Management walk-arounds: Lessons from the Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout

Many companies understand that good management requires senior managers to spend time with front line workers. Some companies build into performance agreements for senior managers a requirement that they conduct a certain number of such site visits each year. The challenge is to make productive use of these visits. Safety is often a focus for visiting VIPs, but too often safety is understood to be a matter of “slips, trips and falls”, rather than the major hazards that can blow the plant or the rig apart. This paper will examine a VIP visit made to the Deepwater Horizon rig by senior managers from BP and from the rig owner, Transocean, just hours before the explosion. It will argue that, despite their best of intentions, these managers fell into the trap identified above. The paper looks at things that senior managers can do to focus attention on the most significant hazards.     

广州城市轨道交通工程安全管理信息化研究与实践

为解决城市轨道交通工程安全管理信息分散、时效性差、参建单位协同工作能力弱以及安全预警数据支持差等问题,将信息化技术引入轨道交通工程建设中,建立了“广州城市轨道交通工程安全、质量与信访管理平台”,并开发集成“广州地铁视频监控系统”与“广州地铁门禁管控系统”,以求实现城市轨道交通工程安全管理工作的信息化、精细化管理。在广州市轨道交通六号线、七号线、九号线工程的应用表明,安全管理信息化技术能够实现建设单位、监理单位、施工单位、设计单位、监测单位等参建单位的信息共享、协同工作、预警预报,并可提高参建人员的安全管理意识与安全管理水平。     

Evaluating a safety culture campaign: Some lessons from a Norwegian case

The focus of the present study is on the implementation and some of the results of an evaluation of a safety culture campaign that partly was aimed at increasing workmate interventions (care). I focus on three groups either working on or with a Norwegian offshore platform: onshore managers, crane operators and process operators. The research questions are: “Has the safety culture campaign contributed to new safety cultures related to care in the three groups, why/why not and what can we learn from this?”. The study indicates that two of the groups have developed new safety cultures that sensitize them to new hazards, motivate and legitimize new preventive practices. In accordance with the interpretive approach to culture in organizations, these changes are discussed in light of members’ of each group’s negotiation over the meaning and relevance of campaign efforts on workmate interventions. Lessons that can be learned from the study are discussed.     

我国与欧洲钢铁企业安全管理的差异与对策研究

对我国和欧洲大型钢铁企业安全管理现状进行了分析,较全面地考察和讨论了欧洲大型钢铁企业先进的安全管理经验和安全理念,包括:企业的安全管理机构和管理模式、精干有效的安全管理人员配置、先进的安全管理理念和方法、安全指标与绩效、欧洲的行业安全管理等。在此基础上,从管理理念、发展科学技术、宣传教育、管理人员、责任和考核、消防和急救资源、外协管理、安全信息化等方面,提出提升我国企业安全管理水平的对策。     

A survey-based system for safety measurement and improvement

PROBLEM:A task force sought to develop a method for safety measurement that is reliable and valid and provides a framework for improvement efforts. METHOD: Over a 10-year period, through working in a chemical company with about 6,000 employees and over 50 plants, the authors researched the use of employee surveys to measure safety and as a diagnostic tool for improvement efforts. RESULTS: The statistical studies indicate that this survey, which evolved from the Minnesota Safety Perception Survey, is both reliable and valid as a measurement tool. The survey measures important components of the management system including (a) management's demonstration of commitment to safety, (b) education and knowledge of the workforce, (c) effectiveness of the supervisory process, and (d) employee involvement and commitment. This study also describes anecdotal evidence that the diagnostic element of the survey enables the development of effective action plans to improve safety performance. This evidence includes ratings of the process by plant managers who have used it. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The survey and related methods have helped to improve safety performance in several companies.     

Project safety as a sustainable competitive advantage

Introduction: To be consistently profitable, a construction company must complete projects in scope, on schedule, and on budget. At the same time, the nature of the often high-risk work performed by construction companies can result in high accident rates. Clients and other stakeholders are placing increasing pressure on companies to decrease those accident rates. Clients routinely demand copies of safety plans and evidence of past results at the “pre-qualification” or “request for proposal” stages of the procurement process. Are high accident rates and the associated costs just a part of business? Findings: Companies that deliver on scope, schedule, and budget have a competitive advantage. Is it possible for projects with low accident rates to use it as a competitive advantage? Is the value added by safety just a temporary or parity issue, or does a successful safety program offer significant advantage to the company and the client? Impact on Industry: This article concludes that in the case of a high-risk industry, such as the construction industry, an organization with a successful safety program can promote safety performance as a sustainable competitive advantage. It is a choice the company can make.     

