I found something truly amazing – at least to me.  A mainstream business book, a best-seller in fact, that had an entire chapter developed to worker safety!

Why was I amazed? 

Lately, it seems the only mention of worker safety is in the context of reducing OSHA regulations in order to unburden business.  Safety is typically demonized as a business burden not touted as a benefit.

Yet here was a book that made the convincing argument that focusing on worker safety was the “keystone habit” that drove the economic turnaround of a multi-billion dollar company.  Wow.

This book – The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg – focuses on explaining why habits exist, why they are so powerful and how they can be changed.  It provides advice that can be used for changing personal habits – such as overeating chocolate chip cookies.  But it has more. What elevates it above a typical self-help book is that it also discusses the importance of organizational habits – the routines that underlay most business performance. 

As I read this book, I was struck by the similarities and synergies between organizational habits and management systems.  The routines that are the basic building blocks of habits are equivalent to the procedures (i.e. specified ways of conducting activities) that are the basic building blocks of management systems.  It struck me that the reason some organizations get great benefits from implementing management systems and others do not is the extent to which management systems are used to create and promote habits of success.

Are you interested in developing an OHSMS that creates positive cultural change?  Read this book.

© ENLAR Compliance Services, Inc. (2012)

Checklists are everywhere.  

They are an integral part of many personal activities – from completing your tax return to communicating symptoms to your doctor.  Checklists also play an important role in managing many business processes. 

Checklists will be an important part of your OHSMS documentation.

In order to be effective, checklists need to be intelligently designed and routinely used.  They also need to be controlled.

So how do you go about creating a great checklist?

You need to follow 7 steps –

1. Clearly define the purpose of your checklist.
2. Decide on the right content.
3. Utilize great design.
4. Test that the checklist works as intended.
5. Explain how and when the checklist is to be used (train users).
6. Monitor that the checklist is used as intended.
7. Ensure users are provided new versions when the checklist is changed.

Want to know more? 

Sign up below to receive additional information on learning to create great OHSMS documentation.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2011)

 This result is most obvious in medicine where the use of surgical checklists has saved thousands of lives and untold suffering. The importance of checklists in medicine was highlighted in a 2007 article in the New Yorker Magazine, The Checklist. The most dramatic of these incentives is the international adoption of a one-page Surgical Safety Checklist developed, promoted and disseminated by the World Health Organization.

Click here to download a copy of this checklist. 

There are numerous uses of checklists in OH&S management systems.  In fact, checklists are one of the most effective way of creating management system procedures and work instructions to meet the OHSAS 18001 requirements. 

Some of the OH&S uses of checklists include –

1. Inspection checklists – for forklift trucks, fire extinguishers and other safety-critical devices, equipment and supplies.
2. Plans and permits – for confined space entry, hot work and equipment lockout where the sequence of tasks and adequacy of precautions are critical.
3. Emergency preparedness – for making sure equipment, materials and personnel will be ready and available when an incident occurs.
4. Risk assessments – for evaluating the hazards and risks associated with materials, equipment and tasks.
5. Internal audit protocols – for making sure that OHSMS audits are complete, inclusive and cost-effective.

As regulations, activities and organizations become more complex, checklists become increasingly important for ensuring that nothing is missed.  This is why pilot checklists were developed in aviation in the 1930s.  This is why surgical checklists are being aggressively promoted in medicine today.  This is why most OH&S management systems would benefit from the use of appropriately-designed checklists. 

In my next blog, I will cover the 5 steps you should follow in order to develop good OHSMS checklists.

In the meantime, click here to request a copy of my EHSMS Implementation Checklist.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2011)

This page provides access to a FREE mini-course that provides clear and concise answers to the following questions -

•   What is a Management System?
•   What is PDCA and what does it mean?
•   Why is PDCA important?
•   How can I determine if an OHSMS standard is  based on PDCA or not?

This course is about 15  minutes long.  Since it is a flash presentation located on a separate web page, you may need modify your browser settings to allow pop-ups in order to access the course. Also, in order to hear the audio, you will need speakers on your computer. When you are ready to begin, just click on the link below. 

