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CONTENTS
Features

Peer-Reviewed

24 36 43

Moving Risk Assessment MANAGEMENT A Systematic Approach to
Upstream to the LEADERSHIP SAFETY PERFORMANCE
DESIGN PHASE Improving Employee
Safety Engagement By John F. Kowalski and John
By Bruce K. Lyon, David L. C. Summers
Walline and Georgi Popov By Rebecca Mullins, Earl Blair
and E. Scott Dunlap This article provides a systematic
Studies indicate that gaps found in Research supports the supposition thinking approach using human and
design are significant contributors of a strong connection between em- organizational performance fun-
to workplace serious injuries and ployee engagement and safety per- damentals and analysis techniques
fatalities, which points to the need formance. This article examines the to improve safety performance.
for prevention through design con- implications of a recent study mea- The techniques described apply to
cepts. This article provides OSH suring employee safety engagement. individuals, leaders and the overall
professionals a practical approach It also provides practical recom- organization. The authors present
to establishing a method for antici- mendations on how management a six-part model based on the phi-
pating, recognizing, avoiding, elim- can institute leadership approaches losophy that to reduce errors and
inating and minimizing operational that result in employees being more eliminate events of consequence,
hazards and risks before they are motivated to engage in safety. adequate human performance tools
introduced into the workplace. and defenses must be in place.

CORRECTION

FROM OCTOBER 2019, PAGE 20: The article “E-Scooter Safety” by Abby Ferri was
missing reprint attribution: “This article was originally published by The Ferri Group
(https://theferrigroup.co). Copyright 2019. Reprinted with permission.” Professional Safety
regrets the error.

NOVEMBER 2019 ABOUT PROFESSIONAL SAFETY
VOL. 64, NO. 11
Professional Safety is a blind peer-reviewed journal published monthly by
COVER the American Society of Safety Professionals, the oldest professional safety
society. Professional Safety keeps the professional OSH specialist informed on
OSH professionals developments in the research and technology of incident prevention, industry
have a vital best practices and safety management techniques.

role to play in Judgments made or opinions expressed in Professional Safety feature articles,
PTD and design news sections, letters to the editor, meeting reports or related journal content
safety reviews, do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor, nor should they be considered
and the greatest an expression of official policy by ASSP. They are published for the purpose of
opportunity to stimulating independent thought on matters of concern to the OSH profession
avoid and reduce and its practitioners.
risk is upstream in
the design process. Correspondence should be addressed to the editor. Editor reserves the right
Photo Nostal6ie/ to edit manuscripts and other submissions in order to improve clarity and style,
and for length.
iStock/Getty
Images Plus

2 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

INTRODUCING THE NEW Z10

The ANSI/ASSP Z10.0-2019 is the U.S. Occupational Health and
Safety Management Systems Consensus Standard

What’s new?

▪ Emphasis on process and system
improvement

▪ Integrates with other management
systems

▪ Aligns with ISO 45001 for
organizations desiring conformance
to both standards

Benefits

▪ Improve your organization’s
performance

▪ Provide a safe and healthy
environment for your workers

▪ Reduce your risk of occupational
injury, illness and fatalities

Safety is a process, not an outcome to be achieved.
For all the latest news about Z10.0, go to assp.us/standards

CONTENTS
Departments

6 President’s Message 58 Worth Reading EDITORIAL STAFF
The changing world of work Reviews of The Relationship Factor in Tina Angley, Editor
Safety Leadership and The Complete (847) 768-3438;
7 Reader Forum First Aid Pocket Guide [email protected]
Feedback on our August and July
2019 issues 60 Best Practices Sarah Astra, Associate Editor
How to inspire self-motivation and (847) 768-3414;
9 ASSP Connection empowerment [email protected]
Emerging Professionals Award
64 Standards Insider Griffin White, Assistant Editor
10 Safety Matters Alexi Carli speaks about how (847) 768-3468;
Occupational health and safety to effectively pitch standards [email protected]
management systems standards certification to the C-suite
Publication Design Inc.
16 Leading Thoughts 67 Checkpoints Design Consultants
Movement training to reduce soft- Addressing legal concerns in a driver
tissue, slip/trip/fall and hand injuries safety policy EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD
Frank G. D’Orsi, CSP, ARM, Chair
21 Checkpoints 68 Product Pulse
Utilizing wireless equipment to The latest safety innovations Frank J. Bruzzese, CSP, CIH, CPCU
improve lone worker safety
70 Continuing Education Salvatore Caccavale, CHMM, CPEA
22 Best Practices Events during November, December
10 things you wish everyone and January David A. Dodge, P.E., CSP
understood about the OSH profession
72 By the Way Cari M. Elofson, CHST
56 Best Practices Sleep the day away
Establishing a chemical management E. Andrew Kapp, Ph.D., CSP, CHMM
system at a university
Steve Minshall, CSP, CIH
Professional Safety copyright Professional Safety is available
©2019 by American Society of free online to ASSP members at Justin J. Molocznik, CSP, CHST
Safety Professionals. All rights www.assp.org/publications/
reserved. No copyright is claimed in professional-safety. Articles are SOCIETY OFFICERS
any works of the U.S. government also available via microform
that may be published herein. and/or electronic databases Diana M. Stegall, CSP, CFPS,
For information on reprinting or from ProQuest, P.O. Box 1346, ARM, SMS, CPCU
reproducing articles published in Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 USA; President
Professional Safety, visit www.assp phone +1 (800) 521-0600. For
.org/publications/professional-safety. specific format details, visit www.proquest Deborah R. Roy, M.P.H., R.N.,
.com. CSP, COHN-S, CET, FAAOHN
PSJ (ISSN 0099 0027) is published President-Elect
monthly by the American Society of Safety POSTMASTER: Send address changes
Professionals, 520 N. Northwest Highway, to Change of Address Dept., ASSP, 520 N. Bradley Giles, P.E., CSP, STS,
Park Ridge, IL 60068-2538 USA; phone (847) Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068- GIOSH
699-2929; [email protected]. 2538 USA. Senior Vice President
Periodicals postage paid at Park Ridge, IL,
and at additional mailing offices. Christine M. Sullivan, CSP, ARM
Vice President, Finance

Todd William Loushine, Ph.D.,
P.E., CSP, CIH
Vice President,
Professional Development

Jennifer M. McNelly
Chief Executive Officer

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Michael Sanders
(847) 232-2038;
[email protected]

4 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

EDUCATION YOU CAN APPLY
IN THE WORKPLACE

Education from ASSP provides hands-on, practical training delivered by experienced safety professionals — giving you
the information, tools and practice necessary to quickly integrate what you learn into your workplace. This can translate
into real results for your business — helping you to advance your career and become a leader in your company.

PROGRAM COURSE CEUs DATES LOCATION
Fall Protection
Managed Fall Protection 2.1 November 1 – December 6, 2019 Online Course
Fall Protection Virtual Symposium 0.5 November 19, 2019 Virtual Symposium
Managed Fall Protection 2.1 February 23 - March 29, 2020 Online Course

Safety Management Corporate Safety Management 2.1 November 4 – 6, 2019 Chicago, IL
Safety Management I 2.1 November 11 – 13, 2019 Chicago, IL
Safety Management II 1.4 November 14 – 15. 2019 Chicago, IL
Implementing ISO 45001 2.1 March 1 - March 29, 2020 Online Course

Risk Assessment Prevention Through Design 1.4 November 3 – December 1, 2019 Online Course
Essential Risk Assessment Tools
Certification Risk Assessment 1.4 November 10 – December 8, 2019 Online Course
Preparation
Math Review 2.1 February 23 - March 29, 2020 Online Course
Electives ASP Exam Prep
Event 0.7 November 4, 2019 New York, NY
Math Review 2.1 November 5 – 7, 2019 New York, NY
ASP Exam Prep
CSP Exam Prep 0.7 December 8, 2019 Chicago, IL
2.1 December 9 – 11, 2019 Chicago, IL
Math Review 2.1 December 12 – 14, 2019 Chicago, IL
ASP Exam Prep
CSP Exam Prep 0.7 January 12, 2020 Chicago, IL
2.1 January 13 - 15, 2020 Chicago, IL
Human Dynamics of Safety 2.1 January 16 - 18, 2020 Chicago, IL
Success & Beyond
0.8 December 3, 5, 10, 17, 2019 Live Virtual
SafetyFOCUS 2020 Classroom
up to February 13 -20
5.6 Las Vegas, NV

Learn more at ASSP.org/Education

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

SEEING THE CONNECTIONS

Diana Stegall In last month’s message, I noted the world of sustainability. How can an
Connect With Diana some key trends related to the changing organization be sustainable if it does not
world of work. I have since learned more include the people needed to operate
Join Diana on LinkedIn, follow about these issues and want to further the business? Yet, it can be difficult to
her on Twitter or comment on explore how they will impact us as safety see where safety professionals fit in to
her message at www.assp.org/ professionals. the conversation. I believe part of this
news/presidents-message. disconnect is related to the term human
Artificial intelligence (AI) may seem capital, which often strikes me as a cold
As we provide like something out of science fiction, term. So let’s look at it another way.
data on workplace but it is not. It is here and growing ex-
injuries, we need to ponentially. Initial uses of AI focused An organization needs people to pro-
on performing simple repetitive tasks, vide services, manufacture goods and pro-
tell the story but its applications have rapidly pro- duce whatever product is the output of that
behind the data gressed. It is now being used to replicate organization. By investing in people (hu-
and turn the data a human’s physical abilities or drive a man capital) through education and train-
into useful informa- car. However, these are often narrowly ing, and by providing a safe workplace and
tion on which our focused items such as voice-controlled an environment in which employees can
leaders can act. digital assistants; navigation devices on be their best and most efficient, the returns
our smartphones; or tracking systems on those investments increase. Companies
used to identify our interests and serve experience less absenteeism, higher pro-
us pop-up ads. ductivity, lower turnover and fewer em-
ployee injuries. When we are part of these
Interestingly, once algorithms are conversations as safety professionals and
designed to allow AI to complete a cer- find opportunities as a result to collaborate
tain task, the AI continues to learn and with human resources and other company
perform that task better. What does leaders, we demonstrate our value and
this mean to us? We need to ensure that move beyond outdated perceptions that we
we continue to learn and adjust to our are “just the safety police.”
changing workplace rather than take
the view that once we have learned to do As we provide data on workplace inju-
something, we know all we need to know ries, we need to tell the story behind the
and need not keep learning. data and turn the data into useful infor-
mation on which our leaders can act. We
Consider consensus standards as an need to look at other information we can
example of this concept. Consensus provide our management team as they de-
standards are designed to be updated cide where to make investments. I urge you
on a regular basis because what worked to participate in the discussions happening
5 years ago may no longer be applicable in your organization about sustainability
to the current work environment. Even and human capital. I also encourage you to
OSHA recognizes that many of the con- review the information we have developed
trols it specified long ago do not account in conjunction with our partners at the
for better and more efficient controls that Center for Safety and Health Sustainability
have developed over time, many related at www.centershs.org.
to advanced technologies.
As you develop a deeper understand-
As we all know, to continue to provide ing of these topics and learn how they are
value to our employers and our work- being addressed in your workplace, you
forces, we must do more than stay on top will more readily see the connections to
of current regulations and standards. It is your roles and responsibilities as a safe-
likely that algorithms could be developed ty professional. That will enable you to
based on historical data to create AI that more readily adapt as our world of work
can develop effective compliance-related continues to change. PSJ
policies and procedures. What does that
mean for us? Diana Stegall, CSP, CFPS, ARM,
SMS, CPCU
Fundamentally, safety is about people.
How do we help employees stay safe and
remain productive at work? Does a focus
on compliance accomplish that objective?

Across the global OSH community,
we are hearing increasingly more about
human capital and how it fits within

6 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

READER FORUM

Professional Safety encourages readers to write to Reader Forum in response to specific articles, editorials,
letters, columns and news reports published in the journal. The editors reserve the right to select which letters
will appear and to edit letters for brevity and clarity. Start the dialogue today by sending your comments to
the PSJ Reader Forum, [email protected].

Protecting Pregnant Workers

Readers of PSJ’s August Oregon, 2020

2019 “Women and Safety” issue Philadelphia, PA, 2014

should examine implicit OSH Pittsburg, PA, 2013

bias against pregnant workers—a Providence, RI, 2014

uniquely U.S. problem. For ex- Rhode Island, 2015

ample, try to find the word preg- South Carolina, 2018

nant anywhere in the journal’s Utah, 2016

content. The topic is critical be- Vermont, 2017

cause about 80% of women will Washington, 2017

be pregnant at least once during West Virginia, 2014

their working lifetime. [Note: List current as of Sep-

Although other countries such tember 2019. *Public only. Law

as the EU, Canada, Czech Re- titles vary but have a theme of

public, Russia, South Africa and pregnant worker and reasonable

others have federal legislation accommodation. For law summa-

for employer conducted risk as- ries, see Employment Protections

sessments for pregnant workers for Women Who Are Pregnant or

(e.g., EU’s 1992 Pregnant Workers Nursing, Women’s Bureau, U.S.

Directive), the U.S. is the only Department of Labor.]

wealthy nation not to take this Growth in this list is certain.

position. Is it fair that pregnant For example, proposed Pregnant

workers in many other countries Workers Fairness Act bills in

enjoy OSH protections while their Tennessee (SB 758-HB 986) and

U.S. counterparts go without? Ohio (SB 94) had favorable fiscal extend beyond Kentucky’s geo-
graphical boundaries.
The Pregnant Workers Fair- analysis, respectively, in Febru-
The HIA addresses pregnancy
ness Act was introduced into ary and September 2019 to help hazards such as noise, bending,
standing, lifting, shift work,
the U.S. Congress in 2012, and smooth their passage in 2020. long hours of work, exposure to
chemicals, radiation, stress (i.e.,
reintroduced into each legislative The U.S. is attempting a great psychological job strain) and high
temperatures. Adverse effects
session since then, including social/OSH experiment with from these risks are also included
in the HIA (e.g., “Women ex-
now, without passage. Since the pregnant workers. With limit- posed to 80 dB for an 8-hour shift
were at increased risk of preterm
feds won’t budge, state and city ed or no assistance from U.S. delivery”; “high noise may place
their unborn children at risk to
laws picked up the challenge, as employers (this is a bias) can a hearing loss”). The wrong answer
to these risks will perpetuate
shown in the following list of pregnant worker conduct her pregnancy discrimination.

pregnant worker accommoda- own risk assessment and propose In contrast to high public inter-
est on the topic, literature in the
tion laws (2012-2019) and the law reasonable hierarchy of controls OSH profession rarely addresses
the topic of pregnant workers.
enforcement date. by herself? The above laws seek When the profession does ad-
dress the topic, the information is
California, 2012 this objective modeled after the sometimes misleading or wrong
(see PSJ Reader Forum, Septem-
Central Falls, RI, 2014 Americans With Disabilities Act ber 2018, p. 8, “On Reproductive
Hazards”). How can the OSH
Colorado, 2016 with expansion to include “com- profession better serve the needs
of pregnant workers?
Connecticut, 2017 mon conditions” and “individual
Dan Markiewicz, M.S., CSP, CIH
Delaware, 2014 limitations” related to pregnancy

District of Columbia, 2014 as found, respectively, in Illinois

Illinois, 2014 and Kentucky laws.

Kentucky, 2019 Kentucky’s 2019 Pregnant

Maine, 2019 Workers Health Impact As-

Maryland, 2013 sessment (HIA) developed by

Massachusetts, 2017 Department of Public Health

Minnesota, 2014 and Wellness that informs

Nebraska, 2015 decision-making with regard

Nevada, 2017 to Kentucky’s Pregnant Work-

New Jersey, 2014 ers Act (effective June 2019)

New York, 2015 demonstrates OSH necessity.

New York, NY, 2014 For employers that do not have a

North Carolina, 2018* workplace in Kentucky, the HIA

North Dakota, 2015 states that its information may

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 7

READER FORUM

On Safety Rewards The Authors Respond

The case study in the July 2019 issue of Professional We thank the reader for his contribution to the
Safety (pp. 27-31) is a terrific example of old-world wider debate on how to improve worker involvement
thinking that limits the effectiveness and perceived in the development of safe systems of work. We
value of the safety profession. The authors state that actually agree with many of the points made. Our
safety awards “aim to incentivize both positive safety article was an evaluation of a common safety prac-
behaviors (through individual awards) and avoidance tice seen in the construction industry. Our intention
of negative safety behaviors that could lead to inci- was to provide insights on this practice, rather than
dents (through group awards).” This notion proposes advocate it as an essential safety initiative, and so
that a gift card, shopping voucher or other award is optimize its potential where implemented.
somehow more motivating to an
employee than the avoidance of pain, As noted by the reader, there are
injury and death. other key questions to be asked. We
agree that the reasons why people
By embracing these ideas, claiming take risks are important ones and
they are backed by psychological or exposing them should be at the
sociological research, we fail to ask core of the safety profession. In our
questions that will lead us to far more wider study, safety rewards was one
useful information. Safety research- of the themes that emerged, and
ers do not factor in an omnibus view we have explored other themes in
of motivating factors and ask basic our work extensively. We would
questions such as, “Why would an note that reporting and safety
employee perform an act that could bureaucracy (Oswald, Sherratt &
result in pain, injury or death in Smith, 2018); production pressures
the first place?” If we examine these and payment methods (Oswald,
questions, we can scientifically and Sherratt & Smith, 2019a); safety
professionally start to address the communication (Oswald, Wade &
real root causes of injuries. Sherratt, et al., 2019b); and subcon-
tracting and subsequent profit squeezing are more
Additionally, encouraging safety professionals to fundamental safety issues (than rewards) within
spend their valuable time administrating an award the construction industry.
program reduces the amount of time available for It was suggested in our work that rewards could
performing functions that actually reduce risk help with safety management when implemented ef-
levels. Every hour spent tracking behavior observa- fectively but could also actively hinder safety perfor-
tions, distributing shopping vouchers and counting mance. For example, group rewards that acknowledge
days since the last injury is an hour not spent in op- low or no incidents within a certain period can create
erational areas working directly with managers and risks of underreporting, thus hindering learning and
employees to identify risks and mitigate hazards. overall organizational performance. Safety rewards
are, of course, far from the complete solution and
It is time to leave behind the notion that an em- represent only one voluntary aspect of a safety man-
ployee will work safely to get a trinket. Does anyone agement system to consider. We fully support safety
really think there has ever been a situation in which professionals in asking other more fundamental
an employee was about to knowingly risk his/her life questions around safety.
and stopped, not to avoid pain and injury, but to get
a monthly cash gift? As a profession, we devalue our- References
selves by acting as cheesy game administers. We must
embrace the far more difficult but effective leadership Oswald, D., Sherratt, F. & Smith, S. (2018). Problems
role of proactively identifying and reducing risk. with safety observation reporting: A construction industry
case study. Safety Science, 107, 35-45.
We must also take a hard and honest look at the
perception of safety when employees, other depart- Oswald, D., Sherratt, F. & Smith, S. (2019a). Managing
ments and organizational managers see us handing production pressures through dangerous informality: A
out gift cards for safe behavior instead of identifying case study. Engineering, Construction and Architectural
hazards and putting in the hard work to reduce Management [accepted, in press].
them. Anyone can hand an employee an award, but
it takes someone with special knowledge, skill and Oswald, D., Wade, F., Sherratt, F., et al. (2019b). Commu-
perseverance to change the systems and conditions nicating health and safety on a multinational construction
of work that lead to potential injuries. What we too project: Challenges and strategies. Journal of Construction
often call unsafe behavior is actually a mispercep- Engineering and Management, 145(4), 04019017.
tion of risk by employees. Had an injured or de-
ceased employee honestly thought the hazard event David Oswald, Ph.D., Fred Sherratt, Ph.D., and Simon D.
would occur, s/he would not have stopped the action Smith, Ph.D.
to receive a monthly award; s/he would have ceased
the action to avoid getting hurt.

Scott Gesinger, CSP

8 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

ASSP CONNECTION

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL
AWARD LAUNCHED
ASSP’s new Emerging Professional ence and an opportunity to engage with
Award recognizes the next generation the ASSP Board of Directors through
of safety professionals who demonstrate networking events. The program is
leadership and a drive to grow profes- intended to further develop emerging
sionally. Recipients of the Emerging professionals into leaders in the OSH
Professional Award will be placed into a profession.
MARTINEDOUCET/E+/GETTY IMAGES yearlong professional development pro- Applicants must be an ASSP member,
gram. This includes being matched with be nominated by a supervisor or ASSP
a mentor who has significant leadership member, be under 40 years of age or have
experience, an invitation to the Soci- fewer than 5 years’ experience in the
ety’s annual Leadership Conference and OSH profession, and provide a letter of
Leadership Development Experience in reference. Submit an application by Jan.
October, complimentary registration for 31, 2020. Learn more at https://assp.us/
the Professional Development Confer- 2pH6jPq.