Understanding the return on health, safety and environmental investments

INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, health safety and environmental (HS & E) investments have been viewed as expensive but necessary. HS & E professionals had a difficult task of providing data showing that these investments can also contribute to business success. An ORC task force developed a way for traditional financial analysis methods to be applied to HS & E investments and decisions. METHOD: The result of the task force effort is the software called the ORC Return on Health, Safety and Environmental Investments (ROHSEI), a supporting tool to provide a comprehensive look at health, safety or environmental investment projects and their potential financial impacts. RESULTS: Since its development, more than 200 companies, government agencies, and educational institutions have been trained in the ROHSEI process and software. CONCLUSIONS: HS & E professionals who are able to evaluate and communicate the business value of health, safety and environmental efforts will improve understanding of the impacts HS & E projects and contribute to better decision making by their organizations.     

基于行为安全理论的化工事故统计及分析

行为安全理论是事故分析和预防的理论和方法,应用基于行为安全理论的事故致因“2-4”模型对10起化工事故的直接、间接、根本、根源原因进行分析。结果表明:该模型是化工事故分析的有效方法。10起事故的直接原因主要为一线员工在涉及高温加热工艺、带压设备、有毒有害环境和动火作业中的违规违章操作,管理人员未建立或运行安全管理体系等不安全动作及不安全物态,且不安全物态与管理人员不安全行为有关;间接原因是一线员工缺乏岗位安全操作等知识,管理人员缺乏安全管理、技术等知识,导致其安全意识薄弱,养成不良的安全习惯;根本原因是组织安全教育等管理程序缺失和执行不力;根源原因是组织成员对安全的重要度等安全文化元素缺乏理解。     

Exploring the perceived influence of safety management practices on project performance in the construction industry

Although safety management is known to be vital to construction projects, very few studies have solicited views from construction practitioners about their perceptions of which safety management practices (SMPs) are important to construction projects and related to project performance. An empirical study was undertaken in Hong Kong in order to shed more light on this topic. In the study, the importance levels of 15 popular SMPs and five project performance criteria were rated by 232 respondents. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and three SMP categories - information, process, and committees - were extracted. Of these three categories, safety management process was perceived by the construction practitioners as being the most important, followed by safety management information and committees. Moreover, the effect of the three SMP categories on a composite project performance variable was tested using hierarchical regression analysis. Results indicate that the “information” and “committees” categories were associated with project performance positively and significantly. One of the major conclusions of the study is that the construction industry has paid relatively less attention to safety management committees, which were empirically analyzed as having a strong perceived impact on project performance. In order to improve project performance, construction companies should promote the criticality of safety management committees.     

Using psychological frameworks to inform the evaluation of fleet safety initiatives

Despite its importance, relatively little past research has investigated the effectiveness of fleet safety initiatives and their impact on drivers’ attitudes and work-related driving outcomes within a strong theoretical framework. This study conceptualised the social–psychological processes underlying two fleet safety initiatives, and hypothesised that these processes could be used to explain the effects of the fleet safety initiatives on changes in attitudes. Twenty-four fleet managers participated in the study and the results suggested that the effectiveness of the fleet safety initiatives in changing fleet managers’ attitudes toward the management of fleet safety could be explained through some of the processes underlying the persuasive communication and behavior management frameworks. Finally, some implications for designing and improving fleet safety initiatives were discussed.     

Perceptions of organizational safety: implications for the development of safety culture

Regulatory bodies in the U.K. have emphasized the importance of ‘a positive health and safety culture’ to the safety performance of companies. A key feature of a company's safety culture is shared perceptions amongst managers and staff concerning the importance of safety. This study recorded the perceptions of 312 British Rail train drivers, supervisors and senior managers concerning the relative importance of 25 railway factors. Each level also gave their estimates of the ratings of the other levels. The study found that whilst there was a shared perception of the importance of safety, intergroup perceptions were not realistic. It is argued that accurate intergroup perceptions are essential to the development of mutual trust and understanding between levels, which forms the basis for a positive safety culture. Suggestions for establishing the foundations for a positive safety culture are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

结合系统工程理论改善承包商安全管理

承包商事故在国内外事故中都占据着很高的比例.加强承包商安全管理是所有企业所面临的一个重要课题,应当引起各级管理者的重视.承包商安全管理涉及因素众多,可遵循系统工程方法论对其进行研究.对层次分析法和回归分析等理论在承包商安全管理中的应用进行了探讨.探讨了系统权重计算、系统决策、系统评估、系统预测的方法.建立了一个可以选择最优方案,对安全管理措施进行预先改进,实现闭环控制并且能够依据工作中的实际情况不断自我改进的系统模型,并根据假设的数据演示了该模型的建立步骤和计算方法.     

