Safety Walkaround
Engineering Division
Safety Walkarounds
• Objective: make operations safe to avoid injury• This is done is by helping one another to make
comprehensive observations to review and improve work processes
• A key element is layered pairs• Get first line worker involvement
—Workers are most knowledgeable about the work
—Engage for an exchange of ideas and stimulate active thinking.
• Rotate and mix observers —Different people bring in different perspectives
and integrate with worker knowledge
Behavior Observation Categories
1. Reactions— This relates people’s (dis)comfort and feeling about the management
system.2. PPEs from head to toe
— Are people adequately protective from risks or hazards in the work environment?
3. Body positions and motions— Relative to hazards in the workplace can include what can people
strike against, be struck by, fall from, be caught between or under, exposure to hazardous materials or environments and/or repetitive motions and stresses
4. Tools and equipment— Are they appropriate for the job, are they in good condition, are they
being used appropriately?5. Housekeeping and orderliness
— Poor housekeeping, disorder and clutter make doing safe work more difficult
6. Work Process and Procedures1. Are work processes in place, adequate, understood and being
followed? Are people comfortable work process in helping people perform the job without an injury. Are procedures in place to define the work, how to do it and what the hazards are?
The Walkaround Process
1. Plan for effectiveness— What kind of work will you be looking at?— Where?— What are the most significant hazards in the area?— Have a focus in mind
• Validating ISM• Guidance Cards / Checklist Areas
— Avoiding the herd• Need for matrix management involvement• 2 people best, 3 OK, 4 iffy, 5 serious herding
• Paperless— It’s not about note taking— Have a positive discussion— Engender trust in the organization— Non-punitive, non-blame, no names, no titles
The Walkaround Process (2)
2. Observe People at Work— Make good quality observations of unsafe acts and
unsafe conditions• Does the process look as safe as it could be?• Validate safe processes and safe conditions
3. Reach Judgments— Raise questions about the safety that you see
• Does something you observe appear to be difficult to perform?
• Does the posturing displayed appear to be awkward?• Raise questions that help people think about better ways
to do things
• Most unsafe conditions are a result of an unsafe act.• think about what unsafe acts could have led up to and
resulted in an unsafe condition.
The Walkaround Process (3)
4. Interact with Workers— Have a positive interface to share best
thinking— The observer and worker engaging in active
thinking about the work, the hazards connected with the work and ways to strengthen the work process
— Recognition• Provide positive recognition with reinforcement for
good safe behavior and practices
The Walkaround Process (4)
5. Document what you have seen and done—Perform this immediately after your walkaround—Write down those things that will help you drive
continuous improvement.• What are the unsafe acts and conditions you observed?
• What are the underlying causes of those unsafe acts and conditions?
—Determine the causes of unsafe acts and conditions, act to eliminate them so they won’t happen again.
• Document any agreements that you reach with workers about improved work processes
• Document any opportunities for improved standards or improved work processes
—Document any follow-up actions you committed to—Ensure these steps drive continuous improvement
The Walkaround Process (5)
• How often do walkarounds need to be?—Weekly?—Monthly?—As Needed defined by Area/People
Documenting & Follow Through
• Enter corrective actions that cannot be immediately addressed into the LBNL Corrective Action Tracking System (CATS)—Make yourself the responsible person unless it
is matrix space —Perform this in timely manner—Use this as a record to track follow-up
(implementation)—A principal purpose of doing walkarounds is to
identify opportunities for improvement and to implement those improvements
• Bring documentation back to monthly safety meetings as data to drive continuous improvement in your operations
Understand Why Things Happen
Recognizing the reasons a negative situation occurs aids in addressing the problem.
What happened here?
What Do You Think?
Are there any safety concerns here?
Slips, Trips, Falls, and Bumps
1. Mouse arm(extended arm)
2. Bent wrist & palm planting
Most Common Ergo Posture (habit) Problems (p1)
Bad – arm under stress
Bad – keyboard too low
Better – mouse close to body
Better – raise keyboard, wrists neutral
4. Bike riding PostureFrequently causedby eyesight issues – glasses OK?
3.Unsupported Arms
Most Common Ergo Posture (habit) Problems (p2)
Bad – arms in stress Better – arms supported
Bad - sitting out of the gate Better - relaxed
Focus on asking the right question; Not on having the right answer
“I know material handling is a challenge. What would you recommend to do this job better? How can I help?”
Initial studies (1930s) showed that for each disabling injury, there were on average 29 minor injuries and 300 close calls/no injury.
Recent studies indicate that for each serious result there are on average 59 minor and 600 near-misses.
INITIAL STUDIES RECENT STUDIES
Near-Miss/Precursor Relationships
1
MINORTruck trailer moves, driver jumps to ground and sprains ankle29
300
1SERIOUS
Truck trailer moves, driver jumps to ground and breaks leg or truck rolls over him/her
CLOSE CALLLift truck is driven into truck trailer and trailer moves
59
600
(courtesy of U.S. Army Safety Center & I.E. DuPont)
3,000 6,000PRECURSOR
Wheel chocks not in place at rear wheels of trailer
EXAMPLE
Walkarounds
• Need to be positive• Collaborative• Non-punitive • A teamwork process
— Aimed at getting everyone’s best thinking— Energy directed making the operations as
safe as possible.• Helps instill Safety as a core value
If it isn’t safe, it isn’t done