ASSP’s Career Center Explore ASSP’s Total
Provides Job-Hunting Tools Worker Health Resources
If you’re in the market for reading articles on inter-
a new job or would like to view preparation, résumé Total worker health is an
pursue great candidates for a writing and post-interview approach to work that focuses
vacant position at your com- follow up. Expand your on advancing the organiza-
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Career Center for help. The using the site to find a men- and well-being. ImplementingYAKOBCHUKOLENA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
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to search key terms to find your social media presence can be difficult, but ASSP has
candidates and jobs in their and digital communica- collected many resources to
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can upload their ré- to your advantage your workplace OSH plan. The
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NORTONRSX/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS Society Offers Live Take advantage of
Virtual Classroom Courses the many resources

ASSP has expanded its traditional classroom our Society
training to include virtual participants via a two- provides.
way video projection. Designed to accommodate
those who cannot make the trip to ASSP headquar- assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 9
ters, this new learning option will enable virtual
participants to ask the instructor questions in real
time, interact with the entire class and even join the
class when breaking into small group discussions.
Virtual participants must have access to an Internet
connection and a computer with a webcam and au-
dio. Technical support will be provided on the day
of the course by phone to ensure that participants
are properly set up.

Learn more at https://assp.us/2MJMW1v.

SAFETY MATTERS

ASSP Update

ANSI/ASSP Z10 STANDARD REVISED
Having been approved by ANSI, the revised ANSI/ASSP ANSI/ASSP Z10.0-2019 improves organizational alignment

Z10.0-2019 standard that guides implementation of safety and and communication by eliminating silos and integrating

health management systems has been published. Safety and planned processes into business systems. Safety and health

health management systems set an operational foundation by management systems have customized elements that are based

ensuring that critical processes are integrated, which helps or- on the organization’s characteristics such as hazard exposures,

ganizations reduce injuries and save lives. risk levels, industry type and business processes. Workforce
“This update establishes Z10 as one of the most comprehen- factors such as permanent, temporary, contracted or transient
employees are also considered. Safe work environments emerge
sive systems-based standards in the world for occupational from the interaction of elements such as organizational leader-
safety and health management,” says Jim Howe, CSP, chair of ship, employee engagement, risk assessments, hazard controls,
ASSP’s Z10 committee. “The standard is a blueprint for any

company to develop and administer a safety and health man- and monitoring and measurement. Learn more at www.assp

agement system.” .org/standards/standards-topics/osh-management-z10.

California Law Reclassifies

Some Gig Workers as Employees

According to Los Angeles compensation benefits and

Times, California state audits unemployment benefits.

found that nearly 500,000 Effective Jan. 1, 2020, AB5

workers were incorrectly requires companies to classify

classified as independent workers as employees accord-

contractors. To remedy the ing to criteria established by

misclassification of workers, a a 2018 California Supreme

California bill was signed into Court ruling. According to

law, affecting at least one mil- the ruling, if the company ex-

lion workers by reclassifying erts control over how workers

them as employees as opposed perform tasks or if the work

ISO TC 283 delegates Ken Clayman and Kevin Lehner recap the committee’s to independent contractors. performed is part of the com-
meeting in Rwanda.
According to California pany’s regular business, the
ISO Technical Committee
Meets in Kigali, Rwanda Governor Gavin Newsom, worker is an employee, not an

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Tech- who signed Assembly Bill 5 independent contractor.
nical Committee (TC) 283 recently met in Kigali, Rwanda.
ISO TC 283 is responsible for the ongoing development of ISO (AB5) into law, AB5 “will help Workers from industries
45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems,
and supporting guidance and standards. ASSP is the Technical reduce worker misclassifica- such as construction, hotel,
Advisory Group (TAG) Administrator to ANSI for this com-
mittee. Kathy Seabrook, CSP, CFIOSH, EurOSHM, FASSP, tion—workers being wrongly hospitality, ride-hailing ser-
served as the TAG’s head of delegation, and was joined by two
other subject matter experts, Ken Clayman and Kevin Lehner. classified as ‘independent vices, delivery driving, and

At the meeting, the committee discussed ongoing work with contractors’ rather than em- janitorial services will benefit
ISO 45003, Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace;
the implementation handbook/ISO 45002, Guidelines for the ployees, which erodes basic from AB5. Similar legisla-
Application of ISO 45001; and OSH metrics.
worker protections like the tion is already being drafted
“It’s wonderful to have [the African countries’] representa-
tion because it’s been sorely missed in other meetings and it’s minimum wage, paid sick days in New York, while bills in
understandable because it’s long distances that they’ve had to
go, whether the meeting is in the U.S., Asia or even Europe: it’s and health insurance benefits.” Washington and Oregon
difficult,” says Clayman. “We have [representatives from] almost
the whole continent here. It’s more amazing to see the work that By reclassifying these work- failed but may see renewed
they’re already doing: how they’ve embraced ISO 45001 as a
means to enhance their own legal and regulatory framework and ers, they are now guaranteed momentum, according to
to work on that at all levels of their culture and countries.”
workplace safety and health New York Times.
Watch the interviews at https://youtu.be/5q-8FLjspSQ and
https://youtu.be/Bod6h1_pQWQ. Learn more at https://com rights such as paid sick leave, Read the law at http://bit
mittee.iso.org/home/tc283.
minimum wage, workers’ .ly/2PnuYnf.

ADAMKAZ/E+/GETTY IMAGES

10 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

OSHA Approves ANDREAOBZEROVA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS Scientists Warn of Opioid
New Respirator Impact on Women & Children
Fit Testing Protocols
Understanding the full effects of the nation’s opioid epidemic requires coordinated,
OSHA has issued a final rule that pro- long-term research involving women of reproductive age and children, according to
vides employers with two new fit testing National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists. An editorial published in American
protocols for ensuring that employees’ Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology emphasizes that women and children bear a
respirators fit properly. substantial burden of the U.S. opioid epidemic. According to the article, misuse of
opioids before and during pregnancy raises the risk of health consequences for both
The new protocols are the modified woman and child, potentially leading to intergenerational cycles of opioid overuse.
ambient aerosol condensation nuclei Access the article at www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(19)30429-6/abstract.
counter (CNC) quantitative fit testing
protocol for full-facepiece and half-mask NSC Releases Opioids
elastomeric respirators, and the modi- Tool Kit for Employers
fied ambient aerosol CNC quantitative
fit testing protocol for filtering facepiece To increase awareness about the effects of opioids
respirators. Both protocols are variations on the workforce, National Safety Council (NSC) has
of the original OSHA-approved ambient released a tool kit for use by employers. The tool kit
aerosol CNC protocol, but have fewer test includes sample policies, fact sheets, presentations,
exercises, shorter exercise duration and a safety talks, posters, white papers, reports and videos
more streamlined sampling sequence.
to help employers put a prevention plan in place.
These two quantitative methods were The tool kit aims to help human
added to Appendix A of OSHA’s respira- resources professionals, safety
tory protection standard, which contains professionals, supervisors and
mandatory respirator fit-testing protocols other employees recognize
that employers must choose from to pro- signs of impairment, under-
tect employees from hazardous airborne stand how opioids impact
contaminants. The rule does not require the workplace and develop
employers in general industries, shipyard drug-related policies.
employment, and construction to update Access the tool kit at
or replace their current fit testing meth- http://bit.ly/2MJtP7H.
ods, and does not impose additional costs.

Learn more at www.osha.gov.

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assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 11

SAFETY MATTERS

Oregon Organizations Collaborate
to Move the Needle Toward Total Worker Health

By Dede Montgomery, Liz Hill and Michael Wood

In this article, three members of the Oregon Total Worker Health mitment to help expand the knowledge and application of total
Alliance provide an update on the work of the alliance, includ- worker health principles by leveraging the combined strength
ing development of a total worker health training curriculum of these three state-based organizations.
designed for OSH, workers’ compensation, and human resources
practitioners and professions. Learn more about the alliance at Signing the alliance in February 2017 was an affirmation of
www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-scienc ongoing and historical collaborations between all three parties
es/oregon-total-worker-healthr-alliance. over prior decades, whereby discussing total worker health pro-
duced a shared interest in forming such an alliance. All three
Oregon is sometimes praised for being unusually partners have regularly collaborated on issues and initiatives
collaborative in building consensus on various matters, par- that impact OSH and well-being in Oregon. With the formation
ticularly those related to workplace safety and health. OSH pro- of the alliance, we specifically target how we can work together
fessionals, business, labor and regulators may not always agree to move the needle in Oregon to improve safety, health and
with each other’s views, but those in the discussion are often well-being for all workers, using concepts, evidence and data
willing to consider other perspectives to better work together related to total worker health principles. Our traditional views
on matters related to workplace safety and health. of OSH have been updated by: 1) identifying and defining
workplace hazards in a way that allows expansion into nontra-
A recent outcome of this philosophy is Oregon’s foray into ditionally recognized hazards related to work; 2) reimagining
the creation of the first statewide alliance in total worker effective integration of traditionally siloed departments; and
health. The alliance forges an effective partnership between 3) recognizing how the organization of work impacts overall
three state-based organizations: safety and health. This newer view flavors our explanation of
the hierarchy of controls, and the need to integrate communi-
•an academic research institute, Oregon Institute of Occupa- cation and development of organizational resources to address
tional Health Sciences at Oregon Health and Science University these needs. Identification of general aging in the workforce,
(OHSU), which includes the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center increased chronic health conditions and an awareness of men-
a NIOSH-funded Total Worker Health Center of Excellence; tal wellness all affect how we view and redefine our efforts to
prevent injury and preserve health. We pay more attention to
•Oregon OSHA, the state OSHA; and acknowledge how psychosocial hazards and mental well-
•SAIF Corp., a not-for-profit, state-chartered workers’ com- ness contribute to injuries and illnesses, both on and off the job,
pensation insurance company. and affect workers and their families and communities, and the
The three partners have agreed that while each may not offer organizations that employ them.
identical support or specific resources to stakeholders on the
topic, the partners share the belief that total worker health is We don’t expect to figure everything out or to move ahead
important to work organizations. We are united in our com- on all possible fronts at once. Our earliest concrete
collaborative initiative has been development and
presentation of our total worker health curriculum,
designed for OSH, workers compensation and hu-
man resources professionals. Implementing this
curriculum seemed a necessary initial step as both
SAIF Corp. and Occupational Health Sciences/Or-
egon Healthy Workforce Center have provided ed-
ucation and training on the concept of total worker
health for some time, often at conferences organized

(Above) The total worker health classes help profes- OREGON TOTAL WORKER HEALTH ALLIANCE
sionals identify total worker health solutions for their
workplaces using evidence-based research, tools and
case studies.

(Right) Representatives of the Oregon Total Worker
Health Alliance organizations gather for signing of the
Alliance agreement in February 2017.

12 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

by both Oregon OSHA and Oregon chapters of ASSP. It made
sense to develop universal course expectations and objectives
in line with the discussion at NIOSH and other total worker
health partners, and to avoid redundancies or inconsistencies
as we discuss these issues with our often mutual audiences. To
date, we have developed a half-day Total Worker Health 101
course, which serves as a prerequisite to a number of planned
additional courses or modules (and may become available on-
line in the future). The course has been presented, along with
a half-day Total Worker Health Workplace Solutions course,
at three regional conferences (Western Pulp, Paper and Forest
Products OSH Conference, 2019 Oregon Governor’s Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Conference, and through the Uni-
versity of Washington’s NIOSH-funded Engineering Resource
Center’s continuing education program). Fall 2019-20 classes
will be offered to audiences representing Oregon SHARP Al-
liance, Washington Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health
Conference and the Region X Voluntary Protection Program
Participants’ Association Safety Summit. Additional modules
are being created including one addressing total worker health
and sleep for regional conferences, including those sponsored
by Oregon OSHA.

Looking to the near future, we imagine prioritizing joint
projects relating to workers’ compensation improvements and
projects that utilize state-based injury data. In addition to these
tangible results, our alliance leaves us with the additional bene-
fits of a formal format for tracking the evolving thinking about
workplace safety, health and well-being, clearer objectives and
methods for each organization, the ability to standardize and
share resources from each member of the alliance within each
other’s tool kits, and easier avenues of action.

What We Are Learning
Partners view total worker health from different perspec-

tives. Each perspective is important and, as a group, these
divergent perspectives provide a more inclusive opportunity to
understand overall needs. The partners agree that total worker
health is and will continue to be an evolution and work in prog-
ress. There is no one way to proceed in total worker health, and
each industry and organization will best build on the current
strengths of the organization. Participants are excited about the
Total Worker Health 101 curriculum and look forward to new
modules being developed. PSJ

Dede Montgomery M.S., CIH, leads outreach and education for and
provides industrial hygiene expertise to Oregon Institute of Occupational
Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center. She holds an M.S. in
Public Health/Environmental Health Sciences and a B.S. in Biology. She is
Vice President of ASSP’s Columbia-Willamette Chapter, and a member of the
Society’s Council on Professional Affairs and Total Worker Health Task Force.
She is also a member of the Society’s Women in Safety Excellence (WISE)
Common Interest Group (CIG).

Liz Hill, M.P.H., CSP, CIH, is a total worker health advisor for SAIF Corp.
She has more than 20 years’ experience in professional safety and health.
Hill holds an M.P.H. from Oregon State University and a B.S. in Industrial
Hygiene from Utah State University. She is a professional member of ASSP’s
Columbia-Willamette Chapter and a member of the Society’s WISE CIG and
Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty.

Michael Wood, CSP, is administrator of the OSH Division of the Oregon
Department of Consumer Services (Oregon OSHA). Wood is a graduate of
Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. Wood serves on ASSP’s Government
Affairs Committee, is a professional member of ASSP’s Columbia-Willamette
Chapter, and a member of the Society’s Construction, Healthcare and Public
Sector practice specialties.

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 13

SAFETY MATTERS

CPWR Resource Helps Women WELCOMIA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Find Construction PPE That Fits
AIHA Guidance Document
As part of its research-to-practice library of resources dedicated Focuses on Health Risks
to reaching vulnerable workers, CPWR—The Center for Con- for Construction Workers
struction Research and Training has compiled a list of commer-
cially available PPE for women in the construction workforce. American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has pub-
lished a guidance booklet, “Focus Four for Health: An Initiative
According to National Association of Women in Construc- to Address Four Major Construction Health Hazards,” to raise
tion, 939,000 women were employed in the construction indus- awareness about health hazards in construction. The guidance
try in 2016, making up 9.1% of the U.S. construction industry. stresses the importance of recognizing health hazards in addi-
“One of the challenges facing women in the trades is finding tion to safety risks.
PPE that fits properly,” CPWR says. “This is a serious issue be-
cause PPE that does not fit properly will not adequately protect The guidance encourages the construction industry to focus
against occupational hazards and may increase the risk for ill- on four health hazards: 1) manual material handling; 2) noise;
nesses, injuries and death.” 3) air contaminants; and 4) high temperatures. Each section de-
scribes the hazard, the severity of health effects, trades common-
Through its “Construction PPE for the Female Workforce” ly affected and strategies that can be used to control the hazard.
web page, CPWR provides a quick reference to help women
working in the construction industry find PPE that fits properly According to the booklet, a poll of working adults found
and provides adequate protection. that construction workers and those in outdoor occupations
were nearly twice as likely as other workers (43% vs. 22%) to
“Although OSHA construction standards for PPE do not believe something about their workplace may be harmful to
require employers to ensure that the PPE provided fits each their health. In addition, an assessment of overall health risks
employee, doing so will ensure that their employees, including to workers after a career in construction found that the risk for
women, are protected,” CPWR says. developing an occupation-related disease over a lifetime in a
construction trade was two to six times greater than for non-
Visit the resource at http://bit.ly/2Nb5eHN. construction workers.

Nearly 15 Million Americans “Unfortunately, health hazards such as noise or air contam-
Drive After Using Marijuana inants are common in construction,” says AIHA’s Matt Gillen.
According to a survey from In the survey, 7% of Amer- “When health problems occur, they can cut careers short, cause
AAA Foundation for Traffic icans reported they approved pain and disability, and even cause premature death.”
Safety, nearly 70% of Amer- of driving after recently using
icans believe it is unlikely a marijuana, more than other Access the booklet at http://bit.ly/33yMrgy.
driver will get caught by police dangerous behaviors such
for driving while high on mar- as alcohol-impaired driving NIOSH Releases Chemical
ijuana. The organization says (1.6%), drowsy driving (1.7%) Management Strategy
that an estimated 14.8 million and prescription drug-im- to Protect Workers
drivers report getting behind paired driving (3%).
the wheel during the past 30 The survey results are part NIOSH has published a report that details the use and ap-
days within 1 hour of using of the AAA Foundation’s plication of occupational exposure banding to protect workers
marijuana. The impairing ef- annual Traffic Safety Culture who may be exposed to chemical substances that do not have
fects of marijuana are usually Index, which identifies atti- occupational exposure limits. This approach is a process for as-
experienced within the first 1 tudes and behaviors related to signing chemical substances into categories, or bands, based on
to 4 hours after using the drug, traffic safety. The survey data their associated health outcomes and potency considerations.
the group says, and marijuana are from a sample of 2,582
users who drive under the in- licensed drivers ages 16 and According to NIOSH, the banding process is not intended to
fluence of marijuana are up to older who reported driving in replace occupational exposure limits, but rather is intended as
twice as likely to be involved the past 30 days. Read the re- a starting point to inform risk management decisions for con-
in a crash. port at http://bit.ly/2qHYytf. trolling chemical substances that do not have established expo-
“Marijuana can significantly sure limits. An e-tool provides online access to the information.
alter reaction times and im-
pair a driver’s judgment. Yet, Read “The NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Process
many drivers don’t consider for Chemical Risk Management” at http://bit.ly/2p9LA6Y.
marijuana-impaired driving
as risky as other behaviors like
driving drunk or talking on
the phone while driving,” says
David Yang, executive director
of AAA Foundation for Traf-
fic Safety. “It is important for
everyone to understand that
driving after recently using
marijuana can put themselves
and others at risk.”

14 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

CSB Reverses Policy to February 13 –20 | Las Vegas, NV
Exclude Deceased Workers’
Names From Reports ■ 1-, 2- and 3-Day options
■ Earn up to 5.6 CEUs
CSB has decided to return to a policy of including the names ■ 50+ Expert Instructors
of deceased workers in its investigative reports. In June 2014, ■ 100+ Safety Courses
CSB began to omit the names of workers who were killed in ■ 1,200+ OSH Professionals
chemical incidents because including them “may infer culpabil-
ity on the part of the entity responsible for the operation of the Learn more at
facility where the incident occurred.”
SafetyFOCUS.assp.org
At a recent board meeting, CSB Interim Executive Authority
Kristen Kulinowski announced that board members had previ-
ously voted to amend the agency’s Incident Victim and Family
Communication Program to include the publication of names
of the deceased in future CSB investigative reports unless an
immediate family member objects.

“On behalf of families who have lost their loved ones, I’d like
to say ‘thank you’ to CSB,” says Holly Shaw-Hollis, a workplace
safety activist and a member of the board of directors of both
National Council for OSH and Philadelphia Project on OSH.
Shaw-Hollis’ husband was killed after sustaining injuries from
a fall from a commercial barge in 2002. “I remember my hus-
band every day. My sons remember their father every day. No
report about these terrible, preventable incidents is complete
if it does not include the names of those we have lost. Naming
those who have been killed reminds everyone that they are not
just a number and a statistic, but a person with a family who
loved them and will miss them: a family whose lives have been
forever changed by the tragic event.”

Learn more at www.csb.gov.

Platform Helps Address Work-
place Violence in Healthcare

Many healthcare and social services workers experience
workplace violence incidents; according to research, 47% of
emergency department nurses experienced a physical assault
in 2017. Collective Medical, a healthcare software company,
has created a platform to help providers record and manage
workplace violence incidents. The platform allows providers
to document incidents of violence, including physical assault,
verbal threats, theft, sexual assault and self-harm, and flags and
stores documentation for future reference. The program tracks
patients with a history of violence entering the facility and
alerts hospital and security staff, allowing them to respond to
and prevent future incidents.

“We’ve been working with the staff to encourage them to
report these incidents,” says Steve Hardin of CHI St. Anthony
Hospital in Pendleton, OR. “Once we began using the platform
to document every violent incident, the hospital recognized the
extent of the problem and provided us with additional resourc-
es to protect the staff and other patients.”

Read more at http://bit.ly/2Jl0Apu.

TOMML/E+/GETTY IMAGES

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 15

LEADING THOUGHTS

SMART MOVES

Movement Training Reduces Soft-Tissue,
Slip/Trip/Fall & Hand Injuries

By Robert Pater

At times, what’s old comes around and becomes new again. This is more likely when what’s
old has been proven effective by many people, especially when preexisting methods have
become updated and honed over many years so that previous limitations are fixed.

