As we look back on all the incidents which have occurred in our operations so far this year, we see a number of common threads. A very important tool we all have to keep ourselves and our teammates safe is Stop Work Authority. In order for it to be an effective tool, everyone in the workforce needs to recognize that as change begins to occur, even small changes, that an opportunity to Stop The Job has presented itself, which should be followed by Management Of Change by involving the supervisor.
Our Common Incident Threads
Behaviors
Normalization Of Deviation – Considered normal practice & nobody questioned it
Systemic Causes
COMPETENCY ASSURANCE PROCESS: Lack of adequate process to assure competency and understanding of personnel at all levels
Validation & Verification
MOC: Personnel not recognizing that change is occurring, are making changes without SWA & MOC, or that changes have been made
RISK ASSESSMENT INADEQUATE: Inadequate risk assessment skills as personnel put themselves in the line of fire, or don’t understand how the line of fire may be changing with changing conditions
Lessons Learned
COMPETENCY: While people may have been trained, we lack adequate process to assure competency and understanding
Validation & Verification
MOC: Personnel are not recognizing how a subtle change, or how changes that they introduce may require exercising SWA (TOFS) & utilizing Management Of Change. Not recognizing a subtle change as a change
RISK ASSESSMENT - LINE OF FIRE: Personnel are not recognizing how a change in condition has changed the line of fire
Everyone on our team is a safety leader and we must all challenge ourselves to think about maintaining well control at all times, and assuring that we have all the appropriate safeguards in place. As you begin work each day, think about the following:
The new Pre Job Agenda AND Check List has been rolled out. It will soon appear as pages 2 & 3 in the next edition of the IFO Pocket Book. The new pocket book is a result of all the feedback received from everyone working in the field and the managers we work with from all of our Business Partners. I ask that you embrace it and use it religiously.