When People Don’t Want to follow Safety

Maybe they would like to study Thanatology instead No matter how hard you try people

don’t follow safety!

Do you consider yourself a safe person?

Do you observe the safety management programs that your company has

prepared for its employees?

Life or Death two main choices

• In safety we see life and great life styles with family in friends

• In death the game is stopped, the clock has stopped ticking and the you are out of the game!

Two choices Safety or Thanatology

• Thanatology is the scientific study of death. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the post-mortem period, as well as wider psychological and social aspects related to death.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY LAW

In Canada, Occupational Health and Safety laws have been put in place either federally or provincially, to protect the health and safety of all workers.

Basically, the occupational health and safety

responsibilities of these governments are to:

• Enforce applicable legislation• Conduct workplace inspections and investigations• Distribute information on legislation• Resolve health and safety disputes, and• Promote training, education and research

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY LAW

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Each province and territory in Canada has health and safety legislation, which include both “Acts” and “regulations”. Occupational Health and Safety “Acts” are known as minimal requirements outlined by a province or territory to employ workplace health and safety practices. In addition to each Act are “regulations” that complement and provide further laws specific to high-risk sectors. Because each province and territory has its own legislation, occupational health and safety responsibilities will vary slightly from province to province.

DUTIES OF WORKERS

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DUTIES• Follow the law and the workplace health and safety

policies and procedures• Always wear or use protective equipment required by

the employer• Work and act in a way that does not endanger

themselves or another worker• Report any hazard, workplace injuries or incidents to

their supervisor (including threats and attempts of workplace violence)

A supervisor is also considered a worker under OHSA and has the same rights and duties as a worker.

RIGHTS OF WORKERS

RIGHT TO KNOW

• Workers have the right to know about hazards in their workplace. This includes being informed about hazards by the company and their supervisors, and the right to ask questions without fear of reprisals about hazards in their job.

• Examples of questions include: – What are the hazards of this job? – Is there any special training required? – Do I have the right protective equipment? – If I have questions about safety, who do I ask?

• You should know where your nearest first aid station is located and how to contact trained first aiders

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RIGHTS OF WORKERS

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RIGHT TO PARTICPATEWorkers can participate in workplace health and safety by reporting hazards they see to their supervisor, asking questions about hazards and how to work safely, and being safety role models for others.

Workers can also participate as Health and Safety Representatives and as members of a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC)

RIGHT TO REFUSE UNSAFE WORK

A worker has the right to refuse unsafe work if he or she has reason to believe the work is dangerous, meaning the work he/she is doing, the area in which he/she is working, or a machine/ equipment/tool he/she is using may endanger him/her or another worker.

DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS

• Inform and educate workers about hazards in their workplace and how to work safely• Appoint competent supervisors who know the work, know the hazards present and know the

applicable laws and regulations• Create written health and safety polices (reviewed annually), develop programs and procedures to

implement this policy, post the policy in the workplace and make sure they are being followed• Ensure workers follow the law and the procedures and policies at your workplace • Take steps to eliminate hazards in the workplace and where elimination is not possible, to control

them• Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure its proper use and maintenance• Take every precaution reasonable to ensure the safety of workers AND THE PUBLIC (known as the

“general duty” clause)

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SUPERVISOR’S DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Some basic duties of the supervisor are:

• Inform and educate workers about hazards in their workplace and how to work safely

• Ensure workers follow the law and any workplace procedures and policies

• Make sure workers wear and use the right personal protective equipment

• Take every precaution reasonable to ensure the safety of workers and the public

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Every supervisor is also a worker with the same

rights and responsibilities as any other worker.

Supervisors are responsible for listening to and

addressing health and safety issues as they arise.

A supervisor can contact his/her manager or HSER department to discuss any health and

safety issues.

SUPERVISOR’S ROLE

• Know the OHSA and how relevant Regulations apply to your workplace

• Know the hazards

• Inform workers of potential and actual hazards and how to work safely (especially new, young workers and persons coming back from an extended period of time off)

• Ensure work is performed safely: plan, monitor, remind and enforce

• Ensure tools and equipment are properly maintained and guarded (where applicable)

• Continually monitor for and anticipate new hazards

• Be a health and safety role model

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SUPERVISOR’S ROLE

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• Listen to health and safety concerns from your workers, colleagues, students, public

• Maintain Documentation– Written safe work procedures– Safety training: content, attendance– Resolution of safety concerns

• Discussing with/referring health and safety issues to line management based on the situation

• Asking for assistance if needed

So why would you want to learn about death and it two main types

Do you utilize your training, experience and safety equipment

and procedures for protecting yourself and others on jobsites?

For instance do you use fall protection, safety glasses, hearing protection and otherwise recognize and abate hazards that exist on the

job?

Do You…• …work in locations that would be considered a

confined space where hazardous atmospheres may exist (i.e. using cleaning chemicals in the shower)?

• …dig on the job or in your yard at home without clearing buried utilities?

• …drive a vehicle without using a seat belt or while applying makeup?

• …ensure that the trailer you are towing (boat) is working properly, its not overloaded and the load is properly secured.

No matter how much safety training has been provided why are unsafe acts still being committed (on and off the job?)

Are your safety thoughts brain dead

An AGC Construction Learning Tool

An AGC Construction Learning Tool

An AGC Construction Learning Tool

WHY?Why do we commit unsafe acts

when we know better?

Does Changing One’s Behavior Toward Safety Really Work?