Robert Pater Aging can also improve some things (think plish tasks, trying to maximize efficient and effec-
wine or certain cheeses or even beef). Some leaders tive motion is not new.
Robert Pater, M.A., default toward “newer is better,” searching for new Movement, from athletic competitions to dance
is managing direc- methods for solving problems. But if you weren’t pre- performances, has been an integral and traditional
tor and founder of viously aware of how to best apply older approaches, part of most cultures to encourage fitness, health
MoveSMART (www these are effectively new to you. and effectiveness. According to Tipton (2014), “exer-
.movesmart.com). When polished, hidden gems from the past can cise prescription for health and disease prevention
Clients include Am- open the gateway to breakthroughs in present has roots that began in antiquity more than two
trak, ArcelorMittal, performance (whether folk medicinal or herbal millennia ago.” And those cultures that engaged in
BHP Billiton, BMW, remedies that have been used to create “miracle” warfare naturally focused on training warriors to
BorgWarner, BP, Cum- drugs, applying ancient disciplines become more adept fighters, from
mins, Domtar, DuPont, for better health or well-being, or the ancient Greeks and Romans to
Hawaiian Airlines, HD methods from indigenous peoples By rediscovering Asian civilizations that honed the
Supply, Honda, Mara- for building sustainable living) and some of the arts of armed and unarmed combat.
thon Oil, MSC Indus- prove to be true for effective injury now-refined Fast forward a few thousand
trial Supply, Nissan, prevention.
Northrop Grumman, years to the turn of the 20th centu-
ONE Gas, Rio Tinto, My first published article (of now ry, where an emerging engineering
S&C Electric, United more than 300) appeared in the June gems of early focus gave rise to the discipline of
Airlines, U.S. Steel, 1985 issue of Professional Safety. ergonomists, many motion analysis. Frank and Lillian
Wacker and WestRock. While “Motion Analysis and Train- companies have Gilbreth applied an industrial engi-
Pater is a professional ing for the ‘80s” is no longer acces- reaped significant neering perspective to man-motion
member of ASSP’s sible, the information and methods improvement. After measuring
Columbia-Willamette are still valid; we’ve been applying and photographing the best noted
Chapter.

these (ongoingly updated) strategies improvements in workers performing their tasks
with larger global companies for safety performance (predominantly assemblers and
more than 30 years and have had and culture. construction workers), the Gil-
many reports of significant, last- breths listed the most efficient mo-
ing statistical and cultural break- tions needed to perform a specific
throughs. By rediscovering some of task. They deduced that there were
the now-refined gems of early ergonomists, many only 18 basic motions, each termed a “therblig”
companies have reaped significant improvements in (Gilbreth pronounced backward) that a human
safety performance and culture. body could make and that any action was a com-
Movement-related injuries (soft-tissue injuries, bination of some of these. They would then teach
strains/sprains, slips/trips/falls, hand injuries, bodi- other workers to mimic these “best” sequences to
ly reaction injuries, those from repetitive motion) eliminate wasted movements. This was designed
have continued to be an ongoing problem for many to reduce the time required to finish a job, thereby
companies despite all the fixes they’ve tried. The raising the amount of work done per hour and day
latest available Liberty Mutual (2018) Workplace (important to those many workers who were often
Safety Index lists the top 10 injury causes as in- paid on a piecework basis; the more they accom-
cluding overexertion involving outside sources (1), plished, the more they earned).
falls on same level (2), falls to lower level (3), other The Gilbreths’ methodology was significant
exertions or bodily reactions (5), slip or trip without because:
fall (7), repetitive motions involving microtasks (10), •They focused on work standardization, decreas-
accounting for a total of 66.3% of all disabling work- ing time expended and even increasing task quality.
place injuries. •It dovetailed with Taylor’s (2014) time analysis
Given that these are still persistent problems, the approach of timing workers for efficiency.
following is a much revised version of my article •The Gilbreths were interested in making im-
from more than 34 years ago that provides back- mediate improvements only. They rejected chang-
ground and principles for reducing movement-re- es measured over the longer term. Their approach
lated injuries to an often startling degree. Because reflected the then-predominant management
people have always moved their bodies to accom- attitude that workers were interchangeable and

16 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

expendable (i.e., workers are hired to do a job as effect of forces cumulatively concentrating in a body Where
is, not to be developed). region) and for mental stimulation (most safety machines
leaders accept that complacency can be a potent en- thrive on
•They categorized worker fatigue into three emy of safety). iteration,
areas: 1) coming to work improperly rested; 2) people
unnecessary fatigue due to unnecessary work, The Gilbreths were short-term oriented. With a need varia-
motions, uncomfortable positions/surroundings, mind-set of recalibrating people as if they were bio- tion, both
and working conditions; and 3) “necessary fa- logical machines, they were more focused on mak- for physical
tigue” due to working. ing immediate improvements, rather than those that well-being
required longer periods to learn and take hold. and for
•The Gilbreths maintained that, in addition to re- mental
ducing output, fatigue is negatively correlated with The Gilbreths mainly focused on quantity in- stimulation.
work satisfaction. That is, the more tired someone creases, where predominant present productivity
ISAYILDIZ/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS is, the lower his/her work engagement and morale. concerns are (at least as much) on quality improve-
This interest in workers’ state of mind was for- ment. Remember that because the Gilbreths trained
ward-thinking for the era (before bargaining units workers who were compensated on a piece-rate
and reams of research correlating job satisfaction basis, these workers were strongly motivated to
with performance). increase output. Modern employees are rarely paid
this way.
•They also correlated commitment with quality
of movement. The Gilbreths observed that those Furthermore, 21st-century workers understand-
bricklayers building a church of their own religion ably resist being treated as robots. And Gilbreth-like
exhibited markedly “superior” motions compared attempts to program employees to repetitively per-
to the same workers building a church they weren’t form a task in a set “right” way, where one method
affiliated with. is meant to be copied by all, leads to mistakes, in-
cidents, dissatisfaction and conflict over time, and
At the same time as the Gilbreths were working, doesn’t suit the physical needs of a varied workforce.
Taylor (2014), in his 1911 book, The Principles of Sci- Also, many organizational leaders now realize that
entific Management, expounded four still-relevant failing to develop employees’ potential can lead to
principles of “scientific management”: higher turnover, lower morale and even disrupted
management succession.
First. They develop a science for each ele-
ment of a man’s work, which replaces the 2) Changing industries. The Gilbreths were man-
old rule-of-thumb method. ufacturing and construction oriented, industries in
which workers were paid based on their productiv-
Second. They scientifically select and ity. And much of the Gilbreths’ and Taylor’s work
then train, teach and develop the work- doesn’t as readily apply to the wide array of existing
man, whereas in the past he chose his own service or knowledge businesses.
work and trained himself as best he could.
3) Dissimilar dynamics. Life expectancy during
Third. They heartily cooperate with the the Gilbreths’ era was shorter than today: 47.3 years
men so as to ensure all of the work being for someone born in 1900 versus 76.8 years if born
done is in accordance with the principles of in 2000 (CDC, 2010). Unlike now, few in the early
the science which has been developed. 20th century were able to do physical work into
their later age.
Fourth. There is an almost equal division
of the work and the responsibility between What might have been effective for workers in
the management and the workmen. The the early 1900s won’t apply as readily to current
management take over all work for which times where physiological changes associated with
they are better fitted than the workmen, aging (e.g., neurological changes that affect bal-
while in the past almost all of the work and ance, sarcopenia/age-related muscle loss, collagen
the greater part of the responsibility were
thrown upon the men.

Limitations of Ergonomic Grandfathers
Parallel to the Gilbreths, Taylor predominantly

applied his work and writings to manual tasks of
handling pig iron, shoveling and bricklaying.

Although industrial engineers over the interven-
ing years have studied the Gilbreths’ and Taylor’s re-
markable findings, these methods haven’t practically
translated into widely usable policies and actions.
There are likely at least four reasons for this:

1) Different emphasis. Reflecting their post-in-
dustrial revolution environment, the Gilbreths em-
ployed a man-as-a-machine model that emphasized
work standardization. The fallacy here is that where
machines thrive on iteration, people need variation,
both for physical well-being (to reduce weardown

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 17

LEADING THOUGHTS

Improving motion efficiency SIMONKR/E+/GETTY IMAGES

and quality is learnable. Even ment habits. This was the basis of the Gilbreths’
work and Taylor’s second principle of scientific man-
experienced workers can agement. And the results from our work over the
past more than 3 decades corroborates this as well.
become trained to quickly
5) Safety, productivity and quality are not at odds.
develop healthier and safer All three objectives can be simultaneously elevated
with a meshed approach that includes mindful at-
movement habits. tention control and movement training.

breakdown) mean that as the workforce ages there Simultaneous improvements are doable. Safety is
is a greater chance for cumulative trauma buildup on par with importance. Adept leadership doesn’t
and increased movement-related injuries such as have to settle for a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul mind-set.
slips/trips/falls. Rather, it is better to focus on what we call the crit-
ical triangle: 1) safety and health; 2) engagement
4) Contrasting company-employee relations. and job satisfaction; and 3) productivity and quality.
In the Gilbreths’ and Taylor’s time, workers were These can (and best are) simultaneously attainable
seen as more disposable. There were no bargain- with strategic perspective, planning and execution.
ing units, no OSHA or similar regulating agen- To best leaders, safety is not number one, rather
cies, and no workers’ compensation. “Hands,” as safety, productivity and engagement are all equally
workers were commonly called, were considered critical to a company’s strength and sustainability.
easily replaceable. This is not the case in current
times, with workers who have critical-to-company When well-done, movement training can show
skills and knowledge. And if they even existed immediate personal paybacks (less tension, greater
back then, worker expectations of satisfaction, strength, more range of motion, improved balance
involvement, challenge, fulfillment or career de- and enhanced relaxation even while working). This
velopment were certainly minimal compared to has shown to be a practical vehicle for activating all
current times. three parts of the critical triangle (Figure 1).

What We Can Learn From Seven Keys for High-Level Movement Training
These Pioneering Ergonomists So how can you implement movement training to

Strategic leadership focuses on maximizing the attain significant safety and cultural improvements?
strengths and minimizing the limitations in any sit- Examples include a more than 85% reduction in
uation, akin to nurturing the baby while discarding soft-tissue injuries (ONE Gas, multistate utility),
the bathwater. Although the Gilbreths and Taylor 45% fewer slips/trips/falls and a 50% decrease in
focused on productivity and weren’t predominantly soft-tissue injuries (U.S. Steel), Northrup Grumman
concerned with worker engagement, retention or reported a more than 40% reduction in soft tissue
safety, five principles can still be applied to 21st-cen- injuries at its Lake City, MO, facility. Savannah Riv-
tury safety and organizational leadership: er Remediation (AECOM), saw an almost 70% de-
crease in strains and sprains as well as a significant
1) The human body has certain design dynamics decrease in slips/trips/falls. MSC Industrial Supply
such that anyone with two arms and two legs, any- achieved a 58% decrease in soft-tissue injuries.
where in the world, can quickly and readily apply
some of these movement principles, as they are Our more than 3 decades of experience has shown
based on the way the human body is structured and that high-level movement training should incorpo-
can move. rate these seven elements:

2) Natural motions are most efficient, powerful 1) Fit with ergonomic design. In fact, always design
and safest. In fact, I recall my thoughts lighting up out what can be cost-effectively and practically elimi-
when I first read the Gilbreths’ work (“Wow! These nated. Also, recognize limitations of the “just design”
are the same exact motions that I’ve been practic- approach: exposures at home, on clients’ turf or in
ing to become defaults in my internal martial arts uncontrollable situations (e.g., can’t prevent it from
training!”).

3) There is a connection between internal belief,
and motivation and task actions (building a church
of the same denomination and being motivated to
change default actions helps).

4) Improving motion efficiency and quality is
learnable. Even experienced workers can become
trained to quickly develop healthier and safer move-

18 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

raining). Or when not feasible to wholesale replace or 4) Be offered, not proscribed, to reduce pushback. Few people
rebuild existing facilities or tools (or where these may Encourage people to make this information and modify the
be delayed until capital is available). these methods their own through personal varia- way they
tions (something the Gilbreths didn’t do). move from
2) Be practical and real, grounded in applications just hearing
that workers really perform. Shift focus from the “old” 5) Be demonstrable/experienced. Few people or reading
P&P, policies and procedures to be memorized, to modify the way they move from just hearing or directions
upgraded P&P, principles and practices that are un- reading directions on what to do, or from viewing on what to
derstood and exemplified by actual tasks. Don’t show a video. They must experience the adjustments per- do, or from
someone how to lift a box off a floor if s/he never or sonally to convince themselves. viewing a
rarely has call to actually do this. Instead, let the person video. They
discover for themselves through guided practice how to Simply put, the underlying principle of movement must expe-
more effectively and safely perform those daily tasks. training is “do easy.” That is, as much as possible, per- rience the
form all tasks in accordance with the natural laws of adjustments
To both build safer default actions and spark in- kinesiology, with greater effectiveness and less fatigue. personally
terest, it’s essential to include at-home or off-work For an artistic take on movement training, I recom- to convince
personal applications, not just work-related ones. mend William S. Burroughs’s short story, “The Disci- themselves.
pline of Do Easy” (also made into a short video with the
3) Be easy to learn and quickly apply; be under- same title by Gus Van Sant) an account of a fictionalized
standable to all. Focus on making small changes movement training explorer. While tongue-in-cheek
rather than expecting large adaptations. The less you and certainly not useful as a training video, it provides
expect from people and the easier you can make it an interesting look at movement training for efficiency.
for them to change, the more likely they will.

FIGURE 1

THE CRITICAL TRIANGLE

Productivity/quality

•Greater involvement
•Fewer at-risk actions
•Lower trailing indicators
•Reduced turnover
•Better communications
•Enhanced motivation
•Attention control
•Better decision-making
•More creative input
•Lessened stress
•Energizing
•Personal safety

Safety/health Engagement/
satisfaction

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 19

LEADING THOUGHTS

Don’t make 6) Be reinforced in many ways. One exposure is nev- Gilbreth, F. (2018, April 19). Motion study: A method for
the error er enough to change preexisting movement patterns. increasing the efficiency of the workman. London, U.K.: For-
of only fo- And self-reinforcement is the ultimate approach as each gotten Books. (Original work published 1911)
cusing on of us is the only one present in every task we perform.
physical Liberty Mutual. (2018). Liberty Mutual workplace safety
methods, 7) Focus on tangible mental and physical skills index. Retrieved from https://business.libertymutualgroup
which are that people can try out for themselves. This is the .com/business-insurance/Documents/Services/Workplace
unlikely to secret of internal martial arts: how learning to apply %20Safety%20Index.pdf
be success- the right small motions can enable even an older
and smaller practitioner to physically defend him/ Pater, R. (1985, June). Motion analysis and training for
fully applied herself from a younger, faster, larger and stron- the ‘80s. Professional Safety, 30(6), 26-29.
without ger attacker. If you think of safety as the ultimate
attention, self-defense (protecting yourself from not getting Pater, R. (2012, Nov). Leading a concentric ergonomic
hurt), it’s possible to envision how the mental and culture. Professional Safety, 57(11), 23.
perception, physical aspects of movement training can greatly
judgment, protect against harm. Pater, R. (2013, June). Synchronizing safety leadership:
understand- Preventing hand injuries and strains/sprains. Professional
ing and mo- Note that akin to internal martial arts, high-lev- Safety, 58(6), 44-46.
tivation to el movement training is not just body mechanics,
do so and which is much more akin to the Gilbreths’ external Pater, R. (Producer). (2015, March). Fusing organization-
to modify. (“I tell/show you and you copy”) approach (which al strategies and individuals’ skills for actually preventing
didn’t work over time due to its noted limitations). slips, trips and falls [webinar].
High-level movement training relies strongly on
mental as well as physical skill sets. Don’t make the Pater, R. (2016, Jan.). No strain safety. Occupational
error of only focusing on physical methods, which Health & Safety. Retrieved from https://ohsonline.com/arti
are unlikely to be successfully applied without at- cles/2016/01/01/no-strain-safety.aspx
tention, perception, judgment, understanding and
motivation to do so and to modify. Pater, R. (2016, June). Overcoming seven ergonomic
leadership mistakes. Professional Safety, 61(6), 40-44.
Mental movement skills include developing a
personal control mind-set, understanding how cu- Pater, R. (2016, July 1) Raising ergonomic mindfulness.
mulative trauma builds from small actions, thinking Occupational Health & Safety. Retrieved from https://
forward, making off-work/at-home applications, ohsonline.com/articles/2016/07/01/raising-ergonomic
controlling/redirecting attention, self-monitoring -mindfulness.aspx
to scan tension buildup and balance, and to make
quick and easy adjustments, practically applying the Pater, R. (2017, March). Use leading indicators to derail
three laws of motion, and preparing and recovering ergonomic injuries, part 1: Preparation strategies. Profes-
from exertion or repetition. sional Safety, 62(3), 22-24.

Physical movement skills include developing Pater, R. (2017, April). Use leading indicators to derail
natural alignment while changing positions for ergonomic injuries, part 1: Set up and apply early indicators
safer force transfer, improving physical leverage, of success. Professional Safety, 62(4), 21-23.
maximizing usable strength through leverage, deep-
ening balance, coordinating eyes with hand and foot Pater, R. (2017, April. 1). 3 B’s for preventing soft-tissue
movements, synchronizing breath with motion, and injuries. Occupational Health & Safety. Retrieved from
reducing fatigue by employing dynamic relaxation https://ohsonline.com/articles/2017/04/01/3-bs-for-prevent
in the midst of action for effective energy control. ing-soft-tissue-injuries.aspx

Conclusion Pater, R. (2017, Aug. 1). The three leadership laws of
High-level movement training has shown to re- physical and organizational motion. Occupational Health &
Safety. Retrieved from https://ohsonline.com/articles/2017/
duce all-too-prevalent movement-related injuries 08/01/the-three-leadership-laws.aspx
while simultaneously boosting engagement and
safety culture. PSJ Pater, R. (2017, Dec. 1). The “surprising” realities of slips,
trips and falls: What it takes to actually make significant
References improvements. Occupational Health & Safety. Retrieved
from https://ohsonline.com/articles/2017/12/01/surprising
Burroughs, W. (1979). The discipline of do easy (D.E.). In The -realities.aspx
Exterminator (pp. 55-67). New York, NY: Penguin Publishing
Group. Pater, R. (2018, May). The impact of movement on safety,
health and longevity. Professional Safety, 63(5), 26-28.
CDC. (2010, Nov. 26). Life expectancy at birth, at 65
years of age, and at 75 years of age, by race and sex: United Pater, R. (2018, Nov.). Internalizing safety. Professional
States, selected years 1900-2007. Retrieved from www.cdc Safety, 63(13), 22-24.
.gov/nchs/data/hus/2010/022.pdf
Pater, R. (2018, Dec. 1). Balancing safety: Overcoming
Ferguson, D. (2000). Therbligs: The keys to simplifying surprising contributors to slips, trips and falls. Occupation-
work. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/ al Health & Safety. Retrieved from https://ohsonline.com/
Therblgs.pdf articles/2018/12/01/balancing-safety.aspx

Gilbreth, F. & Gilbreth, L. (1973). Applied motion study. Pater, R. (2019, Jan.). Sure-footed leadership. Professional
Easton, PA: Hive Publishing Co. Safety, 64(1), 21-24.

Pater, R. (2019, April). The left hand of safety. Profession-
al Safety, 64(4), 23-25.

Pater, R. (2019, June). Natural safety. Professional Safety,
64(6), 52-55.

Taylor, F.W. (2014) The principles of scientific manage-
ment. Eastford, CT: Martino Fine Books. (Original work
published 1911)

Tipton, C.M. (2014). The history of “exercise is medicine”
in ancient civilizations. Advances in physiology educa-
tion, 38(2), 109-117. doi:10.1152/advan.00136.2013

Watch Old Movies Online. (2017, Jan. 20). The discipline
of D.E. (1978). Retrieved from http://youtu.be/S4Aio-lrVo8

20 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

CHECKPOINTS

LONE WORKER SAFETY

How Wireless Equipment Can Improve Safety in the Field

By Rick Pedley

When workers are alone in the field, they are largely responsible for their own safety and health.
They may have to deal with a range of potential hazards and difficult working conditions on their
own, which can lead to incidents and injuries.

