RE: Safety Culture

[Jeff Eichorst <u112237@lanl.gov>]

I agree that both Vince and Sandy make some good points.  However, the
safety culture can not be implemented soley on the points listed so far.
Everybody talks about responsibility and empowerment.  These are things that
the "head" can give the body, but it is not enough.  If you are in an
environment where people "have done it this way for 50 years, and why should
I change now", and are unwilling to change.  Pointing out regulations and
requirements, or the fact that they may still get to go home to their family
at night if they are safe, is not always enough.  The corporate structure
MUST include provisions to hold people accountable for their actions.

Granted, people do not violate requirements with the thought that they
aren't safe, but somehow it must be engrained that the requirements are in
place and must be followed.  Otherwise, the body doesn't always follow the
head.  That has been a reality that the DOE has struggled with for some time.  

Some will argue that holding people "accountable" has negative connotations.
Maybe, maybe not.  Those same people would want to use positive
reinforcements for being safe.  That is fine too - depending on your
situation.  Yesterday, I heard a high level manager indicate that he planned
to start a reward system for safe people.  I have to agree with one of the
manager's employees that objected to that idea because the employee did not
want safety to become the exception that gets rewarded.  He wanted it to be
the norm.

Anyway, all that to say - all of the ideas that Sandy and Vince have stated
are fine, but if you do not hold people accountable, be prepared to hit your
head against a wall for a long time.

 
At 11:14 AM 7/18/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Vince Chase made some very good points regarding safety and 
>management culture. To facilitate safety, many factors are involved, 
>and they must all be cohesively integrated:
>
>1) Well-trained and qualified staff.
>2) On-going training and qualifications program.
>3) Thorough knowledge of job accountabilities.
>4) Clear line of authority for decision making.
>5) Delegation and empowerment.
>6) PLANNING - which is then incorporated in procedures.
>7) Contingency plans for the unexpected.
>8) Constant overview of the program by management.
>9) Act when issues arise.
>10) Listen to employee input (they know where the holes are).
>11) Document problems and learn from them.
>12) Incorporate these Lessons Learned into procedures.
>
>These are just some quick thoughts. There are many more. To be really 
>effective, one must constantly strive for "Excellence" and maintain a 
>high degree of attitude toward constant improvement, identification 
>of potential causes of problems, and when a problem does happen, look 
>at ways to mitigate recurrence.
>
>------------------
>Sandy Perle
>Technical Director
>ICN Dosimetry Division
>Costa Mesa, CA 92626
>Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
>Fax:    (714) 668-3149
>  
>mailto:sandyfl@ix.netcom.com
>mailto:sperle@icnpharm.com
>
>Personal Homepage:
>http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205 
>http://www.netcom.com/~sandyfl/home.html
>
>"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
>the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
>              - G. K. Chesterton -
>
>
Jeff Eichorst
Occurrence Investigator
Los Alamos National Laboratory
ESH-7, MS K999, Los Alamos, NM 87545
505.665-6980		505.665-6977 fax
505.996-1117 digital pager,	jeichorst@lanl.gov

Would you live with ease, do what you ought, and not what you please. 
-Benjamin Franklin