Made you look! Of course, Homer was not a safety professional, but he did have a good grasp on RECOGNIZING HAZARDS and REALIZING CONSEQUENCES.
Once harm has been done, even a fool understands it.
Homer (800 BC)
We need the ability to RECOGNIZE hazards BEFORE the consequences are REALIZED!
Far too many management team members struggle to RECOGNIZE hazards within their realm of responsibility. This can be driven by a lack of knowledge, or they can have cultural blinders… “that has been that way for as long as I have worked here, and no one has been injured by it.“
In some situations, when a hazard is RECOGNIZED by a qualified person, some management personnel are doubtful of the HAZARD and/or the Degree of Risk that it poses. In an immature SMS, management may even struggle to REALIZE the hazard, even with a consequence related to it.
HAZARD ID is FUNDAMENTAL to any SMS; heck, it is the FIRST STEP in our attempts to improve safety. It is NOT an inherent skill that everyone possesses – it takes TRAINING (classroom and field) and experience in the exercise to truly master the skill of HAZARD ID.