So, what does it take to keep lone AF_ISTOCKER/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS As companies
workers safe in the field? In the digital begin investing
age, companies and safety managers can in this new tech-
use wireless technology to stay connected
to lone workers to protect their safety nology, lone
and health. This article describes the lat- workers can
est workplace safety technology and how stay connected
these devices can keep lone workers safe to colleagues,
on the job. managers and
workplace safe-
Why Safety Gear May Not Be Enough ty technicians.
Protecting lone workers usually in-
or protect themselves with the proper risk. Those using this technology should
cludes providing the proper safety gear gear. Alerts can be sent to the worker’s set some time aside to make sure every
and equipment, such as sun and heat smartphone or computer so they can device is functioning properly.
protection, flame-resistant clothing, keep tabs on various working conditions
night visibility, and fall prevention. This throughout the day. Keeping Workers Informed
equipment protects lone workers from Some employees may perceive these
all types of hazards, especially if they are Wireless devices can also monitor the
working outdoors, on elevated surfaces movements of lone workers. If no move- technological advances as Big Brother
or near other potential hazards. In ad- ment is recorded for several minutes, in the field. They may be accustomed to
dition to this equipment, lone workers those monitoring the situation receive working in isolation, and these devices
should have regular access to drinking an automatic alert so they can respond can seem more like an invasion of priva-
water to avoid dehydration and heat ex- as quickly as possible if the worker is cy than a useful tool intended to protect
haustion. All company vehicles should injured. Companies can also use wireless them from potential hazards.
have water on board to keep workers hy- GPS trackers to monitor the locations of
drated throughout the day. workers in real time. If a truck or vehicle Companies can avoid this mispercep-
is delayed or stops moving, these devices tion by educating workers on the benefits
But this equipment may not be enough send an automatic alert so those moni- of this technology. Employees should un-
when it comes to protecting lone work- toring vehicles can respond immediately derstand that these devices will be used
ers. If these workers are not connected to if an incident should occur. to protect them from dangerous working
the rest of their team, it may take their conditions. If an emergency should oc-
colleagues some time to respond if some- Maintaining Wireless Technology cur, these devices may be the worker’s
thing goes wrong in the field. As effective as this new technology can first line of defense against serious injury.
Companies should organize safety train-
Protecting Lone Workers be, these devices can only work properly ing sessions so employees can learn more
With Wireless Digital Devices if companies maintain their wireless about how these devices work in the field.
safety equipment. To better protect em-
Wireless technology can help compa- ployees in the field, companies should Conclusion
nies stay connected to workers as they perform regular testing to ensure that As companies begin investing in this
contend with a range of hazards, includ- remote monitors and sensors are operat-
ing heat exhaustion, fatigue, dehydration ing as expected. If a device fails or stops new technology, lone workers can stay
and poor air quality. If something goes recording information, remote workers connected to colleagues, managers and
wrong in the field or working conditions will not be able to depend on this addi- workplace safety technicians. Over time,
change suddenly, these teams can take tional safety net, which could put them at these advances will improve the safety and
action immediately, which reduces the health of all types of lone workers. PSJ
chances of workplace injuries.
Rick Pedley is president and CEO of PK Safety (www.pksafety.com), a supplier and manufacturer of
Some wireless adapters can transform occupational safety and PPE.
gas detectors into wireless gas monitor-
ing devices, so companies and safety
managers can respond as quickly as pos-
sible in the event of an emergency. If tox-
ic gases are present, the adapter can send
an automatic alert to those monitoring
workers so the workers can leave the area

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 21

BEST PRACTICES

10 Things You Wish

EVERYONE UNDERSTOOD ABOUT SAFETY

People who are passionate about safety likely have had several different versions of this
conversation around the Thanksgiving dinner table: A friend or relative asks, “What do you do?”
and you reply “I help protect people in the workplace.”

The response comes quickly. “I’d the environment is usually good for future risks in an effort to protect workers
better watch my back, or you’ll send me health, which is usually good for safety. and business operations.
to safety jail.” What is good for safety is usually good
for health, which is usually good for the Part of expecting the unexpected is
When you take something seriously, environment. That is why the full name convincing stakeholders that it is import-
knowing real people’s lives are on the line, of the discipline with which most of our ant to invest in regular risk assessments.
it can be frustrating to feel that you have to industry’s professionals identify is called Safety professionals do this by measuring
explain yourself again and again. To help you occupational safety and health (OSH) or the effectiveness of previous efforts and
overcome those frustrations, this article com- environmental health and safety (EHS). aligning the risk assessment process with
piles a list of 10 things you, as a safety profes- their organization’s strategic plan. That
sional, wish everyone understood about what Companies are increasingly aware of means they must be proficient in many
you do every day. Feel free to pass it along. this fact, spending significant resources aspects of their business’ operations.
on corporate sustainability and keeping a
1) Safety Is a Profession close eye on metrics, such as the Dow Jones 6) Safety Does Not Stop at Work
Safety and loss prevention programs at Sustainability Index in the U.S., indicating When you get into your car, board a
their competitive standing in these areas.
companies of all sizes rely on versatile and While undoubtedly there are altruistic rea- train or even walk down the street to get
educated professionals to help them protect sons for wanting to protect people, property home at the end of a workday, you en-
workers and the bottom line. Increasingly and the environment, businesses can also counter countless risks. Once you arrive
more organizations are realizing that as- make significant financial gains by invest- at your front door, the potential for safety
signing safety compliance responsibilities to ing in the Earth and their own workers. incidents and disease follows you inside.
untrained people is both dangerous and bad
for business. Instead, they are hiring capable 4) Safety Professionals Are Not Cops Smart organizations invest in workers’
professionals and paying them competitively. The first time many people consider safety and health 24 hours a day. They
know people’s habits off the clock, includ-
That is why more students are choosing workplace safety is when they are presented ing exercise, substance use and sleep, can
to attend one of 20 accredited OSH pro- with a list of OSHA regulations and train- affect workplace performance and company
grams in the U.S., and are going on to earn ing requirements. Without a qualified safety retention rates. The concept of approaching
certifications from BCSP and other reputa- professional to provide context for these employee well-being holistically is known
ble organizations. These certifications sup- rules, it is easy to understand why workers in the OSH profession as total worker
plement their education and credibility, and would misperceive these regulations as un- health. With NIOSH leading the way, more
signify their special focus on topics such as necessary, or worse, irritating. It is also easy businesses are adopting this model.
ergonomics, industrial hygiene or training. to understand why workers and company
leaders would incorrectly assume that safety 7) Safety Earns Companies Money
2) Safety Affects Everyone professionals only exist to police mistakes. For many years, few companies adopted
When was the last time you put on a
Ensuring that organizations are in com- the idea that taking care of workers could
seat belt? How often do you wear special pliance with safety regulations is a part of increase profits. Organizations saw expen-
mitts to protect your hands and arms any safety professional’s role, but the job is sive and tragic incidents as a cost of doing
when you take a hot dish out of the oven? so much more: from pinpointing challenges business. But companies are getting wise to
Have you seen the OSHA poster in your to identifying business risks to crafting solu- the fact that formal safety and health pro-
workplace, informing you of your rights? tions and implementing systems that save grams are not just the right thing to do, they
lives. Safety professionals use their technical are also a way to make shareholders happy.
Many people have worked hard over and soft skills to make lasting change.
decades to make these safeguards possible. More than 60% of U.S. CFOs surveyed
The safety professionals, product designers 5) Safety Is About by Liberty Mutual (2019) several years ago
and legislators who worked on these initia- Expecting the Unexpected said that each $1 they invested in injury
tives did so because they knew that safety prevention alone would likely yield at
affects everyone. While you might think Do you work in an area prone to torna- least $2. Data from Liberty Mutual’s 2019
that identifying risks and then taking does? A safety professional has probably Workplace Safety Index show that U.S.
steps to mitigate those risks is common thought about that. Are you coming in organizations pay more than $1 billion
sense, it takes uncommonly risk-focused contact with silica dust, pesticides, mer- per week in direct workers’ compensation
individuals to keep others from harm. cury or other substances that could cause costs following workplace injuries and ill-
diseases or fatalities? A safety professional nesses (Huang, Leamon, Courtney, et al.,
3) Safety, Health & the has probably thought about that too. 2007). As the research in this area expands
Environment Are Connected These experts are known for being able to to encompass an increasing number of
simultaneously evaluate past, present and metrics relevant to businesses, safety pro-
People and their organizations exist grams are earning a new level of respect.
within ecosystems. What is good for

22 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

8) Safety Takes Constant to stick. Safety professionals understand BCSP (ASSP, 2018). This is good news for
Communication this better than anyone, and know how to job hunters and students who are about to
connect with workers using empathy, ac- graduate from OSH programs.
It is a familiar refrain in safety: First tive listening and storytelling techniques.
you tell them what you are going to tell Because demand has outpaced supply,
them. Then you tell them. Then you tell Because a large portion of the work and organizations are struggling with
them what you told them. that goes into safety programs is invisi- recruitment and retention, candidates
ble, these experts have historically been can often anticipate competitive compen-
For all their training in engineering, underappreciated and confronted with sation packages. These packages could
chemistry or other technically advanced “anyone could do that” attitudes from include attractive extras such as wellness
specialties, safety professionals must leaders within their organizations. When benefits, support with financial planning
bridge communication gaps between money is tight and initiatives are cut and flexible work schedules. PSJ
diverse groups of people with different from the budget, it is common for safety
motivations for keeping workers safe. to end up on the chopping block. This is References
During any given day, safety profession- changing slowly over time, driven by new
als might need to train frontline workers, research and a business culture focused ASSP. (2018, May 24). Salary survey pin-
talk with OSHA inspectors, present on sustainability, and safety professionals points value of certifications for safety and
complex data to C-suite executives and are beginning to get their due. health professionals. Retrieved from www
update peers on their progress. Safety .assp.org/news-and-articles/2018/05/24/salary
professionals’ adaptability and agility is 10) Safety Is in Demand -survey-pinpoints-value-of-certifications-for
one of many reasons they are a crucial There are a lot of unfilled safety jobs. -safety-and-health-professionals
part of any organization.
A quick online search yields more than Huang, Y., Leamon, T.B., Courtney, T., et al.
9) Safety Does Not Simply Happen 27,000 open positions in the U.S. Not only (2007). Corporate financial decision-makers’
Unfortunately, most people do not are safety jobs plentiful, but the compen- perceptions of workplace safety. Accident
sation is often attractive. For full-time analysis & prevention, 39(4), 767-775.
learn safe behaviors once and put them safety professionals, the median base
into practice forever. It usually takes salary is $97,000, according to a 2018 sur- Liberty Mutual. (2019). Workplace safety
many explanations, demonstrations and vey ASSP conducted in partnership with indices by industry: Insights and methodology.
reminders over a long period for messages Retrieved from https://business.libertymutual
group.com/business-insurance/Documents/
Services/DS200.pdf

NEW FROM ASSP

SAFETY LEADERSHIP

AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EDITED BY RICHARD OLAWOYIN AND DARRYL C. HILL

Editors Richard Olawoyin and Darryl C. Hill,
with contributions from academics and industry
leaders, provide a comprehensive road map that
defines the safety profession and promotes leader-
ship and professional development.

Safety Leadership and Professional Development
is perfectly crafted for undergraduate, graduate,
post-graduate students, certification trainees,
higher education and occupational safety and
health professionals.

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or call 1.847.699.2929

List Price: $129.95
Member Price: $103.95
Hardcover, 496 pp, ©2018
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e-book also available

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 23

RISK MANAGEMENT
Peer-Reviewed

Moving Risk Assessment
Upstream to the

DESIGN PHASE

By Bruce K. Lyon, David L. Walline and Georgi Popov

TTO ERR IS HUMAN; TO PREVENT BY DESIGN IS DIVINE. For occu- SIFs are considered never events and the workplace systems are NOSTAL6IE/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
pational serious injuries and fatalities (SIF) to be effectively and the always conditions.
consistently reduced, safety must be designed into workplace
facilities, systems and methods. Risk avoidance and elimina- Patterns of interactions between system elements (humans,
tion, the most effective risk treatment options, are generally tools, machinery, software, materials, procedures and envi-
only possible by design and redesign efforts. ronment) characterize human work. Such work is generally
A clear link exists between workplace fatalities and unsafe performed to achieve a purpose within system elements, con-
or error-prone designs. Studies in the construction industry ditions and environment over a period. Most interactions are
indicate that more than 40% of fatalities are connected to the intentional and inconsequential; however, some things do not
design aspect (Behm, 2005). In Australia, safety in design is an always go as planned or intended. Human error represents
action area of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy. system interactions that are unintended, but as Shorrock (2016)
A Safe Work Australia (2014) study examined work-related notes, there is almost always more to it than just an error on
fatalities that occurred from 2006 to 2011 and involved ma- the part of the human. Always conditions designed into the
chinery, plant and powered tools. Its purpose was to assess the system elements include human, organizational and societal
extent to which unsafe design contributed to the fatalities. Of factors. Degraded conditions might include confusing and in-
these fatalities, 12% were identified to have been caused by un- compatible interfaces, labels or controls that are difficult to read
safe design or design-related factors, while 24% were possibly or distinguish, unserviceable equipment, missing tools and
caused by design-related factors. equipment, time pressure, inadequate staffing, prolonged work
In the medical field, the term never events is used to refer to leading to fatigue and stress, varying levels of competence or
fatalities, serious preventable events, medical errors and other different cultures.
incidents that are totally unacceptable to society (Morgen-
thaler & Harper, 2015). Never events, however, cannot be fully For never events to be completely avoided, the always con-
avoided where degraded “always conditions” exist. Always con- ditions that present hazards and risks that make them possible
ditions are the elements within a system. When these always must be designed out of the systems. In the OSH world, this
conditions are degraded with embedded hazards, flaws and concept is known as prevention through design (PTD).
undue complexity, a great risk of harm exists. Never events and
degraded always conditions are incompatible, opposing forces, The Concept of PTD
much like matter and antimatter. From the OSH perspective, In 2011, ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011(R2016), Prevention

KEY TAKEAWAYS Through Design: Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Haz-
ards and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes, was the first
•Studies indicate that gaps found in design are significant contrib- U.S. standard to address the need for incorporating safety into
the design and redesign phase. A key element of ANSI/ASSP
utors to workplace serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs), which points Z590.3 is that it provides guidance for life cycle risk assess-
to the need for prevention through design (PTD) concepts. ments and a design model that balances environmental and
OSH goals over the life span of a system (Figure 1). Systems
•The greatest opportunity to avoid, eliminate and reduce risk to an such as facilities, equipment and products have a defined life
cycle in which risks change. These points in the system’s life
acceptable level and prevent SIF events is upstream in the design cycle where new risks are introduced or existing risks may in-
and redesign of processes, equipment, facilities, tools and work crease represent PTD risk assessment trigger points (Figure 2).
methods.
A stated goal of the PTD standard is to educate designers, man-
•The primary goal of safety and risk management is to achieve and ufacturers, OSH professionals, business leaders and workers in
the principles so that those principles can be designed into new
maintain a level of risk that is as low as reasonably practicable while and existing facilities, processes, equipment, tools and methods.
accomplishing the organization’s objectives. OSH professionals Fundamentally and practically, it makes the most sense to avoid a
have a vital role to play in PTD and design safety reviews. problem rather than allow it to exist and try to manage it.

•This article provides OSH professionals a practical approach to Manuele (2014) states that “over time, the level of safety
achieved will relate directly to whether acceptable risk levels are
establishing a method for anticipating, recognizing, avoiding, elim-
inating and minimizing operational hazards and risks before they
are introduced into the workplace.

24 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

FIGURE 1

LIFE CYCLE PROCESS

Design Preliminary Detailed Build or Commission Production Decommission
concept design design purchase (install and maintenance

debug)

Note. Adapted from Prevention Through Design: Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Hazards and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes [ANSI/
ASSP Z590.3-2011(R2016)] by ANSI/ASSP, 2016, Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.

FIGURE 2

PREVENTION THROUGH DESIGN DURING SYSTEM’S LIFE CYCLE

Design Build or purchase Install Operate Decommission

Conceptual design Secifications Install Operate Shutdown
•Safety specifications •Prebuild plan •Preplan •Routine tasks •Nonroutine tasks
•External requirement •Procurement •High-risk tasks •High-risk tasks •High-risk tasks
•Nonroutine tasks •Physical agents •Third-party exposures
•Third-party exposures •Incidents
•Physical agents •Third-party exposures
•Natural disasters
•Intentional threats

Preliminary design Build or purchase Debug and setup Maintain and service Dismantle system
•External requirement •Nonroutine tasks •High-risk tasks •Nonroutine tasks •Nonroutine tasks
•Physical agents •High-risk tasks •Nonroutine tasks •High-risk tasks •High-risk tasks
•Third parties •Third parties •Third-party exposures •Third-party exposures •Third-party exposures
•Natural disasters •Physical agents •Physical agents •Physical agents •Physical agents
•Intentional threats •Procurement
•High-risk tasks
•Nonroutine tasks

Design/redesign Repair Disposal
•Design safety review •Nonroutine tasks •Nonroutine tasks
•Safety specifications •High-risk tasks •External requirement
•Third-party exposures •Third-party exposures
•Physical agents

Redesign or modify
•Management of change
•Design safety review
•Procurement

Note. Adapted from Risk Management Tools for Safety Professionals, by B.K. Lyon and G. Popov, 2018, Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 25

FIGURE 3

ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 PTD RISK
REDUCTION HIERARCHY OF
CONTROLS MODEL

achieved or not achieved in the design and redesign processes.” Most Controls
His statement is in accordance with the hierarchy of controls preferred Risk avoidance: Prevent entry of hazards
model found in ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 (Figure 3). The PTD model into a workplace by selecting and
promotes the use of higher-level controls—avoidance, elimi- Least incorporating appropriate technology and
nation, substitution and engineering—upstream in the design preferred work methods criteria during the design
phase as the most effective and economical. Most agree with this processes.
concept; however, in practice, few organizations take full advan- Eliminate: Eliminate workplace and work
tage of incorporating safety into the preoperational phase. This methods risks that have been discovered.
presents a major opportunity for OSH professionals equipped Substitution: Reduce risks by substituting
with the skills and desire to advise and guide organizations less hazardous methods or materials.
through the process of identifying hazards and reducing risk Engineering controls: Incorporate
during design and redesign (Popov, Lyon & Hollcroft, 2016). engineering controls/safety devices.
Warning: Provide warning systems.
The greatest opportunity for advancing OSH lies within the Administrative controls: Apply
practice of PTD. This article provides OSH professionals a practi- administrative controls (e.g., the
cal approach to establishing a method for anticipating, recogniz- organization of work, training, scheduling,
ing, avoiding, eliminating and minimizing operational hazards supervision).
and risks before they are introduced into the workplace. PPE: Provide PPE.

System Safety Roots Note. Adapted from Prevention Through Design: Guidelines for Address-
PTD concepts are rooted in system safety. Stephans (2004) ing Occupational Hazards and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes
[ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011 (R2016)], by ANSI/ASSP, 2016, Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.
describes system safety as the effort to make things as safe as is
practical by systematically using engineering and management rarely. For many organizations, OSH professionals are not in-
tools to identify, analyze and control hazards. The 15 tenets vited to the design table or included in the design and redesign
of system safety that Stephans describes (Table 1) align with processes. The reasons are many.
those found in risk management and PTD standards, notably
ANSI/ASSP/ISO 31000-2018, Risk Management: Guidelines, Recently, one of the authors participated in the planning for
and ANSI/ASSP Z590.3. a new manufacturing facility to be built in the U.S. The project
planning session was to determine the work breakdown struc-
A review of the tenets of system safety reveals that strong ture, specific steps and tasks, resources and time frames over
correlations exist between system safety and PTD. System safe- the 18 months leading up to operations. The planning team
ty tenets strongly reflect the concepts of risk reduction through included regional and local management, engineering, produc-
assessment, treatment and designing safety into system ele- tion, maintenance, quality, human resources, and safety, health
ments, as do PTD principles. and environment staff.

