James W. Lang ESH/QAArgonne National LaboratoryAccelerator Systems Division630-252-7021jwl@aps.anl.gov

September2015

Where Injuries Happen“Integrating Safety into the

Mundane”

What we’re gonna talk about

Where & why bad things are still happening

How things get screwed up What to do about it Habit vs Actively Engaging

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Typical Safety Planning Addresses “WORK”

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Work Planning and Control Job Hazard Analysis Procedures ESAF JHQ

YET BAD THINGS STILL HAPPEN

How about an example?

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X

We all worked hard to get a great Job Hazard Analysis!

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Today is the day we do the job!

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Zombie makeup just in time for Halloween

These injuries occurred outside the scope of normal work planning and controls

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Most JSAs, training, etc. are too generic to address the mundaneHigh-end view, Task specific Hazard-specific controlsNot emotionally connectedThought of as a “personal” issue and not part of the work environmentSeldom properly trended

Accidents/Injuries have 3 Direct Causes

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1. Somebody did something to you The valve is too high up to turn easily Company gave you too short of a ladder to reach

the valve safely2. You did something to yourself

You stood on a chair to reach the valve You didn’t follow the valve procedure because you

couldn’t remember where you left your ladder3. You ‘go away” momentarily

You were thinking about the football game when you missed a step on the ladder

You …. fill in the blank …. ___________________?

What is the Mundane?

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Those things everybody does all the time everyday without thinking

• Go/Come• Sit/Stand• Open/Close• Put/Take

What we do between tasks• Reach to pick up a wrench• Travel to and from duties• Go to get supplies

We consider time spent in the mundane as our time.

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We spend a considerable part of the workday in the mundane.

We spend a greater part of our “away from work” time in the mundane.

Every task we do has mundane time associated with it. Time spent alone is more susceptible to being in the

mundane.

The difficulty is in controlling the mundane tasks.

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Actively Engage

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“Really? --- I’d always assumed Lang was one of us.”

Habit vs. Actively Engaging

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A habitual response to a known hazard prepares us for that particular hazard

Limited in scope Hazard specific Hazard controls are limited to our personal depth of

experience Limited temporal value (hazard control is specific to “that”

hazard at “that” time)

Actively engaging re-starts our safety brain Puts us into “What If?” mode No longer hazard specific but SITUATION SPECIFIC Lasts longer than habit because we actively re-engaged our

safety brain

Identify the Scope of Work and Actively Engage to Identify and Control the Hazards

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Wear your safety belt OR Actively Engage to consider “Why” we wear safety belts. Traffic, texters, DUI, …

Put on PPE OR Actively Engage to consider “Why” we put on PPE. Falling objects, flying objects (hazards of the work place), …

If we don’t THINK about WHY we do something, we stop evaluating the situation and may not be prepared for hazard control in all situations.

Actively Engaging Opens our Minds to the Unexpected. Actively Engaging is a Powerful Trigger

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Remembering raises our awareness and prepares us for what has occurred in similar situations and what might happen in the future.

Reinforcing by reminding embeds the process in our minds and adds societal awareness to our culture.

Actively Engaging Opens our Minds to the Unexpected. Actively Engaging is a Powerful Trigger

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Consider all the steps and situations you’ll be in. Where will I be? What do I need? What do I see? What has happened before?

Reinforcing by reminding embeds the process in our minds and adds societal awareness to our culture.

It’s not what’s on the stairs, it’s THE STAIRS

Actively Engaging Opens our Minds to the Unexpected. Actively Engaging is a Powerful Trigger

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Bad things happen in the first few moments When you go When you stand When you reach

Real life situational awareness examples Parking lots Stairs Drawers

Reinforce by informing others

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Reinforce good behavior by reminding others.• Actively Engage to remind ourselves.• Actively Engage to reinforce the cultural aspect.• The more people Actively Engaged, the more

attention is paid to the mundane.

Integrating safety into the mundane

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Active awareness re-engages our safety brain Remember what has happened before & Actively

Engage When you put on the safety belt, Actively Engage• How many close calls? Actively Engage• What have I seen? Actively Engage

Reinforce by reminding others:• Actively Engage to remind ourselves• Actively Engage to reinforce the cultural aspect

Integrating safety into the mundane

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Create awareness of self observation. Reinforce the 24/7 concerns of “going away.” Focus observational discussions on “the

mundane.” Continue to direct observations into smaller

slices of the pie.

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