In recent months we have seen some reductions in workforce across several clients. Some of these clients are very mature in their approach to safety management, and others are not quite there yet. In those businesses with a mature Safety Management System (SMS), one of these facilities is NOT a PSM/RMP facility – but they have a MOC process that they utilize effectively.
The others made their case that this reduction in their workforce was not a change that fell under PSM/RMP management of change and thus decided they did not need to utilize their MOC tool to help them manage this change. You see, one type of business does what is best for the business, and the other attempts to satisfy a government agency.
This is the story of the latter…
In a Union workplace, seniority matters when it comes time for a reduction in the workforce. As you may know, being a member of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) is a young person’s game. So when it comes time to reduce headcount in a union workforce, it is the younger employees who get let go. And if we are not careful, this “change” can drastically affect the facility’s ability to respond to its emergency needs.
In one facility in 2023, there was only a reduction in headcount of 5%; however, that 5% represented just over 25% of ERT members. As workers were being informed of their fates, no one connected the dots until the following day when the Sr. Safety Engineer in charge of the ERT realized he had just lost slightly more than 25% of the total team. At this facility, due to a previous management decision/change, the ERT members could be on the team but provide a single skill rather than each member being competent and capable of performing all ERT roles. This meant that an ERT member could be a 1st aid provider only, whereas before, that person would be a FireFighter, HAZMAT Tech, PRCS & High Angle Rescue team member all in one. So, in reality, the ERT lost 45% of its PRCS/High Angle Rescue team, 60% of its HAZMAT Techs, and 52% of its Firefighters. This was done unknowingly by management; however, had they performed an MOC and analyzed the impact of this change, it could have been avoided or at least less of a surprise.
It is not our role to dictate business decisions to management. Still, our role is to help management navigate decisions that will impact the safety and health of the facility personnel, contractors, and communities in which we operate.
It has been seven months since this change happened, and as you may also imagine, the list of volunteers to fill these vacancies is far too short, and the facility may never fully recover to its hay day of having an award-winning ERT. Not to mention its inability to meet its thresholds for providing emergency services. This means the number of people has been reduced, but the risks needing an effective ERT have NOT.