Hazardous Energy Control As the team worked through the steps it became apparent
A critical area to be considered in design is the control of to the author that a risk review of the new facility’s design
had not been discussed. When it was suggested that a risk
hazardous energy. A prominent theory developed by William assessment of the designs would be beneficial, there was
Haddon Jr., known as Haddon’s energy release theory, establishes hesitation from team members. Most of the members did
a relationship between incident causation and risk control meth- not see this as a feasible time for an assessment and indicat-
ods. Haddon’s model relates well to engineers and can be applied ed that risk assessments would be performed once the fa-
systematically. It includes 10 sequential control strategies that cility was operational. Two safety representatives explained
should be considered in the design of new products and systems: that it would be difficult to identify hazards and assess
risks without the physical structures, equipment and em-
1) Prevent stored energy. ployees in place. It was the group’s belief that the corporate
2) Reduce stored energy. design and engineering departments were addressing all
3) Prevent energy release. necessary requirements including safety and code compli-
4) Reduce rate of release. ance issues in the design. As a result, no formal safety re-
5) Separate energy release from humans and assets by space or time. view of the design was scheduled. The author continued to
6) Separate energy release from humans and assets by physi- work with team members as the designs and construction
cal barriers. progressed, identifying and addressing hazards and con-
7) Modify contact surfaces. cerns. However, embedded problems were introduced into
8) Strengthen susceptible structures. the new facility including:
9) Increase detectability and prevention of harm.
10) Prevent further damage. •Emergency shower and eyewash stations placed directly in
As Haddon’s strategies indicate, the most effective control is front of or near electrical panels. Specifically, these stations
accomplished when it is incorporated into the design. Special were located in the forklift recharging bays at each of the orga-
attention to the potential for hidden energies in products and nization’s similarly designed facilities.
systems is warranted. Table 2 provides a simple list of energy
types and hazards that should be considered during a design •Lack of ventilation and local exhaust systems. As part of the
safety review (Popov, Lyon & Hollcroft, 2016). quality assurance process, a destructive testing laboratory per-
forms tests including chemical reactions, grinding, cutting, braz-
Barriers to PTD
The concept of addressing safety during design seems logical

and desirable; however, the practice of doing so occurs far too

26 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

TABLE 1

SYSTEM SAFETY TENETS & PTD ALIGNMENT

System safety tenets Risk management and PTD concepts
1) Systematically identify, evaluate and control hazards to prevent (or mitigate) Hazard analysis and risk assessment
incidents. Risk treatment
2) Apply a precedence of controls to hazards starting with their elimination, Risk treatment
designing to preclude hazards and finally administrative controls. Administrative Hierarchy of controls
controls include signs, warnings, procedures and training. (The lowest precedence Layers of protection
are those controls that rely on people.)
3) Perform proactively rather than reactively to events. This starts with a program Risk management process
plan. Prevention through design
4) Design and build safety into a system rather than modifying the system later in Prevention through design
the acquisition process when any changes are increasingly more expensive.
5) Develop and provide safety-related design guidance and give it to the designers Prevention through design
as the program is initiated. Design safety specifications
6) Use appropriate evaluation/analysis techniques from the tabulated variety Hazard analysis and risk assessment
available.
7) Rely on factual information, engineering and science to form the basis of Establish context
conclusions and recommendations. Risk-based decision-making
8) Quantify risk by multiplying the ranking of undesired consequences of an event Risk analysis
by the probability of occurrence. There are variations to this “equation.”
9) Design, when allowed, to minimize or eliminate single-point failures that have an Prevention through design
undesired consequence. Make at least two-fault tolerant, that is, tolerant of Layers of protection/defenses
multiple faults or system breakdown that would have adverse safety consequence.
10) Identify, evaluate and control hazards throughout the system’s life and during Prevention through design and redesign
the various operational phases for normal and abnormal environments. Design safety reviews
Management of change
11) After application of controls to mitigate hazard(s), management must recognize System’s life cycle
and accept the residual risk. Acceptable risk level
12) Recognize the quality assurance interface: a) Decrease risk by using materials ALARP
that are properly specified and possess adequate quality assurance; and b) Design safety specifications
implement to continually improve the system.
13) Tabulate and disseminate lessons learned and incorporate those lessons for Risk communication and consultation
future safety enhancement.
14) Apply system safety to systems to include processes, products, facilities and Prevention through design
services.
15) Recognize that near-hit conditions, if not corrected, most likely develop into Hazard/risk identification
incidents. Risk assessment
Risk treatment

ing and welding, which produce air contaminants; however, these TABLE 2
health hazards were not considered during the design phase.
ENERGY TYPES & HAZARDS
•Lack of adequate emergency/tornado shelter space for
planned occupancy in the new facility. In addition, conveyor Energy Hazards
systems and equipment created obstacles for emergency evacu- Mechanical Acute force to tissues, chronic stress to tissues
ation routes in some areas of the facility. Physical Noise, vibration, gravity, inertia, configuration
Chemical Toxicity, caustic, acute, chronic
•No containment for indoor tank storage of chemicals to pre- Electrical Electrocution, explosion, fire, arc flash
vent spillage from entering floor drains. Biological Bacteria, bloodborne pathogens,
microorganisms, animals, insects
•Multiple blind corners and bottlenecks for forklift and pe- Thermal Extreme temperatures
destrian traffic. Radiological Ionizing, nonionizing

•Elevated work platforms requiring fixed ladders and stairs, Note. Adapted from Risk Assessment: A Practical Guide to Assessing
guardrails, and lifting and lowering of equipment and materi- Operational Risks, by G. Popov, B.K. Lyon and B. Hollcroft, 2016,
als. One platform containing electrical service panels was 24-ft Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
high with only ladder access.
Career Center. The review revealed that a majority (88%) of
•Poorly designed workstations such as nonadjustable work the listed job responsibilities described duties such as program
surfaces and seating, excessively wide conveyors, extensive management, regulatory compliance, workplace audits and
manual material handling, poor placement of storage, high inspections, incident investigations, employee training, loss
noise areas and poor lighting. analyses and other duties associated with operations. Less than
12% of the job postings reviewed mentioned preoperational du-
This experience is likely not uncommon for OSH profes-
sionals. Many organizations require OSH practitioners to only
focus on the operational phase. The authors estimate that 10%
of OSH professionals’ time is spent in the preoperational and
design phase. This assumption was tested by performing a re-
view of job descriptions for OSH positions posted on the ASSP

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 27

FIGURE 4

PERCENT OF TIME SPENT IN THE
FOUR RISK MANAGEMENT STAGES

Postoperational stage 20% 40% 60% 80% ties such as reviews of new systems/equipment, preplanning for
(decommissioning) construction or expansions, and process changes analyses. No
mention of PTD, designing in safety or design safety reviews
Postincident stage (investigation, was found in any of the job descriptions.
claims management, litigation,
This premise is supported by data collected by one of the
regulatory issues) authors. Figure 4 reflects data compiled from student training
survey and feedback collected over a 5-year period from 2-day
Operational stage (compliance and PTD training course attendees (Walline, 2014). Participants
retrofit) included more than 200 OSH professionals from a wide range
of industries, varying sizes of organizations, nationally. The
Preoperational stage (avoidance survey data was used to determine OSH professionals’ time
and elimination focus) allocated to the four major stages of occupational risk manage-
ment as outlined in Section 1.3 of ANSI/ASSP Z590.3.
0%
Additionally, one of the authors collected responses from
FIGURE 5 course participants while conducting PTD training for ASSP
members over a 3-year period (Figure 5). Questions measured
PERCENTAGE YES RESPONSES participants’ knowledge of and experience with PTD concepts
FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS and functions.

Participate in design safety reviews The future OSH professional’s job description must look much
for capital projects different than it does today. Progressive employers will want in-
dividuals who possess key competencies in PTD, risk assessment,
Know about and actually apply the higher level risk treatments and SIF prevention, to name a few.
hierarchy of controls approach to
Barriers to OSH professionals in the design and redesign
hazard control in their work phases are many. It is important to identify and understand
Have worked to incorporate safety these barriers so that OSH professionals can overcome such
challenges (Popov, Lyon & Hollcroft, 2016).
requirements into procurement
specifications Traditional Barriers
Organizational cultures and structures are highly compart-
Have read ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 PTD
standard prior to taking PTD course mentalized (silo management) with a chain of command. Infor-
mation does not typically flow from one department to another
Experience performing task- or (horizontally) or above or below a particular manager (vertical-
process-based risk assessments ly). These interdepartmental barriers prevent collaboration.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% The following scenario illustrates how individual department
goals can conflict and impede interdepartmental communi-
SEVEN STEPS TO PTD cation and cooperation if no formal mechanisms or specific
requirements to do so are in place.
OSH practitioners can employ the following seven steps for improving
PTD within their organizations. •Engineering department: Designers and engineers develop
designs according to design criteria including project objectives,
1) Establish safety specifications and safety minimums for design, cost, quality and performance within their department as ex-
procurement and management of change. pected by the organization. The engineering department’s prima-
ry goal is to produce a design that works. There is no requirement
2) Establish a protocol for performing risk assessment during the to seek peer review by other departments concerning the design.
conceptual design and redesign phases. The protocol should require
design safety to be addressed at the earliest possible point during the •Procurement department: Components and materials spec-
conceptual scoping and specification phase. ified by the engineering department are provided to the pro-
curement department. Typically, there are few specifications for
3) Establish a strong safety culture that requires acceptable risk safety, health, environmental or ergonomics requirements other
levels be attained and maintained. than code compliance or regulatory requirements. The procure-
ment department’s goal is to acquire the necessary materials
4) Explicitly communicate goals for achieving safe designs for all by the specified time, at the lowest cost possible (often within a
departments. Goals must be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, specified budget). There are no requirements for peer review of
relevant and time-based) with accountability. Expectations and materials selected by other departments.
accountabilities for safety in design must be clearly defined and com-
municated. •Supplier/contractor: The completed design is handed over
to a third-party supplier/contractor responsible for building
5) Enable, encourage and require effective communication regard- and installing the unit. There are few contractual require-
ing the design process among departments (horizontally) and within ments regarding safety and limited oversight by the facilities
departments (vertically). engineering/maintenance or production departments during
the installation. The supplier/contractor’s goal is to install and
6) Provide/verify basic competency in hazard recognition, risk complete the unit according to design specifications within the
assessment, risk control options and PTD concepts for engineers, archi- required time frame and budget.
tects and designers. Decision-makers (senior management) should also
have some basic knowledge of these concepts as well. •Production department: Once installation is complete, the
production department takes over operations. Operations may
7) OSH professionals must become the subject-matter experts and
lead the effort to bring PTD practices into organizations.

28 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

include pre-start-up inspections and procedures, program- FIGURE 6
ming, adjusting, lubricating, clearing jams, resetting machines
and normal production operations. The production depart- DESIGN SAFETY REVIEW
ment’s primary goal is to achieve and maintain maximum pro- PROCESS EXAMPLE
duction (as measured by number of units produced), meeting
quality standards at the lowest cost possible. There are no re-
quirements for the production department to involve the OSH
department until incidents or safety problems arise.

•Maintenance department: The operation requires regular
scheduled preventive maintenance and occasional breakdown
repair service performed by the maintenance department. The
maintenance department’s goals are to maintain equipment,
perform repairs and return systems to normal as quickly as
possible to reduce downtime and prevent business interruption.
Outside of OSHA’s lockout/tagout requirements, the organiza-
tion does not require involvement from the OSH department
until incidents occur.

•Maintenance/decommission contractor: At some point, the
system or equipment completes its life span or usefulness. It is
removed from service by maintenance or an outside contrac-
tor, making way for a new unit or technology to take its place.
The OSH department has little involvement in decommission-
ing equipment except to respond to incidents that may occur
during the process.

•OSH department: Throughout the life cycle of the system,
exposure to hazards can cause harm to people, assets or the
environment. The OSH department is responsible for identify-
ing and controlling existing hazards, as well as responding to
incidents that occur. For those systems and products that have
not adequately addressed safety in the design, a greater number
of control measures is required to achieve the organization’s
acceptable level of risk. Often, the primary goals of the OSH
department are to meet compliance and reduce losses.

Training Barriers
Formal education and training provided to engineers, archi-

tects and business professionals typically has not included ba-
sics in OSH principles and concepts. Many designers have little
or no experience in hazard recognition, risk assessment or the
concept of the hierarchy of controls. NIOSH’s (2013) PTD pro-
gram recognizes this deficiency and has prepared educational
modules to help universities to integrate PTD principles into
engineering curricula. OSH professionals need to improve their
understanding of the design process, business objectives, cost
drivers and internal protocols for engineering and design to be
more effective in their organizations.

Turf Barriers Time Barriers
Architects and engineers are responsible for designing Time is limited during the critical path from conceptual de-

buildings, systems and products according to established sign to production. Tight schedules and deadlines coupled with
design criteria, within set time and budget constraints, with lack of forethought or time allotted for safety reviews during
the primary goal of designing things to work (Main, 2012). design are common. OSH professionals should engage as early
Engineers are not prone to deviate from their formal educa- as possible, providing safety requirements to the design team.
tion and training or established protocols. As a result, they In some cases, risk assessments may require more time than
are reluctant to seek input from nonengineering departments. allowed during a design review session. It may be necessary to
This presents an opportunity for OSH professionals to prove perform the risk assessment separately, providing risk-based
their value to designers and management by facilitating pre- information to the design team during the conceptual stage.
operational risk assessments that enable designs that are safer
and more cost effective. The use of financial measures such
as cost/benefit analysis and return on investment, as well as
nonfinancial benefits, will aid in communicating the value of
design safety reviews.

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 29

FIGURE 7

DESIGN SAFETY REVIEW PROCESS

OSH practitioners largely have not engaged in the design
process. Many reasons can be cited including job descrip-
tions, daily work demands, lack of notification or invitation
to participate in design reviews, position and status with an
organization, and general lack of knowledge in the design and
engineering process. This presents a great opportunity for OSH
professionals to become change agents, advising in the safety
requirements of new designs, and avoiding and eliminating
hazards and risks. The “Seven Steps to PTD” sidebar (p. 28)
outlines steps for improving PTD within organizations.

Design Safety Reviews gineers, designers, production, maintenance, quality, legal, OSH,
Codes and compliance reviews are common in fire protec- human resources, procurement and other involved parties.

tion-related designs, often conducted by third-party consul- 2) Design safety team: A qualified leader and cross-functional
tants and insurance representatives. However, designing to team to perform the design safety review should be selected. Design
regulatory compliance does not ensure that all hazards are ade- safety review team members should have expertise in applicable areas
quately controlled or that error traps are avoided (Lyon, 2016). such as safety and health, ergonomics and human factors engineer-
ing, environmental safety, fire prevention and protection, and prod-
Design safety reviews are used to anticipate, identify and ucts liability prevention as appropriate for the project. In some cases,
assess hazards during the design and redesign process of new it may be necessary to include outside consultants or specialists to
facilities, expansions in existing buildings, new or modified assist in the review. Effective communication should be maintained.
processes and systems, equipment and machines, and prod-
ucts. The purpose of a design safety review is to avoid antici- 3) Method(s) selection: For each design, specific methods
pated hazards in the design of a new system or redesign of an should be selected for conducting the design safety review based
existing system. on the complexity of the project and the established context.

Main (2012) recommends that design safety reviews be per- 4) Design safety review: In the conceptual stages, a design
formed in the conceptual stage to provide designers specific safety review that includes hazard analysis and risk assessment
safety guidance in the design. In simple designs, anticipated should be initiated to identify hazards. ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 ad-
hazards can be identified by the team and addressed by design- vises that design safety reviews should be performed as design
ers. Where potential risk is high, design safety reviews may be objectives are being discussed. Depending on the project, the
needed at each stage (i.e., conceptual, preliminary, final design, safety review can be performed separately, with the findings and
testing) as a sign-off or approval process from the OSH, ergo- risk reduction recommendations incorporated into the design
nomics and compliance stakeholders (Main). process. Design safety reviews may include analysis of similar
designs; plan drawings; specifications and limitations; hazard
Design safety reviews and assessments will vary in their checklists; applicable standards; discussions with manufacturers
degree of complexity depending on the context and the system of components and materials; safety data sheets; loss experience
being reviewed. Methods include: related to similar designs; and existing controls and technology
on similar designs. The design safety review should address op-
•design safety checklists and guide words; erational hazards as well as hazards resulting from nonroutine
•preliminary hazard analyses; activities such as maintenance, emergency upsets and repairs,
•failure mode and effects analysis; testing, adjusting, lubricating, and other related activities.
•what-if analyses and what-if/checklist analyses.
Design safety reviews are most effective when performed 5) Deviations approval: Established safety standards and spec-
early in the design process while objectives are being discussed ifications should be followed. If a deviation from stated standards
and should be considered in any major planned change. Design or specifications is requested, appropriate management person-
reviews typically include a compliance/codes review aspect. nel including OSH, legal or other parties must review the request
ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 states that the design safety review process and determine whether it is approved or denied.
is an effective means for achieving inherently safer designs and
includes an informative addendum (Addendum E) on design 6) Design completion sign-off: Upon completion, the project
safety reviews. Figure 6 (p. 29) presents an example showing the leader should sign off on the project to verify that the design
trigger points for risk assessments in the life cycle of a system. safety review has been completed, signifying a consensus
The process should be systematically applied to all designs, among the safety team and engineering group. Communication
changes in existing designs, and procurement and construction is needed between the design safety review team and engineer-
of new systems, and used to anticipate, identify, avoid, elimi- ing/design group throughout the process.
nate or control hazards. A commitment from management is
required to fully integrate PTD concepts into the organization. 7) Action plan: The findings and recommendations from the
An established process for design safety reviews within the completed design safety review may include modifications or
organization’s operational risk management system should be markups of drawings; changes in specifications; a prioritized
implemented. The following model depicted in Figure 7 pro- list of specific hazards and means for avoidance or control; a
vides general steps for a design safety review process: list of design modifications necessary prior to approval; action
1) Design safety policy: A written management policy that pro-
vides direction on when, where and how hazard analyses and risk
assessments are performed, including the design phase, should
be established and communicated. Roles, responsibilities and ac-
countabilities for design safety should be outlined to include en-

30 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

FIGURE 8

PTD SELF-ASSESSMENT

Max Your
organization
No. Description points
7
1 My design team members and I have read and understand the basic concepts and 10
5
critical steps outlined in ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011(R2016) standard on prevention 7
3
through design (PTD). 5
3
2 My design teams and I have access to and knowledge of the capital projects taking 10
7
place within my organization. 5
3
3 My organization has established PTD business rules that trigger design safety reviews 10
3
of projects.
48
4 My organizational leaders know the percentage of serious mishaps that have 10

occurred in my organization related to design gaps.

5 My organization has created a design safety checklist based on lessons learned from 10

past mishaps and incidents that have taken place within my organization or facility.

6 My organizational leaders understand that to reduce severity of harm (magnitude of 10

energy/exposure) the organization must avoid risk, eliminate the hazard or seek to

mitigate risk through substitution.

7 My organization insists that design safety reviews and risk assessments for capital 10

projects are documented to an acceptable level of risk.

8 My organization captures and shares long-term burden costs with leaders and design 10

teams related to poor design decision-making.

9 My design teams and I participate in documented pre-start-up safety reviews and 10

commissioning activities with proper stakeholders to verify that all required

established safe design criteria have been meet before releasing new or modified

facilities, processes or equipment into operational mode.

10 My organization insists that proven solutions and cost-effective safe design criteria 10

from completed capital projects are captured, shared and incorporated into future

similar projects to reduce risk, cost and eliminate barriers to safe work.

Point total 100

item list with assigned responsibilities; and follow-up questions, statistics surrounding design-related causal factors and their
concerns or requests for additional information necessary to association with workplace incidents. A large number of seri-
satisfy or complete the review and approve the design. ous and even fatality-level risks seemed to have contributing
factors linked to design issues in the facilities and processes.
A PTD Success Story
The role of OSH professionals now and in the future is to Jane prepared a report for senior management on her find-
ings. The report showed that several serious incidents were
affect positive change that reduces risk and resulting losses. An directly or indirectly connected to design-related factors.
example of how this might look is presented in the following Specific examples, pictures and diagrams were included to
success story based on the authors’ personal experiences. The help visualize some of the concerns. In addition, she identified
names of the organization and the individuals involved have the annual costs to the organization for existing engineering,
been substituted but the story is real. administrative and PPE controls required to manage the risks.
Management was intrigued and asked her to make a short
Alpha Manufacturing, a privately held medium-sized presentation to the management team. Jane prepared hand-
company, operates six manufacturing facilities within the outs with graphics, photos, cost-benefit analyses and a brief
U.S. The company had experienced significant growth summary of the report. A compelling case was made that the
during a recent 4-year period. Two facilities were designed, company was spending more than $1 million to implement,
built and put into operation within this business growth maintain and monitor these control programs. Anticipating
period to meet customer demand. In late 2014, Alpha Man- management’s questions, she followed up with a recom-
ufacturing recognized the need to add a second full-time mended action plan starting with a company self-assessment
OSH professional (safety specialist, and safety and health in design safety. Management agreed, and as a result she pre-
trainer) to support growth, meet business objectives and pared a PTD self-assessment checklist (Figure 8) to establish a
achieve an acceptable level of risk. The primary job of the baseline and determine areas that could be improved.
new safety position was to help manage the rising frequen-
cy and costs of occupational incidents in the company’s Step 1: Plan & Prepare
operations and support the organization’s objectives. Jane obtained a copy of ANSI/ASSP Z590.3. She immersed

As a result, Jane was hired in early 2015 as the new OSH herself particularly in the sections of the standard around:
business leader. During her first week, she discovered startling

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 31

FIGURE 9

DESIGN SAFETY REVIEW CHECKLIST

Hazard category Case no. Year Work condition Severity Design specification Hierarchy of risk treatment
Pathway to harm Incident description 2012 Normal or potential 1) Redesign machine
Powered machinery abnormal Life with guides to keep
and equipment (hot (377042) altering product in line with
roll machine) Employee hand caught Abnormal (facing rolls to avoid employee

In-running nip point between hot power sheet was not interface with material.


Caught in/between rolls (150 °F) and fixed adhering to 2) Install fixed guarding

guides while adjusting product) to prevent worker
feed. Multiple fingers access to machine
amputated, second- hazard zone with

degree burns to right equipment powered

hand. up.