Click here to open – Plan-Do-Check-Act – An Introduction to PDCA

Have comments or questions about this course? 

You can type your questions or comments into the comment box below (you may need to click on the more button if you are on the home page) or send me an e-mail at ecsi2008@ENLAR.c0m.

Did you enjoy this course? 

Check out my Introduction to OHSAS 18001 Course.

This course provides insight into interpreting the OHSAS 18001:2007 requirements as well as expert guidance in implementing an OHSMS for purposes of third-party certification.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2011)

The problem is that individuals do NOT make rational decisions – particularly when it comes to safety and health.

• They refuse to wash their hands and come to work sick – even though these are the best strategies to prevent a potential epidemic.
• They talk and text on their cell phones while driving – even though it is as dangerous as drinking and driving.
• They wear their safety glasses on the top of their head rather than as protection for their eyes – as seen over and over again on HGTV shows.  (I keep meaning to write a letter to HGTV pointing out the poor example they are setting for all of the DIYers in the audience.)

Why do people act irrationally?

My favorite book on this topic is Predictably Irrational (click on the link below to order from Amazon).  In this book, Dan Ariely explores the reasons why individuals appear to act irrationally – this includes overvaluing our possessions, letting options distract us from our real objectives, and following established social norms in the workplace.  As he puts it – “we consistently overpay, underestimate and procrastinate.”

Ariely contends that rather than ignoring the factors that make our decisions appear irrational, businesses and policy-makers need to design their policies to affirmatively address these behavioral influences.  This would include how an organization structures its OH&S management system processes and procedures.   To build a successful management system, we need to accept that there are many reasons why individuals act the way they do and design the right type of “interventions” to overcome our inherent “human” shortcomings.

What to know more?

I recommend reading Dan Ariely’s book – or checking out his blog. 

I particularly liked his blog post – The Meaning of Labor: What Legos Can Teach Us about the Joy of Work.  I think it has a important lesson for anyone who is seeking to solicit the assistance of others in developing a management system within their organization.

To purchase this book from Amazon, click here. Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (See all Social Psychology & Interactions Books)

 © ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2011)

Many organizations use the start of the year as a time to review their OH&S management system objectives and set new ones.  If their OH&S programs are lagging in their implementation, new approaches or new assignments are considered. 

This is also a good time to address all that PAPER – either physical paper or electronic paper.  This includes all those completed hazard evaluation forms, inspection checklists, excel spreadsheets, meeting notices and minutes, e-mails with various interested parties, incident investigations, corrective action reports,….

When I help develop record control processes and procedures for an organization, one of the concepts I try to incorporate is the inclusion of record schedules with record breaks and scheduled clean-out days. 

A record schedule is a document that defines how a record is to be kept, how long it needs to be maintained in an active storage location and when it should be destroyed.  U.S. EPA has an informative discussion of the purpose and use of record schedules on its web site. 

The first key to using a record schedule is organizing your records in a way that makes complying with your record retention requirements as easy as possible.  This usually means using record breaks – usually defined points in time when you start a new file. For example, rather than filing all of your records pertaining to a particular topic randomly in one file folder (physical or electronic), you file them by year so you can move an entire year’s worth of records to a different location (off-site storage or electronic archive) at one time. 

The second key to using a record schedule is actually setting aside a time for moving old records out of active storage locations and getting rid of unnecessary records in accordance with your organization’s record retention policies. 

Although this often appears to be an unimportant mundane task to “put off to another day” it is important to the smooth functioning of your OHSMS. 

So, schedule your record clean-out day today.  By the way, wear comfortable clothes and order a pizza.  It will make the job easier.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2009)

This is not easy.  Often, the root cause investigation ends with a determination along the lines of “Joe screwed up.”  We play the blame game.

Why?

There have been a number of reasons advanced for this and most of them are probably true – at least in part.