AbsolutelyResults from all sectors of manufacturing and construction

have shown…

– 40-75 percent reduction in accident rates and accident costs– Greater workforce involvement in safety – Better communications between management and the workforce– Greater 'ownership' of safety by the workforce – More positive attitudes towards safety – Greater individual acceptance of responsibility for safety

The Psychology of Safe Behavior There appears to be three critical elements that shape

our thought and reasoning processes and how we display that in the form of safety behavior (our actions)

1. How We Learn (educated and trained)

2. How we are Motivated and Influenced (to do safety)

3. Ability to Focus and pay Attention (to the task at hand)

First—set the stage with some current safety psychology principles.

Stab wounds

The Mental Side of Safety

An accident, injury or illness is the result of one or both of the followingUnsafe acts (behavior)

OrUnsafe conditions

It is the popular belief that behavior accounts for 75-90% of all incidents

Mental state or brain dead

No hard hat you say

How is your first course coming

Basis for Unsafe Behavior

The consequence of behaving unsafely will nearly always determine future unsafe behavior, simply

because reinforced behavior tends to be repeated.OR

If I do something (knowingly or unknowingly) unsafe and don’t get hurt (and I get the job done faster or cheaper), I will likely do it again (until I do get hurt

or am asked to correct to stop [behavior]).

Why is that worker changing

Didn’t wear his respirator

Aside from your safety behavior in the workplace, should your

employer care about your safety off the job?

Why is it important to your employer that good safety habits carry over into your home life?

No first aid no poison numbers no procedures no problem

Why is Safety Important at Work AND Away From Work?

The four most common injuries and fatalities on the job—falls, electrocution, struck-by and caught-in. The first two causes are also major factors for injuries and fatalities at home. Many hazards that exist in the workplace also exist away from work.

Engrained safety behavior enables recognition and avoidance of these hazards regardless of where they

exist

Why is Safety Important at Work AND Away From Work?

• The mental strain caused by the loss of life or serious injury to a co-worker.

• Costs—Whether on the job or at home, unsafe behavior equates to large financial consequences for both the employer and employee.

NO!!

Luck has only a little to do with it.

A large part of your success has likely been determined by the priority you, your co-

workers and your employer place on your safety and the safety of others. This is

expressed in your safety behavior.

Three Primary Safety Behavior Components

1. How we learn (training and education programs)

2. How we are motivated or influenced to behave safely

3. How we focus or pay attention to instructions and tasks

Adults Will Remember…• 10% of what we Hear• 15% of what we See• 20% of what we Both Hear & See• 40% of what we Discuss with others• 80% of what we Experience Directly or Practice• 90% of what we attempt to Teach Others

The % increases as we “use” and take ownership of our knowledge (training and experience).

So…How Does the Learning Aspect of my Training Impact My Safety Behavior

• The quality of instruction and learning needs to be evaluated to ensure effectiveness—DO NOT assume everyone will comprehend and retain equally.

• A quality effective training program says the employer values and is committed to the safety of the employee.

• Solid training programs that build a sense of personal responsibility are considered successful and especially if safe behavior is carried away from the jobsite—back to your home!

Factors that Shape Motivation

Risk

The consequence of behaving unsafely (RISK)

will nearly always determine future unsafe behavior, simply because reinforced behavior (no

accident or consequence) tends to

be repeated.

Factors that Shape Motivation

RiskFor the home, do you perceive the risk to be less

than on a jobsite?

At home we are removed from the construction environment which may lead us to believe less severe outcomes. However, a fall from 10 feet likely would have the same outcome on the job or at home if you are not using fall protection.

Factors that Shape Motivation Physical, Emotional, Environmental

Sleep—the lack of sleep accounts for thousands of traffic and work related accidents, injuries and deaths each year. If a lack of sleep does not kill you it can slow you down and affect the quality of your work.

Heat/cold—it is a demonstrated fact that heat, cold, humidity and lack of sunlight affect our mental and physical desire (motivation) to work.

Personal stress—events in your life (death, divorce, etc.) affect our level of effort.

Medication/illegal drug use—alteration of attitude/behavior

All of these can contribute to someone having a “bad attitude”, low motivation and likely unsafe behavior

Factors that Shape Motivation

Compliance and Consequence”…if you don’t follow this procedure or use this piece of

safety equipment you will be fired”. Is there recourse or consequence for reckless behavior (not following safety policies, rules, etc.)?

Is such a policy fairly enforced, consistent and supported by management?

The effectiveness of punishment is dependent upon its consistency. It only works if it is given immediately, fairly

and every single time an unsafe act occurs.

Factors that Shape Motivation Ethics

“The organizational ethical climate refers to the specific shared perceptions of organizational practices and procedures that define what is considered right or wrong. This shared perception of the accumulated expectations serves as a ready form of reference for guiding the behaviors of its employees”.

Studies have shown where a strong ethical climate exists, sound employee behavior follows.

Do your company’s guiding ethical principles motivate good safety behavior?

Attention and Mental Focus

How many of you can honestly say that you mentally focus on specific tasks on a jobsite?

Life would be a drag if we had to focus 100% of the time on everything we did.

Skilled labor means, to a certain degree, that you have developed such an expertise and familiarity

that it allows you to do many parts of your job without “thinking”

AttentionA faster paced, media blitzed multitasking society has had

an affect on the attention spans of younger people (i.e. cell phone, I-Pods, text messaging, video games, Internet, etc.)? There are more diagnosed cases of ADD than ever.

• The ability to focus during an activity usually equates to a more efficient safer outcome—no shortcuts or forgotten steps.

• Attention is an attribute that can be improved with skills training.

Attention Improvement Techniques

• Reduce area stimuli—sights or sounds affect our ability to focus (i.e. some people require near silence to read and retain).

• Complete one task at a time—no multi-tasking.• When distracted completely stop and then restart

the activity.• Take breaks when mentally fatigued to “re-focus”.• Work rested and check personal issues at the door or

take time off.

Wouldn’t it just be easier if…

“You will be the safest employee ever”