FIGURE 10 Effectiveness Compliance
and reliability burden
HIERARCHY OF RISK TREATMENT MODEL
Design and Complete None
Hierarchy of risk treatment redesign Very high Low

Avoid Engineer High Limited
Eliminate
Moderate Moderate
Substitute High
Minimize Adminster Limited
Simplify Very high

Passive control
Active control

Warn

Adminstrative
PPE

Very low

TABLE 3

HAZARD CATEGORY: POWERED MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT EXAMPLE

Performance Hazard Above-the-line control
No. objective (energy source) Energy isolation at point of need
1 No exposure to Electrical, air, (engineering)
mechanical Engineering
hazardous energy Mechanical Diagnostic ports, energy isolation devices, protective covers
2 Fixed barrier guards 480 V AC (engineering)
3 No exposure to Avoidance
< 80 dBA, 8-hour
electrical energy TWA Engineering, machines anchored
4 No hearing Gravity Work performed at ground level, fixed stairways and platforms
Elevated work, with protective railings (avoidance and engineering)
protection gravity
5 No machine tip over
6 No portable ladders

32 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

FIGURE 11

TASK-BASED RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET EXAMPLE

Task-Based Risk Assessment Worksheet: New Line 22—Powered Conveyor System

Design performance objective: No uncontrolled exposure to conveyor hazards
Design (residual risk) target: No SIF mishaps
See ANSI/ASSP Z590.3, Addendum F, Table 2

Severity
Probability

Risk
Residual

risk
No. Conveyor task Hazard Design Proven solutions
exposure specification

Adjust air pressure Fall to level Air receiver tank Elimination: Acoustical
at receiver station below: 12 ft
1 5 5 25 and controls at treated sound enclosure at 1
5
5 floor level floor level, no elevated work

Manually upload Restricted work Automated Elimination: Forklift product

2 parts on conveyor space: crushing 5 25 product feed feed station, removal of 1

at feed station by forklift system exposure

3 Clear jam at Mechanical 5 25 Jam clearing Elimination: Automated jam 1
chopper station energy: cutting, device clearing system at chopper
chopping station, removal of exposure

•design safety reviews (Section 6); •company injury claims and loss history;
•hazard analysis and risk assessment process (Section 7); •Kaizen and lean manufacturing events relating to de-
•hazard analysis and risk assessment techniques (Section 8); sign/redesign;
•hierarchy of controls (Section 9); •relocated equipment and processes;
•the corresponding addendums. •highly complex processes;
She summarized an action plan based on the PTD standard •demolition, decommissioning.
and presented it to management. The plan was to form a
design safety team, create design safety criteria and specifica- Step 4: Analyze Data
tions based on available data, develop a design safety check- During the first 3 months, Jane compiled and reviewed data
list, implement a design safety review protocol, and track
progress. With management approval, she initiated the plan. from Alpha’s injury/illness and workers’ compensation claim
report database, near-hit reports and associated incident
Step 2: Form Team investigation reports. Her review focused on gaps in current
With this newfound knowledge and understanding, operation designs and processes. She reviewed in detail some
200 injury/illness cases and serious near-hit reports from a
Jane identified the capital project leaders, design partners 4-year period and identified the following critical information:
and suppliers for the corresponding projects that her or-
ganization was planning to engage with over the next few •37% of OSHA recordable injury cases identified a prima-
years. Jane trained her teams on the key concepts and ry causal factor related to gaps in design of equipment,
critical steps outlined in the PTD standard and her newly machinery and process.
crafted PTD self-assessment checklist elements. This be-
came her PTD implementation strategy. Jane’s effort was •21% of the total recordable injuries had potential to be
aligned with the following sections of the PTD standard: a SIF event.

•Section 4, roles and responsibilities; •Of the cases that had SIF potential, 42% were linked to
•Section 5, relationship with suppliers. gaps in design of equipment, machinery or process.

Step 3: Establish Parameters When Jane shared these facts with company leadership
To clearly establish with all stakeholders the PTD busi- and project delivery teams, the information was shocking to
them but it reinforced the importance of designing for safe-
ness rules, Jane created a list of trigger events to ensure ty and health. Management encouraged her to proceed.
that all risk-based design safety review requirements
would be fulfilled for all projects going forward. The trig- Step 5: Develop Design Checklist
gers for risk assessment were: From her incident analysis and findings, Jane estab-

•new facilities, equipment and machinery; lished a set of safety performance objectives for all cap-
•regulatory driven; ital projects. The safety performance objectives are the
•customer expectations, new products; outcomes to be seen at the completion of the design and
•redesigns and modifications; install. These safety performance objectives are hazard
and exposure avoidance based. The design safety perfor-
mance specifications were:

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 33

•no portable ladders (step and extension types); new equipment, materials and chemicals, and in the man-
•no open chemical systems; agement of change (MOC) process. Such reviews would be
•no manual handling or lifting of products greater than documented. The same expectation would be set for em-
15 lb in production cycle; ployee participation in design safety reviews. As part of the
•no chemicals/materials to be used as noted on organi- design safety review process, a documented risk assessment
zation’s material of concern list; would be conducted with all appropriate parties. Design
•no elevated work without protective guardrails; safety reviews would include hazard category checklists and
•no sharp edges; documented task or process-based risk assessments (Table
•no energized work; 3, p. 32; Figure 11, p. 33). These tools were created over time
•no exposure to energized parts, including diagnostics; by Jane and the other company safety resources.
•energy isolation devices for lock-tag-try at ground or
floor level and at point of need; Step 8: Document & Communicate Results
•no respirator-required tasks; To communicate to management the many benefits
•no exposure to noise levels above 80 dBA for an
8-hour time-weighted average; derived from PTD and design safety risk management,
•no pedestrians in warehouse while forklift traffic present. Jane captured the ongoing burden costs from managing
The information collected by Jane was incorporated into a risk below the line. She wanted leaders to understand
company-specific design safety review checklist that offered that selecting low-level controls (e.g., procedures, signs,
design solutions to prevent future mishaps. The design safety training, PPE) to manage high-level risks comes with a
review checklist included hazard category, incident descrip- long-term cost that would add up to millions of dollars
tion, year, whether it was a normal or abnormal condition, over the life expectancy of major capital projects. The
severity potential and design specifications linked to the company advised staff that these two new manufactur-
hierarchy of risk treatment (Figure 9, p. 32). The checklist was ing facilities each have an expected life span of 50 years.
then used in every design safety review for capital projects. Jane’s approach was to avoid and reduce burden costs
associated with managing design-embedded problems by
Step 6: Use of Higher Level Controls incorporating safety into the design process. As a result,
Jane established strong linkage between PTD and control she presented management with an ongoing burden

effectiveness. All the cases she studied with a causal factor TABLE 4
related to design could have been prevented with what she
called an “above the line control” solution. To reduce ener- ONGOING BURDEN COSTS
gy levels and severity of harm potential, particularly with
SIF risks, avoidance/elimination, substitution, minimization, People- Equipment- Methods-
simplification and engineering controls were to be the related costs related costs related costs
primary controls used. This was a new stake in the ground Training Purchase Scheduling and
that Jane established for her organization and engineering/ planning
design partners for assessing and controlling design risk Buddy systems Rental Written program
going forward. Jane was establishing for the organization, PPE Repair and Safe work
an acceptable level of risk (ALOR) for all designs and proj- maintain procedures
ects by designing above the line. Any exception to this Supervision Clean Audits/inspection
rule would require documented verification from her that Injuries Retrofit Permits
above the line control was not feasible. Alternative feasible Claims Storage Observations
controls that would reduce risk as low as reasonably practi- Citations and Transport Investigations
cable (ALARP) would be required in any case. penalties device

Jane developed a training module that she shared FIGURE 12
throughout the organization and with external design
partners to educate them on her findings and approach PTD TRACKING SHEET EXAMPLE
to risk reduction in the design phase of projects. The title
of her presentation was “PTD: Design Above the Line.” The PTD milestone OSH Affected
cornerstone of her message was the hierarchy of risk treat- Final design review approval professional workers
ment model (Figure 10, p. 32) with risk reduction strategy Vendor trial(s) approval (approval) (approval)
options, effectiveness levels and ongoing cost burdens. (as required)
Pre-start-up safety reviews and X X
Jane established and communicated two PTD business commissioning approval
rules for design safety with the design team: ALOR documented XX
Final open punch list items to
1) All hazards identified must be adequately addressed using achieve ALOR completed XX
above the line controls to reduce risk to an acceptable level. XX
XX
2) Any exception to this business rule must undergo
OSH professional review and approval.

Step 7: Establish & Implement Process
Jane established the expectation that company safety

resources would participate in the design safety review of
all capital projects, new designs, redesigns, procurement of

34 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

costs table identifying some of the operating costs an around the world. This must be our legacy. The benefits are many
organization must fund and manage annually for most and the OSH profession must be viewed as creating value. OSH pro-
compliance-based programs (Table 4). fessionals must be the agents for change. If not us, then who? PSJ

Step 9: Monitor & Refine References
As part of the safe design verification process, Jane
ANSI/ASSP. (2011). Risk assessment techniques (National adoption of
helped establish a PTD business rule declaring that ade- ISO/IEC 31010:2009) (ANSI/ASSP Z690.3-2011). Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.
quate safety resources and affected workers would be in-
volved in final design approvals, vendor trials, pre-start-up ANSI/ASSP. (2016). Prevention through design: Guidelines for ad-
safety reviews and commissioning activities for the pur- dressing occupational hazards and risks in design and redesign process-
pose of achieving an ALOR. In addition, the completion of es [ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011 (R2016)]. Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.
these activities and resources would be verified and docu-
mented in a PTD tracking sheet (Figure 12). ANSI/ASSP/ISO. (2018). Risk management: Guidelines (ANSI/ASSP/
ISO 31000-2018). Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.
Step 10: Communicate
Jane established a SharePoint site for her organization Behm, M. (2005). Linking construction fatalities to the design for
construction safety concept. Safety Science, 43(8), 589-611. doi:10.1016/
where risk reduction solutions (proven solutions) and j.ssci.2005.04.002
cost-effective design criteria would be posted and shared.
Workers often identified proven above the line controls that Howard, J. (2008). Prevention through design: Introduction. Journal
would achieve ALOR and remove burden costs from the of Safety Research, 39(2), 113.
operation or design. A big part of the proven solutions cen-
tered around fail-safe design, and error tolerant designs and Lyon, B.K. & Popov, G. (2018). Risk management tools for safety pro-
processes. These proven solutions were then referenced for fessionals. Park Ridge, IL: ASSP.
future projects to expedite PTD process to achieve ALOR.
Main, B.W. (2012). Risk assessment: Challenges and opportunities.
OSH professionals who participate in the design safety Ann Arbor, MI: Design Safety Engineering.
process and PTD efforts should take credit for the ben-
efits derived from a successful completed project. An Manuele, F.A. (2014). Advanced safety management: Focusing on Z10
organization’s value creation and protection as well as and serious injury prevention (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
achievement of business objectives at an acceptable risk
level, improved quality and production, employee and Morgenthaler, T. & Harper, C.M. (2015, Oct. 20). Getting rid of “nev-
stakeholder satisfaction, and cost savings are all ultimate- er events” in hospitals. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://
ly derived from successful safety through design efforts. hbr.org/2015/10/getting-rid-of-never-events-in-hospitals

Conclusion NIOSH. (2013). Prevention through design. Retrieved from www.cdc
The pace of risk reduction and prevention improvement is di- .gov/niosh/programs/ptdesign/pubs.html

rectly linked to the speed of change led by OSH professionals in Popov, G., Lyon, B.K. & Hollcroft, B. (2016). Risk assessment: A practi-
PTD. Risk assessment and safety in design must be at the forefront cal guide to assessing operational risks. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
of the OSH professional domain. Specifically, OSH professionals
must 1) become subject matter experts and leaders in PTD; 2) Safe Work Australia. (2014). Work-related fatalities associated with
define safety specifications for designers to incorporate into their unsafe design of machinery, plant and powered tools, 2006-2011. Re-
designs; 3) help define acceptable risk levels; 4) be active in the trieved from www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/
design process, design safety reviews, MOC and procurement; and 1702/work-related-fatalities-unsafe-design.pdf
5) implement higher-level risk reduction strategies to avoid, elimi-
nate and reduce risks throughout the life cycle of systems. Shorrock, S. (2016, Feb. 27). Never/zero thinking. Humanistic Sys-
tems. Retrieved from https://humanisticsystems.com/2016/02/27/never
As a key stakeholder of a design team, the OSH professional has zero-thinking
the responsibility, creativity and power to cause injury-free lives
Stephans, R.A. (2004). System safety for the 21st century: The updated and
ACTION STEPS revised edition of system safety 2000. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

As a key stakeholder of a design team, the OSH professional must be an Walline, D.L. (2014, Nov.). Prevention through design: Proven solu-
agent for change. tions from the field. Professional Safety, 59(11), 43-49.

1) Learn. Read, understand and embrace the Z590.3 standard and Bruce K. Lyon, P.E., CSP, ARM, CHMM, is vice president with Hays
share its value and benefits with key stakeholders. Cos. He is a board member of BCSP, advisory board chair to University of
Central Missouri’s (UCM) Safety Sciences program, and vice chair of the ISO
2) Practice. Gain knowledge and experience in risk assessment, safe 31000 U.S. TAG. Lyon is coauthor of Risk Management Tools for Safety Pro-
design criteria and the design process in your organization. fessionals and Risk Assessment: A Practical Guide to Assessing Operational
Risk. He holds an M.S. in Occupational Safety Management and a B.S. in
3) Engage. Break out of the comfort zone and engage in the work- Industrial Safety from UCM. Lyon is a professional member of ASSP’s Heart of
place design process. Don’t wait for an invitation. America Chapter, and a member of the Society’s Ergonomics and Risk Man-
agement/Insurance practice specialties.
4) Communicate. Share successes, learnings and value of safety
design initiatives across the organization. David L. Walline, CSP, is president of Walline Consulting Ltd., which he
formed after spending 42 years in global safety leadership roles with Owens
5) Influence. Become a trusted agent for change in your organiza- Corning and General Dynamics Corp. He is former chair of the ASSP’s Risk As-
tion among designers and decision-makers. sessment Committee and Risk Assessment Institute. He served on the review
committee for ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011, the prevention through design stan-
dard. Walline is a professional member of the Society’s Gold Coast Chapter.

Georgi Popov, Ph.D., CSP, ASP, SMS, ARM, QEP, CMC, is a profes-
sor in the School of Geoscience, Physics and Safety Sciences at UCM. He is co-
author of Risk Assessment: A Practical Guide for Assessing Operational Risk
and Risk Management Tools for Safety Professionals. Popov holds a Ph.D.
from the National Scientific Board, an M.S. in Nuclear Physics from Defense
University in Bulgaria, and a post-graduate certification in environmental
air quality. He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff
College in Fort Leavenworth, KS. Popov is a professional member of ASSP’s
Heart of America Chapter and a member of the Society’s Risk Management/
Insurance Practice Specialty.

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 35

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Peer-Reviewed

MANAGEMENT
LEADERSHIP

Improving Employee
Safety Engagement

By Rebecca Mullins, Earl Blair and E. Scott Dunlap

AA THESIS CONDUCTED in the safety and security department at People can use varying degrees of their selves,
Eastern Kentucky University focused on measuring levels of physically, cognitively and emotionally in work role
employee engagement at a large manufacturing facility in south- performances, which has implications for both their
eastern U.S. (Mullins, 2018). The study analyzed four categories of work and experiences. . . . [the article describes and
self-reported employee level of 1) engagement with other employ- illustrates] three psychological conditions—mean-
ees; 2) engagement with management; 3) engagement with policies ingfulness, safety and availability—and their individ-
and procedures; and 4) employee self-initiative. The main question ual and contextual sources. (p. 692)

of the thesis was whether less-engaged employees are more likely Background: Research Indicates Employee
Engagement Impacts Safety Performance
to sustain an injury while on the job. A voluntary, anonymous
An empirical study at Indiana University provided evi-
Likert-scale survey was administered and completed by 171 hourly dence of a significant relationship between organizational
safety climate and injuries (Seo, Torabi, Blair, et al., 2004).
employees. The data analysis indicates that these engagement cri- In addition, Clarke (2006) conducted a “meta-analysis to
examine the criterion-related validity of the relationship
teria relate to an employee’s on-the-job injury status. between safety climate, safety performance (participation
and compliance), and occupational accidents and injuries.”
Two limitations applied to this study. First, it was a qualitative The study supported the hypothesis “linking organiza-
tional safety climate to employee safety compliance and
study focused on one manufacturing plant. The reader must participation, with the latter demonstrating a stronger rela-
tionship” (Clarke).
determine transferable elements that can be applied to worker
Dodge Data and Analytics (2016a) conducted a study that
engagement in other contexts. Second, workers self-reported examined the use of safety management practices among
254 U.S. contractors. Contractors reported more benefits
responses to survey questions, which introduces a degree of lack from their investments in safety management practices
with a growing recognition of the need to actively engage
of control over the data collected. An assumption of the research workers to improve project safety. According to the report,
worker involvement is the most widely recognized aspect of
was that all participants responded truthfully to questions. a world-class safety program, selected by 85% of the contrac-
tors surveyed in 2016, which was a 19% increase over 2012.
Engagement was defined as active participation in safe- James Dorris, EHS vice president at United Rentals, explains,
“When workers are made a part of the process and are pro-
ty activities across the four defined areas of investigation, vided the tools and training they need to succeed, safety
becomes recognized as the one thing that sets them, and the
such as “involvement in decision-making,” as defined in company they work for, apart from the others” (Dodge Data
& Analytics, 2016b).
ISO 45001 (ISO, 2018).
Workers’ perceptions of safety climate, often explained as
KEY TAKEAWAYS Engagement in safety also both the perceptions and expectations that employees have
included additional ac- regarding their safety in their organizations, have been regard-
•Research supports the suppo- tivities of participation ed as a principal guide to safety performance (Gyekye, 2005).
as defined in ANSI Z10, Gyekye explains:
sition of a strong connection
between employee engagement such as being involved in
safety committees and of-
and safety performance. fering recommendations

•This article emphasizes the

importance of getting all em-
ployees meaningfully engaged for safety improvement,
where employees engaged in
in all aspects of safety. non-decision-making safety
activities.
•It examines the implications of

a recent study measuring em-

ployee safety engagement. Literature & Background
The concept of employee
•It also provides practical rec-
engagement has evolved
ommendations on how manage- and expanded since Kahn’s
ment can institute leadership (1990) study, which began
approaches that result in em- with the premise:
ployees being more motivated
to engage in safety.

36 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

SKYNESHER/E+/GETTY IMAGES Researchers have noted that workers with a negative this the most important section of the Z10 standard. Section
perception of safety climate tend to engage in unsafe 3.2, “Employee Participation,” states, “The organization shall
acts, which increase their susceptibility to accidents, establish a process to ensure effective participation in the
and workers who perceive job insecurity, anxiety and OHSMS by its employees at all levels of the organization, in-
stress have exhibited a drop in safety motivation and cluding those working closest to the hazards” (ANSI/ASSP,
compliance whereas workers with a positive percep- 2017). ANSI/ASSP Z10 includes informative appendixes. Ap-
tion of their workplace safety have registered fewer pendix C provides additional information to support Section
accidents. (p. 292) 3.2. Appendix C, “Encouraging Employee Participation,”
provides five pages of detailed information regarding how or-
The extent to which workers view their organizations as ganizations can effectively encourage employee participation
being supportive, concerned and caring about their general for continuous improvement.
well-being and satisfaction likely affects workers’ perception of
the organizational safety climate and influence safe work be- ISO 45001 defines participation as “involvement in deci-
haviors and the frequency of incidents (Gyekye, 2005). sion-making” (ISO, 2018). Section 5 of ISO 45001 is titled
“Leadership and Worker Participation.” Section 5.4, “Consulta-
Government-Related tion and Participation of Workers,” states:
Recommendations for Employee Participation
The organization shall establish, implement and
Government agencies, standards-setting organizations and maintain a process for consultation and participation
numerous consultants presume that employee engagement is a of workers at all applicable levels and functions, and,
positive force for safety. These entities and individuals have giv- where they exist, workers’ representatives, in the de-
en practical advice about employee engagement. velopment, planning, implementation, performance
evaluation and actions for improvement of the
An example of a government administration that promul- OHSMS. (ISO, 2018, p. 10)
gates employee participation is illustrated in OSHA’s (2016)
safety and health program guidelines. A core element of the ISO 45001 includes a number of points for guidance on how
seven recommended practices is worker participation. This to accomplish this goal.
section identifies action items and describes how to accom-
plish each: Methodology
Building on existing literature that addresses the issue of work-
•Action item 1: Encourage workers to participate in the
program. er engagement in workplace safety, Mullins (2018) sought to de-
termine whether the level of engagement in workplace safety has a
•Action item 2: Encourage workers to report safety and potential influence on injuries sustained, such as whether workers
health concerns. who were more engaged experienced a lower rate of injury. A
survey was issued that included 20 questions that solicited Likert
•Action item 3: Give workers access to safety and health in- scale responses to explore the four areas of employee engagement:
formation.
•employee engagement with other employees;
•Action item 4: Involve workers in all aspects of the program. •employee engagement with management;
•Action item 5: Remove barriers to participation (OSHA, 2016). •employee engagement with policies and procedures;
•employee self-initiative.
Safety Standards Mandating Employee Participation Those surveyed included the complete population of a man-
Safety management standards that mandate employee ufacturing facility. During one of the weekly “Take a Minute”
meetings within each department, supervisors distributed and
engagement include ANSI/ASSP Z10 and ISO 45001, each ti-
tled “Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems”
(OHSMS). ANSI Z10 Section 3.0 is titled “Management Lead-
ership and Employee Participation.” Manuele (2014) considers

