Ten Traits of a World-Class Safety Culture – #5 Decision-Making

1. Decisions that support or affect safety are systematic, rigorous, and thorough.
2. Crews are vested with the authority and understand the expectation to place the train in a safe condition when faced with unexpected or uncertain conditions.
3. Senior leaders support and reinforce safety conservative decisions.

Attributes:

Consistent Process: Individuals use a consistent, systematic approach to make decisions. Risk insights are incorporated as appropriate.

Behavior Examples:

1. The organization establishes a well-defined decision-making process, with variations allowing for the issue’s complexity being decided.
2. Individuals demonstrate an understanding of the decision-making process and use it consistently.
3. Leaders seek appropriate input from different work groups or organizations when making safety- or risk-significant decisions.
4. When new facts question previous operational decisions, leaders reevaluate them to ensure they remain appropriate.
5. The organization uses the results of effectiveness reviews to improve future decisions.

Conservative Bias: Individuals use decision-making practices that emphasize prudent choices over those that are simply allowable. A proposed action is deemed safe to proceed with rather than unsafe to stop.

Behavior Examples:

1. Managers ensure that conservative assumptions are used when determining whether emergent or unscheduled work can be conducted safely.
2. Leaders take a conservative approach to decision-making, particularly when information is incomplete or conditions are unusual.
3. Leaders consider long-term consequences when determining how to resolve emergent concerns.
4. Managers take timely action to address degraded conditions commensurate with their safety significance.
5. Executives and senior managers reinforce the expectation that the train(s) will be shut down when procedurally required when the margin for the safe operation has degraded unacceptably or when the condition of the train’s safety is uncertain. Managers implement this expectation.
6. Individuals do not rationalize assumptions for the sake of completing a task.

Accountability for Decisions: Single-point accountability is maintained for safety decisions.

Behavior Examples:

1. The crew is responsible for placing the train safely when faced with unexpected or uncertain conditions.
2. The engineer has the authority and responsibility to determine equipment operability.
3. Managers maintain single-point accountability for important safety decisions.
4. The organization ensures that the correct person makes important safety decisions at the lowest appropriate level.

Adapted from:  INPO Pocket Guide to INPO 12-012: Traits of a Healthy Nuclear Safety Culture