The association between subcontractor safety management programs and worker perceived safety climate in commercial construction projects

Problem: Safety management programs (SMPs) are designed to mitigate risk of workplace injuries and create a safe working climate. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the relationship between contractors’ SMPs and workers’ perceived safety climate and safety behaviors among small and medium-sized construction subcontractors. Methods: Subcontractor SMP scores on 18 organizational and project-level safety items were coded from subcontractors’ written safety programs and interviews. Workers completed surveys to report perceptions of their contractor’s safety climate and the safety behaviors of coworkers, crews, and themselves. The associations between SMP scores and safety climate and behavior scales were examined using Spearman correlation and hierarchical linear regression models (HLM). Results: Among 78 subcontractors working on large commercial construction projects, we found striking differences in SMP scores between small, medium, and large subcontractors (p < 0.001), related to a number of specific safety management practices. We observed only weak relationships between SMP scales and safety climate scores reported by 746 workers of these subcontractors (β = 0.09, p = 0.04 by HLM). We saw no differences in worker reported safety climate and safety behaviors by contractor size. Discussion: SMP only weakly predicted safety climate scales of subcontractors, yet there were large differences in the quality and content of SMPs by size of employers. Summary: Future work should determine the best way to measure safety performance of construction companies and determine the factors that can lead to improved safety performance of construction firms. Practical applications: Our simple assessment of common elements of safety management programs used document review and interviews with knowledgeable representatives. These methods identified specific safety management practices that differed between large and small employers. In order to improve construction safety, it is important to understand how best to measure safety performance in construction companies to gain knowledge for creating safer work environments.     

Perceived organizational support and perceived safety climate from the perspective of safety professionals: Testing reciprocal causality using a cross-lagged panel design

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the reciprocal relationship between safety professionals perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived safety climate. Safety professionals are most effective when they perceive support from management and employees and they also attribute most of their success to support from the organization. Their work directly improves safety climate, and organizations with a high safety climate show a higher value for the safety professional. The causal direction of this relationship is, however, unclear. Method: Using a sample of 162 safety professionals, we conducted a cross-lagged panel study over one year to examine whether safety professionals’ POS improves their perceived safety climate and/or whether safety climate also increases POS over time. Data were collected at two points and, after testing for measurement invariance, a cross-lagged SEM was conducted to analyze the reciprocal relationship. Results: Our findings show that safety professionals’ POS was positively related to perceived safety climate over time. Perceived safety climate, however, did not contribute to safety professionals’ POS. Conclusions: This study significantly adds to the discussion about the factors influencing safety professionals’ successful inclusion in organizations, enabling them to perform their work and, thus, improve occupational safety. Practical Applications: Since safety climate increases in organizations in which safety professionals feel supported, this study points out the kind of support that contributes to improved organizational safety. Support for safety professionals may come in classical forms such as approval, pay, job enrichment, and information on or influence over organizational policies.     

Implementation of participatory organizational change in long term care to improve safety

Introduction: Long Term Care (LTC) facilities are fast-paced, demanding environments placing workers at significant risk for injuries. Health and safety interventions to address hazards in LTC are challenging to implement. The study assessed a participatory organizational change intervention implementation and impacts. Methods: This was a mixed methods implementation study with a concurrent control, conducted from 2017 to 2019 in four non-profit LTC facilities in Ontario, Canada. Study participants were managers and frontline staff. Intervention sites implemented a participatory organizational change program, control sites distributed one-page health and safety pamphlets. Program impact data were collected via Survey (self-efficacy, control over work, pain and general health) and observation (Quick Exposure Checklist). Interviews/focus groups were used to collect program implementation data. Results: Participants described program impacts (hazard controls through equipment purchase/modification, practice changes, and education/training) and positive changes in culture, communication and collaboration. There was a statistically significant difference in manager self-efficacy for musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) hazards between the control and intervention sites over time but no other statistical differences were found. Key program implementation challenges included LTC hazards, staff shortage/turnover, safety culture, staff time to participate, and communication. Facilitators included frontline staff involvement during implementation, management support, focusing on a single unit, training, and involving an external program facilitator. Conclusion: A participatory program can have positive impacts on identifying and reducing MSD hazards. Key to success is involving frontline staff in identifying hazards and creating solutions and management encouragement on a unit working together. High turnover rates, staffing shortages, and time constraints were barriers as they are for all organizational change efforts in LTC. The implementation findings are likely applicable in any jurisdiction. Practical Application: Implementing a participatory organizational change program to reduce MSD hazards is feasible in LTC and can improve communication and aid in identification and control of hazards.     