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 37

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2

EMPLOYEE INJURY EXPERIENCE INJURY PREVALENCE BY
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

120 18% 39% Less than 5 years
100 14% 5 to 10 years
80 10 to 15 years
60 29% More than 15 years
40
Uninjured No Response
20
0
Injured

collected the surveys. Participants voluntarily and anonymous- These findings indicate a need for management to involve
ly completed the survey. Salaried employees were not included employees in the development and implementation of safety
in the survey. Employees on both first and second shifts were policies and procedures. Currently, employees are not engaged
surveyed. The survey collected demographic data that includ- in these activities to a great degree. Employee engagement
ed age, gender, level of education, length of employment, pay could influence safety performance improvement through
grade and injury status. The manufacturing facility employed buy-in and an understanding of why safety policies and proce-
220 hourly workers, 171 of whom completed the survey (78% dures are important. Additionally, management can establish a
response rate). welcoming and nonpunitive environment for employees to feel
comfortable coming to management to address and help solve
Data were analyzed solely through the use of descriptive their safety concerns.
statistics. Percentages were calculated and used to identify
findings based on participant responses to questions that 2) Employees who reported no job-related injuries reported
addressed the four areas of employee engagement and injury a higher level of engagement (Figure 4). More than one-third
experience. of respondents (35.6%) reported that they had not been injured
during their employment at the facility. Of these respondents,
Study Results 54% reported that they worked at this facility for more than
The study identified strong relationships between an employ- 5 years. The following responses indicate a vast difference be-
tween engaged and nonengaged employees:
ee’s injury status and the four areas of employee engagement.
Following are the findings and analyses of the data. •95% of these employees reported that they mostly or al-
ways follow safety procedures.
1) Employees who experienced work-related injuries re-
ported low levels of engagement. Nearly 60% of respondents •88.5% reported that they would sometimes, mostly or
reported that they had been injured at some point during their always confront another employee about an unsafe act or
employment at the facility (Figure 1). More than 45% of these behavior.
respondents reported working at the facility for more than 5
years (Figure 2). •91.8% reported that they mostly or always wear PPE in good
condition.
Nearly 70% of injured workers reported that they sometimes,
seldom or never reviewed their job risk analysis (JRA). •78.6% reported their likelihood to report an unsafe act or
behavior to management as sometimes, mostly or always.
More than one-third (34.3%) of employees who reported
sustaining an injury during their employment at the facility •91.8% reported that they sometimes, mostly or always sup-
reported that they do not always fully complete lockout/tagout port new policies and procedures.
procedures (Figure 3). Failure to review JRAs and failure to
conduct a full completion of lockout/tagout procedures identi- Categories of Employee Safety Engagement
fies a weakness in an employee’s engagement with policies and The study included four categories of employee safety
procedures, as well as a low level self-initiative for safety.
engagement.
Only 39% of respondents reported that they would most-
ly or always like to meet with management to solve safety Category 1: Employee Safety
concerns. Of the 102 respondents who had reported an Engagement With Other Employees
injury during their employment at the facility, 82 (80.4%)
reported that they are not always in full support of new poli- Only 6.4% of respondents reported “mostly” or “always” to
cies and procedures. all the questions measuring employee engagement with other
employees. These questions identified 1) whether an employee
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73.5%) who reported would confront another employee about an unsafe act; 2) the
that they had been injured at some point during their em- likelihood of the employee to participate in discussion during
ployment at the facility felt that safety policies and procedures safety meetings or training; 3) whether the employee partici-
sometimes got in the way of doing their job. pated in group preshift stretching; and 4) whether the employee
communicates with other employees outside of work.

38 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

A majority of respondents (57.9%) reported that they some- Category 3: Employee Engagement

times, seldom or never participate in discussion during safety With Safety Policies & Procedures

meetings and training. The consequences of this low level of The data collected indicate a high degree of noncompliance

engagement with other employees meant that potential ideas with safety policies and procedures at the facility. The data

to improve safety efforts may go unheard, or that management suggest a connection between noncompliance and employee

may be less likely to be aware of hazards that must be identified injury status.

and corrected. Questions in this category identified whether an employee

One-third of respondents (33.3%) reported that they would 1) follows safety policies; 2) gets frustrated when employees do

always confront an employee about an unsafe act or behavior. not follow safety policies; 3) identifies that employees never take

More than one-quarter of respondents (27.4%) said that they shortcuts; 4) supports new safety policies and procedures; 5)

would always report an unsafe act or behavior. These data sug- fully completes lockout/tagout, and feels that safety policies and

gest that many unsafe acts and near-hit situations go unnoticed procedures do not get in the way of completing their job. Less

and unreported by colleagues or supervisors. This is important than 20% of respondents (16.3%) reported “mostly” or “always”

because a reporting culture is a prerequisite for an effective to all of the questions measuring employee engagement with

safety culture (Reason, 1997). policies and procedures.

The data indicate that employees communicate with each
other outside of work. A majority of these employees (64%) Category 4: Employee Self-Initiative
indicated that they would confront another employee about Related to Safety Solutions

unsafe behavior. Confronting a colleague can be a daunting Less than 10% of respondents (7.60%) reported “mostly” or

task, but when employees form bonds and relationships with “always” to questions measuring employee self-initiative. These

colleagues, they become emotionally questions addressed whether the employee 1) is likely to be in-

invested in their well-being, both at and FIGURE 3
away from work.
REACTION TO SAFETY AMONG INJURED EMPLOYEES

Category 2: Employee Safety 120 Do not always Want to discuss Safety procedures
Engagement With Management 100 follow safety with get in the way of
80 management
The data indicate less than 20% of 60 lockout/tagout work
respondents (19.8%) reported “most- 40 procedures
ly” or “always” to all of the questions 20
measuring employee engagement with
management. Questions in this area ad- 0
dressed whether an employee would 1) Workers injured
want to meet with management to solve
safety issues; 2) suggest new ideas to im- FIGURE 4
prove safety; and 3) whether they would
report an unsafe act or behavior to man- REACTION TO SAFETY AMONG
agement that they personally observed. UNINJURED EMPLOYEES
More than 80% of respondents reported
“sometimes,” “seldom” or “never” to 70
these questions, indicating an opportu-
nity to more fully explore why employ- 60
ees are not engaged in these activities,
as reasons could range from employees 50
simply not caring to management cre-
ating a culture in which such activity is 40
not encouraged.
30
Data indicate that more than 85% of
employees who had been at the com- 20
pany for 5 years or less would like to
be involved with management to solve 10
safety issues. This was in contrast to
less than 40% of employees overall who 0
reported wanting to meet with manage-
ment to solve safety issues. These data Uninjured Mostly or Would Mostly or Likely to Support new
indicate a potential shift in the safety
culture where more than half of the workers always follow confront a always wears report unsafe policies and
employees hired in the past 5 years have
experienced an injury but, given the safety coworker on PPE acts or procedures
opportunity, they would like to work
with management to solve safety issues procedures unsafe behavior
and prevent these injuries from happen-
ing again. behavior

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 39

volved in a solution to a safety concern; 2) would fix an unsafe This study, although limited to one manufacturing plant,
situation if s/he could; and 3) reviews the JRA prior to a shift. supports previous literature of the need to engage employees in
occupational safety. Such engagement can result in a reduction
Conversely, nearly 80% of employees reported that they in injury occurrence. The study also supports the inclusion of
think about safety while at home with their families, and employee engagement in ANSI Z10 and ISO 45001 as a core
more than 87% admit that they would like to be rewarded for component of an effective OSH management system.
their safety efforts.
Recommendations for Increasing
An association existed between gender and whether an Meaningful Employee Engagement
employee thinks of safety while at home. Of respondents
who identified as female, 87.5% reported that they “mostly” As noted, in ISO 45001 management leadership and employee
or “always” think of safety while at home with family. In participation are fundamentally connected activities. More than
contrast, 65.4% of respondents who identified as male re- 80% of respondents in this study indicated negative perceptions
ported that they “mostly” or “always” think of safety while at of management and management involvement. Organizational
home with family. leaders can address these perceptions by creating a culture in
which management engagement in safety is encouraged and
Study Conclusions included as a requirement in management annual performance
The data collected identifies strong relationships between evaluations. Accomplishing this objective could include iden-
tifying structured avenues through which operations manage-
employee engagement and workplace injuries. This study ment can obtain continuing education in the value and need of
concluded that at the facility surveyed, unengaged employees including safety in daily operational activity and how efforts in
are in fact much more likely to sustain a workplace injury as safety help achieve the organization’s operational goals.
compared to their well-engaged colleagues. Disengaging with
policies and procedures introduces an opportunity for error, The following roles are recommended for effective safety en-
increasing an employee’s risk of injury. For example, bypass- gagement of employees, both hourly and management.
ing any part of lockout/tagout procedures can increase the
risk associated with the unintentional start-up of a machine 1) Employees’ Role as Safety Advocates
during maintenance. More than 60% of employees who report- Encourage employees to become safety advocates.
ed that they do not always fully complete lockout/tagout also •Give employees a voice. Cooper (2015) notes, “Safety is a
reported sustaining a workplace injury, identifying a distinct
relationship between employee engagement with policies and social activity.” Leaders should institute a system that encour-
procedures and workplace injuries sustained. Among injured ages employees to be engaged and gives them a voice.
employees, 73.5% also reported that safety policies and proce-
dures at some point got in the way of doing their job. If these The conclusion of a recent study on compliance from an
employees chose to bypass safety procedures, they may have employee engagement perspective supports the notion of the
put themselves at risk of injury. importance of employee voice and participation:

FIGURE 5 Drawing on Kahn’s engagement theory, we identi-
fied two behaviors through which employees might
HIERARCHY OF ENGAGEMENT contribute to an effective procedure management
system: allocation of effort in complying with the
Work has procedures, and voicing their thoughts and opinions
value and about the procedures they use. Our results indicated
meaning that when employees perceive the procedures are
useful for their jobs, they are more likely to invest in
Development their effort when complying with procedures. When
opportunities they are more confident with their job, they are more
likely to speak up about their opinions about the pro-
Pay and benefits cedures. Furthermore, we also found that supervisor
could facilitate the perceived usefulness of proce-
dures and employees’ job self-efficacy by helping em-
ployees to achieve their job goals. (Xiaowen, Griffin,
Note. Adapted from “Employee Engagement: The Key to Improving Yeo, et al., 2018)
Performance,” by S. Markos and M.S. Sridevi, 2010, International
Journal of Business and Management, 5(12) 89-96. •Provide opportunities for employee development. One
of Deming’s (2000) 14 points for management is, “Institute
a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.” He
encourages education and self-improvement for everyone. A
genuinely vigorous program of education and training will help
employees become deeply engaged, better appreciate the orga-
nization they work for, and enable them to be more knowledge-
able and safer workers. Figure 5 shows hierarchy of engagement
(compared to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) where all employees
are consistently treated with respect and corrective actions are
taken promptly for safety deficiencies.

•Establish and implement strategic safety measures.
Well-designed safety metrics that focus on leading indicators
and measures of success versus measures of failure release

40 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

motivation of the workforce to be engaged. Employees are says, “If we had to sum up all that we have learned in the past
more likely to buy in to safety when they are involved in the decade, we would encourage those who aspire to heighten their
development of safety metrics. Three specific benefits of these leadership talent to lead by listening.”
strategic safety measures that are process-based (rather than
outcome-based) include: A specific element of respect involves listening intently and
listening for opportunities when others speak. The best leaders
•illuminate (or clarify) safety expectations; are great listeners. Listening with the intent to respond and
•increase safety awareness; solve safety issues is just as important as talking or coaching
•influence supportive and safe behaviors (Blair, 2017). about safety.
Blair (2017) also describes practical applications of strategic
safety measures and additional benefits. •Servant leadership is a superior approach. Cooper (2015)
found strong support in the literature for servant leadership as
2) Management’s Role as Servant Leaders for Safety a superior approach to safety performance. Cooper’s research
Institute management’s role as servant leaders for safety. revealed that servant leadership has a greater influence on em-
•Management engagement with employee safety is key. Man- ployee engagement than other styles of leadership and “creates
a supportive environment that exerts a much stronger influence
agement engagement is a primary safety responsibility. Geller on employee engagement, safety behavior and incident reduc-
(2008) suggests leaders must be held accountable and take tion” (Cooper, 2015).
responsibility for failure in workplace safety. In a case study
involving the impressive turnabout in safety at General Mo- Sarkus’s (1996) article on servant leadership in safety de-
tors (GM), Simon and Frazee (2005) repeat a quote from GM’s scribes traits of the servant leadership model, which include
president’s council: “Continuous leadership involvement is the believing that problems and solutions are found within, em-
single most important factor for success.” phasizing the growth and needs of others, and providing a
participatory model of leadership. Servant leadership develops
If management sets an example by engaging with employees, a foundation of trust, and gives employees a voice so they can
especially as it relates to safety, it seems logical that employees advocate for safety.
will be more engaged in safety themselves.
A strong safety culture requires visible, ongoing leadership
Dunlap (2011) identifies a key to encouraging employee en- support. From a practical standpoint, leaders can practice ser-
gagement: management engagement. Managers commonly en- vant leadership as it relates to safety. Two basic and important
gage in safety when reacting to an incident. In some cases, this activities that fall under the umbrella of servant leadership in-
may be the only time that management gets involved. Dunlap clude (Blair, 2018):
states, “Rather than becoming involved only when an incident
occurs, ongoing engagement in the safety program allows man- 1) Practicing safety leadership by walking around and focus-
agers to understand an incident within the context of the com- ing on people, their needs and safety. These walks should not be
prehensive safety management system” (p. 45). confused with inspections or audits.

•Consistently treat all employees with respect. Treating all 2) Following up on necessary safety corrective actions.
employees with respect cannot be overemphasized. Research Some of the benefits of walking around while focusing on
indicates that the strongest indicator of positive safety perfor- caring, listening and safety include:
mance is when employees perceive they are respected by the •helping employees find their voice;
management of their organizations. “The pivotal finding from •building trust levels;
Erickson’s research (1994) is the way in which employees are •increasing management knowledge;
treated is the factor most significantly related to the level of •demonstrating a visible commitment to safety;
safety performance” (Erickson, 2008). This finding might be •reinforcing the safety process;
somewhat surprising to many in the safety profession who may •demonstrating that leaders care through safety walks
assume the factor most related to the level of performance is the (Blair, 2018).
professional’s level of expertise or some other factor, such as an •Servant leadership is primarily about character, not
employee’s level of safety awareness or understanding of safety technique. Leadership is more than a technique. There are
regulations. individuals whose titles infer leadership, but who exhibit very
little leadership, and there are many employees without such
Paul O’Neill (2014) emphasizes that in organizations titles who demonstrate great influence and character. Greenleaf
with the potential to be great, all employees are treated with (1991) defines servant leadership as:
respect at all times. As CEO of Alcoa, O’Neill focused on
safety to an extreme level; he started with safety because it The servant leader is servant first . . . it begins with
cuts across all units and aspects of the organization, and he the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve
believed that action in safety is part of the bigger picture in first. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to
life. O’Neill believed that organizations should establish en- lead . . . to make sure other people’s highest priority
vironments resulting in employees experiencing purpose and needs are being met. The ultimate test of servant
meaning in their work. leadership is: Do those served grow as persons? Do
they, while being served, become healthier, wiser,
Treating people with respect is a universal and enduring freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to
principle. It is not a technique or program of the month. Treat- become leaders?
ing employees with respect is an overarching principle and a
prerequisite to meaningful employee engagement and motiva- A distinction Hunter (2004) makes is that leadership is about
tion for safety. character. Hunter said character is about doing the right thing,
and leadership is also about doing the right thing. Hunter’s dis-
•Engage by listening to employee concerns and taking cor- tinction between management and leadership is “Management
rective actions. Judith Komaki developed a leadership model, is what we do. Leadership is who we are.”
the operant model of effective supervision. Komaki (1998)

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 41

Hunter (2004) claims we have glorified and complicated guidance for use (ISO 45001:2018). Retrieved from www.iso.org/stand
leadership. Leadership is not primarily about personality, ard/63787.html
because personality deals with style. Leadership is about
character, because character and leadership both deal with Kahn, W.H. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement
substance. Servant leadership involves more than simply and disengagement at work. The Academy of Management Journal,
learning from a book or seminar. It is a mind-set and a skill 33(4), 692-724.
that can be learned and mindfully practiced. Hunter and
others make additional points about leadership and servant Komaki, J. (1998). Leadership from an operant perspective. London,
leadership, such as: U.K.: Routledge.

•leadership is a “latent skill waiting to be developed in most Ludwig, T.D. & Frazier, C.B. (2012). Employee engagement and orga-
people,” (Hunter, 2004); nizational behavior management. Journal of Organizational Behavior
Management, 32(1), 75-82.
•leadership is “character in action,” (Hunter, 2004);
•leadership can be defined as influence (Maxwell, 1993); Manuele, F.A. (2012). Advanced safety management: Focusing on Z10
•the test of servant leadership: Does it help those who are and serious injury prevention (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
served to grow? (Greenleaf, 1991).
Hunter (2004) emphasizes that leadership development and Markos, S. & Sridevi, M.S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to
character development are one. He further describes how consis- improving performance. International Journal of Business and Manage-
tently making ethical choices and establishing habits of integrity ment, 5(12) 89-96.
develops character that makes powerful leadership possible.
Maxwell, J.C. (1993). Developing the leader within you. Nashville, TN:
Conclusion Thomas Nelson Inc.
Management’s leadership is the key to gaining eager and
Mullins, R. (2018). Measuring employee engagement: Are engaged em-
meaningful employee engagement. Management must ensure ployees less likely to sustain a workplace injury? (Master’s thesis). Avail-
that all employees are always treated with respect, employees able from Online Theses and Dissertations, 545.
are listened to and given a voice for safety, and existing hazards
are corrected or dealt with appropriately. The recommended O’Neill, P. (2014, Feb.). Paul O’Neill on safety leadership [Video]. Re-
approach to accomplish this is to institute education and expec- trieved from https://youtu.be/0gvOrYuPBEA
tations to apply servant leadership in an organization. PSJ
OSHA. (2016). Recommended practices for safety and health pro-
References grams (Publication No. OSHA 3885). Retrieved from www.osha.gov/
shpguidelines
ANSI/ASSP. (2017). Occupational health and safety management sys-
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Professional Safety, 62(2), 32-39. Sarkus, D.J. (1996, June). Servant-leadership in safety: Advancing the
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Deming, W.E. (2000). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. BLR Safety Culture 2016, Austin, TX.
Dodge Data & Analytics. (2016a). Building a safety culture: Improv-
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Market Report. Bedford, MA: Author. tion in safety. Professional Safety, 53(12), 40-45.
Dodge Data & Analytics. (2016b, Apr. 12). Construction industry is
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Geller, E.S. (2008, March). People-based leadership: Enriching a work
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cupational health and safety management systems—Requirements for honor of ASSP Fellow in 2019. He is a professional member of ASSP’s Central
Indiana Chapter and a member of the Society’s Academics and Consultants
practice specialties.

E. Scott (Scotty) Dunlap, Ed.D., CSP, is a professor in Eastern Ken-
tucky University’s Safety, Security and Emergency Management graduate
program where he teaches both campus and online courses and leads grad-
uate student research. Dunlap is a professional member of ASSP’s Louisville
Chapter, as well as a member of the Society’s Academics Practice Specialty.

