Workers need to be thinking about their safety and the safety of their coworkers throughout the workday or shift not just for the few minutes at the morning gathering to briefly discuss the JSA and sign it before starting the work of the day.
Ask any worker and they will affirm they do not want to get hurt or killed on the job. They just want to get the job done without getting hurt or killed. They want to do the job as easily and as efficiently (quick) as possible without getting hurt or killed.
Ask a worker what they consider “working safe” to mean and they may say something to the effect of not getting hurt or killed while doing their job. Ask the worker what could hurt or kill them on the job and they will list various hazards or potential hazards that they can readily identify or are aware of.
The JSA is a good tool to identify the hazards helping the workers see and understand the risk of those hazards. Then identifying how to address those hazards with specific controls reducing the risk that the hazards can or will hurt or kill the worker while they are performing the task.
The morning meeting to discuss the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or similar planning document, is a good opportunity for workers to get focused on the work of the day discussing the tasks, the potential hazards and the control measures.
Another way to look at the JSA is it is the thought process that every worker needs to have during the course of the workday and not just during the brief morning meeting to discuss the JSA.
The worker should focus on how to do their tasks safely – without getting themselves hurt or their coworkers hurt. They need to always ask themselves three questions:
With the answers to these three questions, the worker significantly reduces the risk of the potential hazard hurting them or their coworkers. This is a constant thought process, not just an exercise of filling out yet another piece of paper.
This requires the worker to not work on “autopilot” just because they have done this task yesterday or last week and many times before and have not had any problems or injuries (though there may have been a few near-misses that were not recognized or if recognized not reported though there may not have been any near-misses). Complacency develops and makes it easier for the worker to go into autopilot as they complete the task.
Each individual worker needs to focus themselves on their safety, on their being able to do their task without getting injured or killed. Their thought process needs to be “what do I need to do to make sure I get home without injury or being killed while I am at work or while I am doing this specific task? What do I need to do to work safe? This thought process will set the tone for the day and keep the worker focused on safety.
Getting workers to use this thought process through the workday or shift, having the workers addressing the answers to the three questions, and implementing the necessary controls reduces the risk of injury or death and increases the ability of the worker to get the task completed safely – without getting hurt or killed.
This ongoing thought process empowers the worker to take control of their own safety and affect the safety of their coworkers all the while getting their job or task completed.
When a worker is focusing on the task they are currently doing by asking the three questions and addressing the identified hazards or potential hazards, and controlling or eliminating those hazards, the worker is focused on doing the job safely meaning they are doing everything that they can do to work safe so they do not get hurt or killed or doing anything that could hurt or kill their co-worker.
This may require the immediate Supervisor to help or coach the worker to get into the thinking process by asking them to identify the hazards of the tasks they are doing right now while the Supervisor is talking with the worker. When the worker provides an answer to the first question to the Supervisor, then the Supervisor asks what are you going to do to control those hazards. The worker can then provide the answer to the Supervisor who then can make sure the controls that the worker said they were going to use or are using is working and correct. If they are correct then the Supervisor praises or commends the worker for their efforts. If the answers are not correct, then the Supervisor can interject the correct information ensuring the worker understands and implements the correct control measures.
When a worker has the thought process of constantly asking the three questions about the task they are currently working on, it keeps them focused. By asking themselves “What am I doing right now?”, it keeps the worker focused on the task at hand, focused on the task they are doing at the moment and not thinking about the tasks they still have to complete or trying to plan the next task while working on the current task. When the workers asks themselves “How could I get hurt or get a coworker hurt right now?”, the worker is looking for and trying to identify the hazards of the task at which they are working so that they keep the hazards at top of their mind. The worker is focused on the task they are currently doing and have recognized the hazards of that task, now they ask themselves “What am I going to do right now to eliminate or control the potential hazards?” which causes them to think about and implement the measures to eliminate or control the hazards. This is where their training on procedures, the use of the correct tools, the proper use of PPE, the acquiring of proper permits, the communication with their Supervisor as well as with coworkers, all work together to eliminate or control the recognized hazards. This allows the worker to get the task done safely – without getting injured or killed yet completing the task at hand efficiently and quickly.
What begins at the beginning of the workday or shift with the reviewing of the JSA (a documented process) for the tasks to be accomplished during the day or shift by identifying the tasks, the hazards, and the control measures should be the thought process of every worker throughout the day, multiple times throughout the day, multiple times during the completion of each task during the day or shift. It should be noted that the thought process is not a documented process so no paperwork needs completed. This thought process will get the worker to focus on how to do their tasks safely – without getting themselves hurt or their coworkers hurt. They need to always ask themselves these three questions:
- What am I doing right now?
- How could I get hurt or get a coworker hurt right now?
- What am I going to do right now to eliminate or control the potential hazards?
These 3 questions as part of the thought process of the worker will keep the worker focused throughout the workday or shift so that they to make sure they get home without injury or being killed.
For more information and/or assistance, contact:
Wayne Vanderhoof CSP, CIT
Sr. Consultant/President
RJR Safety Inc.