Learning from the Bhopal disaster to improve process safety management in Singapore

The Singapore process industry is mainly made up of chemical and energy companies such as Mitsui Chemicals, Clariant, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Sumitomo, Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore and Infineum. Majority of these companies are located on Jurong Island, southwest of Singapore. Jurong Island houses nearly 100 leading petroleum, petrochemicals and specialty chemicals companies and the total investment is about S$42 billion in total. With a land surface area of only 716 km² and a high concentration of process plants, the Singapore government places strong emphasis on safety and risk management. In this paper, four process industry veterans from the government, academic and private sectors were interviewed. Through the interviews, the authors sought to understand the veterans’ perspectives on lessons that the Singapore process industry should learn from the Bhopal disaster. The veterans expanded their thoughts beyond the Bhopal disaster and provided many insights and suggestions critical to process safety management in Singapore and other countries. A systemic model of process safety management was derived from the interviews and key elements of operational process safety management were identified. In addition, a research agenda was identified based on the inputs from the veterans.     

生产安全监督管理人员的胜任特征模型

安全管理工作是关系到企业平稳发展、员工生命安危至关重要的职位,安全监管人员的招聘、培训、考核和晋升是目前企业不够重视却十分重要的问题,因此建构安全监管人员的胜任特征模型有着重要的现实意义。本文对在安全管理处于领先地位的生产型企业的安全管理状况进行了深度访谈,在此基础上开发了安全监管人员胜任特征调查问卷,对浙江、山东、江苏省的10家企业进行了大样本调查,并进行了探索性和验证性因素分析,构建了安全管理人员的胜任特征模型,包括敬业自信、踏实认真、创新运作、团队合作、积极主动这五方面,并且进行了方差分析,证明该模型能够区分和预测安全管理绩效,具有岗位针对性和可应用性。     

A comparative analysis of safety management and safety performance in twelve construction projects

IntroductionSafety management in construction is complicated due to the complex “nature” of the construction industry. The aim of this research was to identify safety management factors (e.g., risk management and site management), contextual factors (e.g., organisational complexity) and combinations of such factors connected to safety performance. Method: Twelve construction projects were selected to compare their safety management and safety performance. An analytical framework was developed based on previous research, regulations, and standards where each management factor was defined. We employed qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to produce case knowledge, compare the cases, and identify connections between the factors and safety performance. The material collected and analyzed included, for example, construction planning documents, reports from OHS-inspections, safety indicators, and interviews with project leaders and OHS experts. Results and conclusions: The research showed that: (a) the average score on 12 safety management factors was higher among projects with high safety performance compared to projects with low safety performance; (b) high safety performance can be achieved with both high and low construction complexity and organizational complexity, but these factors complicate coordination of actors and operations; (c) it is possible to achieve high safety performance despite relatively poor performance on many safety management factors; (d) eight safety management factors were found to be “necessary” for high safety performance, namely roles and responsibilities, project management, OHS management and integration, safety climate, learning, site management, staff management, and operative risk management. Site management, operative risk management, and staff management were the three factors most strongly connected to safety performance. Practical implications: Construction stakeholders should understand that the ability to achieve high safety performance in construction projects is connected to key safety management factors, contextual factors, and combinations of such factors.     

Use of safety barriers in operational safety decision making

Operational personnel in complex hazardous industries are regularly called upon to make decisions that balance the production and safety objectives of their organisation. Regulations and industry standards focus on defining and complying with operating limits of various kinds as the primary method of achieving the right balance. Such limits remove the need in many cases for in-the-moment judgements about safety and production priorities.Focussing solely on the compliance with a pre-defined envelope underestimates the direct contribution to safety from operational managers based on their professional judgement. Research in a chemical plant, a nuclear power station and an air navigation service provider has identified a “line in the sand” approach taken by experienced operating personnel when abnormal situations arise. In developing these situation-specific self-imposed limits, operational managers focus on the status of safety barriers, rather than considering risk from first principles. This approach could form the basis of a new procedure, which lays out the process to be followed in determining how best to proceed (similar to job safety analysis or permit to work). This would acknowledge that such decisions are necessary, assist operational personnel in making better choices and open such decisions to appropriate audit and scrutiny.     

安全生产与经济社会发展关系理论研究

对美、英、加、日、澳等发达国家的安全生产状况近百年的统计数据进行了分析研究,发现大都经历了从事故频发到达高峰.逐步下降到平稳发展的"驼峰"过程,安全生产状况与经济社会发展阶段存在着相互制约、相互影响的联系,这是建立安全生产状况与经济发展水平的理论模型的事实依据.安全生产状况随经济社会发展而呈现出阶段性的变化趋势.影响一个国家的职业安全健康水平的直接原因有经济上的(安全投入)、科学技术方面、管理制度方面以及教育文化水平方面的,其中经济发展水平是各种原因的根本.重点揭示了安全生产与经济社会发展关系的内在规律,建立了相应的理论模型.并把所建立的理论模型应用到我国的煤矿安全领域.理论模型与实际统计数据基本吻合.