42 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

HUMAN PERFORMANCE
Peer-Reviewed

A Systematic Approach to

SAFETY
PERFORMANCE

By John F. Kowalski and John C. Summers

IIN TODAY’S BUSINESS WORLD, success necessitates meeting havioral aspects include those by the individual as well as those
more than the required minimum standards (regulations). supported and reinforced by the organization.
Safety performance is about individuals, leaders and the orga-
nization working together using safety (human) performance In all cases, individuals, leaders and the organization should
fundamentals and tools to protect personnel, property and the consistently strive for high safety performance standards. An
place (environment). aspect that plays a key part in what safety behaviors are em-
Safety has come a long way since the 1970s. For years, tra- ployed is the culture and subcultures of the organization. Sim-
ditional safety focused on separating individual pieces of the ply stated, culture can be considered as “the way we do things
process to obtain results. A systemic approach to safety perfor- around here.”
mance is fundamentally different from traditional safety in that
it focuses on the safety process. To establish a proper perspective, consider that, according to
A high performing organization is grounded on five funda- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2018a; b) data, the rate of fatal-
mental safety performance principles: ities in the U.S. has almost leveled off (with a recent slight in-
1) People make errors. crease) while the rate of nonfatal injuries has steadily declined.
2) Organizational values and programs influence behaviors. Why do significant events, including injuries, continue to occur
3) Behaviors are influenced by what is encouraged and rein- even though lower-level incident rates are declining? Some may
forced. answer that lower-level incidents are not being reported. Why
4) Errors and risk can be reduced through the use of safety could this be occurring? Possible reasons include:
performance tools.
5) Events can be eliminated through the use of defenses. •rewarding the consequence (i.e., low incident rates), which
Senge (2006) defines system thinking as “a way of indirectly encourages nonreporting;
thinking about, and a language for describing and under-
standing, the forces and interrelationships that shape the •creating a punishment atmosphere when lower-level events
behavior of systems.” are reported;
Systems thinking focuses on how people interact with the
others in a system, “a set of elements that interact to produce •not encouraging the reporting of lower-level incidents and
behavior” (Aronson, 1996). Systems thinking expands its view near-hits.
to take into account increasingly larger numbers of behavior
interactions (organization, leader, individual) in a system (the Leaders in many organizations tend to reward and recognize
process) that produces desired results. job results (production) and frequently overlook or take for
Each individual plays a key role in working together as part granted the prevention behaviors necessary to safely complete
of the organization to achieve the desired safe results. The be- the job. Additionally, production results are visible and es-
tablish natural feedback, whereas prevention behaviors get no
KEY TAKEAWAYS natural feedback. For example, you wear a hard hat and safety
glasses and shoes all day in a hot, humid environment. At the
•This article provides a systematic thinking approach using human end of the workday, nothing happened. So, you might say, “I am
really glad I wore this hard hat, safety glasses and shoes; they
and organizational performance fundamentals and analysis tech- caused me to sweat more, I probably lost some additional hair,
niques to improve safety performance. The techniques described and nothing happened that demonstrated these were needed.”
apply to individuals, leaders and the overall organization.
We often associate safety with the OSHA incident rate or
•The authors present a six-part model based on the philosophy that days without a lost-time incident. With this premise, the orga-
nization could (and sometimes does) conclude that no OSHA
to reduce errors and eliminate events of consequence, adequate recordables means no problems.
human performance tools and defenses must be in place.
In some organizations, after an incident (event) the primary
•The theory aspects are presented, as well as several real-life exam- focus is on identifying what the person did or did not do that
caused the event. Additionally, the cause is frequently identified
ples from various industries where applying the correct actions or as an “unsafe behavior” and opportunities for improvement
methods leads to improved, consistent results. focus on the individual. Dekker (2014) offers:

Do you try to understand why it made sense to do
what s/he did? The worker probably did not come to

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 43

FIGURE 1

SAFETY PERFORMANCE PROCESS

Programs, •Does the investigation include reviewing preparations for
processes, job performance, what job previews, hazard analysis, walk
procedures downs or prejob briefings occurred before work commenced?
and training
•What previous operating experience, if any, existed before
Organizational Hazard risk this performance?
behaviors analysis
•What was the focus of the job brief?
Safety Often, the focus before and during the task is on what it takes
performance to get the job done. High-reliability organizations also focus on
what to avoid while achieving success. A site vice president at a
process nuclear power plant in northwest Ohio has great words to con-
sider when briefing workers: “We have all the time necessary to
Safe results Team behaviors perform the job correctly the first time, we just don’t have any
time to waste.”
Individual
behaviors Safety Performance Process
Safety performance combines industrial safety, human per-
FIGURE 2
formance and organizational performance into one process to
NORMALIZED DEVIANCE protect people, the property (plant) and place (environment).

The safety performance process has six key elements starting
with organizational behaviors and rotating clockwise toward
safe results (Figure 1). Simple-to-use programs, processes and
procedures, and hazard risk analysis are vital parts of the safety
performance process. However, they alone do not guarantee
success. To be effective, the alignment of behaviors of the orga-
nization, leaders and individuals is needed. Each aspect of the
safety performance process is outlined here.

Risk Real risk level Organizational Behaviors
Perceived risk Safety starts with the culture of the organization. Safety

Event performance is management-sponsored and leadership-driven
by the collective behaviors of the company, from the board of
Time directors to the workers in the field.

work to do a bad job. If what s/he did made sense to After providing human performance training at a power sta-
him/her, it probably makes sense to others as well. tion in western Pennsylvania, training feedback was solicited
That points to systemic conditions to examine. from trainees, some of whom provided negative feedback. A
meeting was held to discuss the subject material. During the
If an assumption is made that individuals come to work meeting, the attendees huddled around one individual, a sea-
to do their jobs, not to get hurt, then digging a little deeper soned worker and an informal leader who the workers respect-
to identify organizational factors that influence individual ed. Attendees commented that they liked the training, but that
behaviors is warranted. In the worst possible scenario, the their supervisors would not let them use the human perfor-
person performed the correct action, and a hidden (latent) mance techniques.
flaw or problem existed, leading to the event. All the individ-
ual behavioral change actions in the world will not improve In the days that followed, after being asked several times to
this condition. help lead the human performance effort, the informal lead-
er finally agreed to help. With his leadership, the program
Peeling back the layers can lead to more important questions thrived. Workers became involved with the process and made
(and answers): several suggestions to improve it. Workers also started to coach
each other and apply safety performance tools more consistent-
•What about the behaviors of the leaders? ly. A key result was that errors decreased.
•Does the investigation include review of the work situation
that existed when the event or injury occurred? Every organization has leaders like this informal leader at all
•Does it include supervisor and manager follow-up to identi- levels of the organization. It is critical to identify and engage
fy how they may have influenced (or did not influence) on-the- these leaders to improve safety performance.
job behaviors?
While interacting with hundreds of companies and thousands
of employees, the authors have often been asked, “How can
we reduce errors?” After analyzing hundreds of consequential
events, a few common themes usually appeared. First, individu-
als were not consistently applying appropriate error prevention
tools. Second, and more importantly, defenses to protect against
errors were either flawed or missing. On further investigation,
the authors frequently identified an organizational weakness. If
a program was in place to reduce errors and ensure defenses, it
was inconsistently applied. Worst case, there was no program, no
systematic approach, to protect individuals and the organization.

44 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

The authors frequently recommended consistently using appro- Specific to the Columbia mission, NASA managers also dis-
priate safety performance tools and verifying that at least one regarded warnings from engineers who identified that a large
defense is in place in the event that an error occurs. piece of foam struck the orbiter wing shortly after takeoff.
NASA leadership denied three requests for in-orbit pictures by
Just like other programs and processes, the safety program Department of Defense satellite photography (to assess damage
must be predicated on the fact that people are not perfect; they potential) during shuttle flight pass by.
are human and will make errors.
Organizational behaviors key messages: Safety performance
For several reasons, sometimes the best workers make the initiatives begin at the highest levels of the organization. Hu-
most grievous errors. We typically give the best workers the mans make errors and organizational focus either reduces or
most important, time-restricted tasks. We assign them the most increases errors.
complicated tasks, recognizing that they are our heroes who “get
the job done.” This reinforces to the workforce the importance of Programs, Processes, Procedures & Training
“getting it done.” Unfortunately, this can unduly influence a work Management provides the programs, processes and proce-
group about the importance of getting the job done versus get-
ting the job done safely. A simple example: A maintenance man- dures necessary to achieve safe job performance. A high-per-
ager at a large western Pennsylvania electrical generating facility forming organization has simple, easy-to-understand programs,
with approximately 1,000 employees created a three-statement processes and procedures with effective training programs.
philosophy: “1) Be safe; 2) do it right; 3) git’r done.”
The foundation for success of highly reliable organizations
Interviews approximately 6 months after this was imple- is not based on meeting minimum requirements but rather is
mented with personnel from the maintenance organization based on best safety practices. As an example, a nuclear site had
indicated that every person, when asked for the maintenance a loss of all power March 20, 1990 (U.S. NRC, 1990). Although
philosophy, answered “git’r done.” After additional questioning, the nuclear fuel was down to its last safety barrier, natural
personnel would frequently add that there was a safety part circulation cooling, for about 18 hours, the senior executive
to this philosophy also. As an example, suppose a high-per- identified at the start of the event that all Nuclear Regulatory
forming maintenance technician is doing a time-critical task Commission requirements were met. In follow-up speeches and
by himself at 2:00 a.m. and the job requires brief work in the seminars, the executive used this example as a reason to stay
overhead (that had not been staged for). Which of the following above requirements, because that is only the minimum level of
pathways will the technician likely take? safety protection.

1) Stop, call the supervisor and wait for a ladder to be deliv- Leadership implements and reinforces use of the programs
ered (but the job is to be completed by 2:30 a.m. or the plant and processes to set up jobsite conditions for safe job perfor-
must shut down). mance. In all cases, safety must be integrated into procedures
with the desired safe behavior reinforced on a continuing basis.
2) Walk to the ladder storage area (a brisk 10-minute walk)
and get a ladder. Educating the organization and providing an effective train-
ing program is a key building block for success. This effort must
3) “Git’r done” by climbing on the handrail (without fall pro- involve workers and supervisors from development to imple-
tection as it is not staged) adjust the valve, spending less than 2 mentation. Dynamic hands-on learning exercises are preferred
minutes performing an unsafe act. so trainees can visualize the desired safe behavior.

Used properly, safety performance fundamentals and tools Following is an example from another nuclear site. The chal-
are a good defense, fighting the normalization of deviance that lenge was to create an interactive and dynamic learning center
can exist in the culture. This term was a result of analyzing in which people can demonstrate proper safe work practices
NASA incidents. and use of safety performance tools. The purpose was to simu-
late jobsite conditions with various industrial and radiological
Figure 2 is a pictorial explanation of normalization of devi- issues that challenged the students.
ance. As an example, when less than 100% of safety devices exist,
a heightened sense of uneasiness exists across the organization. Training is staffed by qualified instructors, but the discussions
As personnel initially perform work with this type environment, in the center are facilitated by subject matter experts from the
respect is strong for performing actions associated with the miss- line organization. This grassroots approach drives ownership of
ing barriers. Depending on the time element of how long workers safety and human performance from the lowest level of the orga-
must live with the missing barriers, the risk perception of the nization. The center has been a great benefit to the workers. Most
threat diminishes. People drift away from consistent use of pro- enjoy the hands-on approach, the open discussions of safe work
cedures and processes that were designed to maintain defense- practices and the use of safety performance tools.
in-depth and prevent vulnerability to an event.
Preparations to perform a task are just as important as the
The NASA Space Shuttle Columbia disaster is a good exam- task itself. The work planning process sets up the job for safe
ple of normalization of deviance. On Feb. 1, 2003, Columbia performance. Job planning includes a job safety analysis specif-
disintegrated upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, killing all ic to the task to be performed.
seven crew members. Investigations revealed that NASA’s orga-
nizational culture and decision-making processes had been key The work planning process frequently includes the following:
contributing factors to the incident, with the agency violating •precautions and limitations;
its own safety rules (CAIB, 2003). •energy source controls (lockout/tagout);
•confined space considerations;
For example, one design requirement stipulated that no foam •job accessibility (scaffold/personnel lifts);
shall be released during shuttle liftoff and flight. In 107 shuttle •PPE;
launches, foam breaking loose had been identified on every •fire prevention;
mission, and analyzed away (mostly via paper calculations) as a •special considerations;
challenge. Since the start of the shuttle program, NASA manag- •procedures/work instructions;
ers had known that foam was a problem.

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 45

TABLE 2

DETERMINE PROBABILITY

TABLE 1 Probability Likelihood Probability that a sequence
value Frequent of events will result in injury
DETERMINE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCE 5 Probable
4 Injury has occurred from hazard
Consequence Potential consequence (most Occasional exposure
value probable result of unabated hazard) 3 Injury possible, not unusual; has
5 Remote even 50-50 chance each hazard
Catastrophic: Serious injury or fatality 2 exposure
4 (SIF). Hazards exist that if left unabated Improbable Injury would result from an
3 would most likely result in a fatality or 1 unusual sequence or
disabling injury (e.g., unprotected fall coincidence
2 hazard, exposed high-voltage conductor, Injury has never happened after
unguarded equipment/tools; exposure to many years of exposure, but is
1 chemicals). possible
Critical: Potential SIF. Hazards exist that if Injury practically impossible (has
left unabated the most likely never happened)
consequence would be life altering.
OSHA-recordable injury (non-SIF): TABLE 3
Hazards exist that if left unabated the
most likely consequence would be an DETERMINE FREQUENCY
injury requiring medical treatment OF EXPOSURE
beyond first aid (e.g., a person lifts
extremely heavy or awkward load that Exposure Likelihood Exposure frequency
could likely result in sutures, medical value Frequent (how often personnel are
prescription, physical therapy, restricted 5 exposed to the hazard)
work or lost time). Probable
Medical case: Hazards exist that if left 4 Occasional Continuous (or many times
unabated the most likely consequence 3 daily)
would be an injury that would require Remote Frequent (about once daily)
medical care. Examples include non- 2 Improbable Occasional (once per week
OSHA-recordable medical treatment (e.g., 1 to once per month)
tetanus shot). Unusual (once per quarter)
Minor injury/near-hit: Hazards exist that Rare (has been known to
if left unabated could result in an injury occur)
that would be very minor in nature and
would not require first aid.

•critical steps or actions that can cause immediate irreversible existing standards dictate the minimum acceptable condi-
harm to people, property (equipment) or the place (environment); tions and behaviors. Remember that everyone’s first impres-
sion is what they see. When a work area is clean and neat,
•tools and equipment; there is positiveness to the work environment. Good jobsite
•chemical control (safety data sheets); conditions encourage work to be performed in a safe and
•past learning experiences. organized manner. Poor jobsite conditions can create an un-
During job preparation, a task preview is performed by the necessary hazard.
workers to ensure that the task can be performed as planned in
a safe manner. During the walk down, adjustments are made as Presence of safe jobsite conditions means having a safe place
necessary. Subject matter experts provide procedures and work for materials, tools and equipment, and arranging things to
instructions needed to perform the job safely. This includes the help create safe working conditions. An example of this is a
industrial safety manual, written to meet OSHA regulations. NASCAR or Winston Cup garage. The work area is well lit and
Procedures and work instructions provide the safe work clean, and tools are stored in an organized and neat manner.
practices that include the warnings, cautions and notes, and This promotes efficient, error-free rebuilds and repair. Much is
identify whether any critical steps are necessary for safe task the same for other businesses; time and errors cost money.
performance. Strict compliance with procedures and work
instructions is needed for safety. People put themselves at in- Every job performed involves some level of hazards and risk.
creased risk for error with the possibility of injury if they do Once the risk is clear, appropriate defenses can be applied to
not follow procedures and work instructions. When these pro- reduce the risk to an acceptable level. All work activities require
cedures and work instructions are faulted, workers must stop some amount of control, oversight and management involve-
and correct the deficiencies. ment. As the risk increases, the need for control and oversight
Programs, processes, procedures and training key messages: increases. A risk analysis process identifies where additional
The quality of programs, processes, procedures with consistent controls, barriers and oversight are needed to either reduce the
adherence reduces the risk of error. All levels of the organization likelihood of an error or to minimize the consequences of an
are trained to recognize at-risk conditions and behaviors as well event should an error occur. Hazard and risk analysis provides
as how to correct, coach and reinforce desired behavior. a basic understanding of:

Hazard Risk Analysis •hazard identification;
Jobsite conditions are an advertisement of safety stan- •risk assessment;
•hazard mitigation controls and risk reduction.
dards. Although everyone says they have high expectations, One risk strategy used by several nuclear utilities is preven-
tion, detection and correction. Risk analysis efforts work best

46 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org

FIGURE 3

DETERMINE A RISK SCORE FOR EACH HAZARD

Risk (R) = probability (P) x exposure (E) x consequence (C)

Consequence (C)

Minor OSHA- Critical
injury/
near-hit Medical recordable (potential Catastrophic
case (SIF)
Likelihood 1 2 (non-SIF) SIF) 5
25 50 125
Exposure 32 34 80
16
Probability (P) frequency (E) Score 18 45
25 9
Frequent Injury has occurred Continuous 16 8 20
Probable 9 4
Occasional for hazard (or many 2 75 100 5
Remote 4 1
exposure: 5 times daily): 5
Improbable 1
Injury possible, not Frequent

unusual; has even (about once 48 64

50-50 chance each daily): 4

hazard exposure: 4

Injury would result Occasional

from an unusual (once per 27 36

sequence or week to once

coincidence: 3 per month): 3

Injury has never Unusual

happened after (once per

many years of quarter): 2 12 16

exposure, but is

possible: 2

Injury practically Rare (has

impossible been known 34

(has never to occur): 1

happened): 1

when prevention aspects are identified and applied. But no one TABLE 4
can think of all the what-ifs, so an effort to analyze potential
detection and correction actions is needed. Best performance LEVELS OF RISK
occurs when the prevention actions achieve success, but a pre-
pared organization is ready to implement correction and detec- Risk score Risk priority Risk rating
tion actions to a reasonable level. 80 or higher 1 - High
50 to 79 2 - Serious Not acceptable
There are hazards associated with every activity performed. Manageable with
Typical job hazards include: 11 to 49 3 - Medium administrative
controls
•chemicals or dust; 10 or lower 4 - Low Tolerable with
•unwanted energy; administrative
•overexertion; controls
•gravity; Acceptable
•configuration;
•mechanical; •catastrophic: serious injury or fatality (SIF);
•environment. •critical: potential SIF;
Some hazards such as housekeeping and tripping hazards •OSHA-recordable (non-SIF);
can and should be fixed as they are found. Fixing hazards on •medical case;
the spot emphasizes the importance of safety and takes advan- •minor injury/near-hit.
tage of a safety leadership opportunity. A consequence/probability matrix can be developed to rank
Hazards by themselves do not cause injuries. Contact with risks, sources of risk and risk treatment based on the level of
hazards through energy transfer can cause harm to people, the risk (ANSI/ASSP Z690.3-2011). To develop a consequence/prob-
environment or the plant. The energy can be kinetic, potential, ability matrix, first determine the potential consequence (C) of
thermal, electrical, elastic, gravitational, magnetic, radiant, the hazard if it is unabated using Table 1. Next, determine the
sound, nuclear or mechanical. If the energy can be eliminated, probability (P) a sequence of events will result in injury using
then there would be no injury or illness. Table 2. Determine the frequency of exposure (E) to the hazard
Once all hazards are identified, the risk of harm to personnel, using Table 3. Finally, determine a risk score for each hazard
property or the environment is computed as follows: risk (R) = using the chart in Figure 3.
consequence (C) x exposure (E) x probability (P).
The potential consequences of task performance with expo-
sure to the hazards can be:

assp.org NOVEMBER 2019 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY PSJ 47

FIGURE 4

HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS: MULTILAYER APPROACH TO HAZARD MITIGATION

Increasing Individual behavior/PPE Event
worker and Team behavior
supervisor
participation

Increasing Oversight controls
organization Administrative controls
participation

Isolation/warning

Engineering controls
Substitution
Elimination
Hazard
Cultural controls

Note. Adapted from Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents (1st ed.), by J. Reason, 1997, Aldershot, England: Ashgate.

Based on the risk score, there are four levels of risk (Table •Oversight: Supervisor will oversee any critical steps or
4): green (lowest), yellow, orange and red (highest). Most tasks key actions.
performed are either green or yellow risks. Risks in the red
levels must not be performed without appropriate manage- A multilayer approach can be used to mitigate the hazard:
ment approval. eliminate or reduce exposure. As shown in Figure 4, like the
Swiss cheese model used by Reason (1997), hazards (harm
•Green risk levels 1 to 9: Frequently performed activities that to people, the plant or the environment) would need to pass
resulted in events of minor or negligible consequences (i.e., through several layers of defenses to become an event.
injury requiring first-aid treatment, near-hit environmental or
process safety event). Unfortunately, there are small to large flaws (holes in the Swiss
cheese model) that increase the potential for an event of conse-
•Yellow risk levels 6 to 12: Occasionally performed activities quence. Increased worker and supervisor wariness (a healthy un-
with exposure typically less than 1 hour that resulted in events easiness) is needed at the work site. The elimination or reduction
of moderate consequences (i.e., injury requiring medical treat- in hazards necessitates increased organization participation.
ment, minor environmental event or process safety event).
Cultural, leadership, administrative and engineering controls
•Orange risk levels 13 to 18: Remotely performed activities are the strongest hazard mitigation controls. Cultural controls
(fewer than two times a day or less than a few hours a month) require management sponsorship and leadership support of
that have the potential to result in a significant injury, environ- the overall risk management process. Administrative processes
mental or process event. ensure that programs and quality procedures are in place. En-
gineering controls are hard or physical defenses such as inter-
•Red risk levels 19 to 25: Infrequently performed activities locks or safety barriers existing or put into place for protection.
that could result or recently resulted in an SIF, environmental
or process event. When a hazard is identified, the highest level of control must
be applied, commensurate with the risk level. Lower value con-
Example: Removal of a fire protection system. The risk analy- trols may be used in the interim until long-term controls are
sis classifies the evolution as a yellow risk score. implemented. Additional controls, barriers and oversight are
needed to either reduce the likelihood of an error or to mini-
•Approval is required by management. mize the consequences of an event should an error occur.
•Preparation: Work documents that should be reviewed
include the continuous use procedure to shut down the fire pro- Kahneman (2011) introduces two systems of thinking. System 1
tection system, any reference use procedures developed to cover is fast, automatic and emotional (unconscious thinking). System 2 is
an abnormal condition during shutdown of the system and any slow, deliberate, systematic and rational thinking. Safety performance
applicable past experience when this was performed before. tools (i.e., job hazard analysis adherence, job brief, safety minute, and
•Prejob briefing: Supervisor oversees the prejob briefing. Discus- self- and peer-checks) are a form of System 2 thinking to deliberately
sion includes asking “What is the worst thing that could happen?” focus a worker’s attention on safe behaviors before performing a task.
Ensure that hazard controls are addressed before the start of work.

48 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2019 assp.org