Last week, a colleague lent me his copy of Dan Gano’s book – Apollo Root Cause Analysis: A New Way of Thinking

This book sets out a different way of approaching root cause analysis by focusing on defining a problem in terms of both the action and the conditions that caused the particular effect you are analyzing.  For example, you don’t get a fire (an effect) unless you have an ignition source (an action) as well as two conditions (fuel and oxygen at the right concentrations).  Remove either condition (fuel/oxygen) or the action (ignition) and the effect (fire) does not occur.

What I liked most about the book, however, was not the root cause methodology advanced in the book but the explanation of why we so often fall into the blame game.

In a word – storytelling.

As humans, we have a long tradition of storytelling.  It comes naturally to us.  It is how we have transmitted information for generations.  Everyone likes a good story.

Integral to storytelling is identifying your actors – answering the question “who” is central to telling a good story.  As Gano points out in his book, most incident reports provide a prime example of storytelling.  The initial focus is typically on who did what.  Unfortunately, for purposes of root cause analysis, storytelling sets us up for failure because it keeps us focused on the story – who, what, where and when – rather than focusing our attention on identifying the causes of an incident. 

So when you are investigating an incident or nonconformity, tell your story.  It is, after all, human nature and likely irresistible.  But when you start your root cause analysis, put the story aside and take the “who” completely out of the analysis.  Remove the names and strike the identifiers.  Instead, focus your attention on the actions and conditions that lead to the situation (effect) that you are investigating.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2009)

 I just got done reading an article in the October 2009 Quality Progress Magazine that sets out a nifty tool for making this decision – a 2 x 2 matrix for deciding whether or not to standardize a process.  Although the example given in this article – Building a Consensus – is  for a quality system process, it can be easily adapted to making standardization decisions in an OH&S management system.

Try it out for your OH&S management system and let me know – “Did it work?” - by posting your comments below.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2009)

That is the wrong message and the wrong goal. 

To quote Peter Drucker – “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently what should not be done at all.” 

The goal should not be to do more with less – it should be to do less.

What many OHS programs really need is a good pruning.  It is common for occupational health and safety management systems – particularly those driven by corporate mandates – to be filled with procedural “deadwood” and nonsensical “undergrowth”.

Want to start cutting back?  Try the following –

1.  Re-examine your Assumptions

Often OH&S programs are put in place because of so-called “good practice”.  These “good practices” are often characterized as requirements so the needed resources can be justified. 

Review your programs and procedures. For each program, procedure and form, re-examine the assumption that “we must do it this way”.   Do you need to do it at all?  Is there a more effective way?

2. Push Back on Busywork

It is a fact of life.  People like to tell other people how to do things. 

Evaluate the “busywork” quotient of your processes and procedures.  Avoid creating unnecessary work for others and “push back” when others attempt to do the same to you. 

• Don’t create a twenty page procedure if a one page form will do. 
• Don’t take on activities simply because they are “a nice idea” (often defined as something mentioned in a meeting by someone in senior management).
• Don’t add multiple layers of redundancy when it is not needed – especially if it is only to please some auditor.

3.  Keep Your Focus on Performance

Make sure you truly understand your OHSMS requirements – your OH&S risks and your legal obligations.  Focus your efforts on addressing these first – in as an efficient a manner as possible.  Say “NO” to suggestions that are not focused on improving your OHS performance.

4.  Be a Tortoise not a Hare

Focus each day on consistently moving forward.  It is easy to get discouraged when progress is slow and results are not readily apparent. Keep at it. 

Remain vigilant.  Resist the temptation to take on more than you have the resources to reasonably accomplish. If you have a plan and keep focused on doing what is important – rather than adding in additional activities that are new and exciting – you can accomplish your goals. 

Pruning is not easy. 

The status quo is often comfortable.  Change often meets with resistance. 

 You are very likely to hear – “We have always done it this way.  Why do we have to change?”

The answer – to survive when resources are scarce.

Need additional help? 

Check out the following –

• Abandoning the Obsolete and Unproductive - Column on Human Resources IQ website discussing why organizations need to prune their efforts. (Link removed 7/27/11 because no longer accessible)
• The Power of a Positive No by William Ury – Book offering concrete advice for saying No.

© ENLAR^® Compliance Services, Inc. (2009)