Safety Management System

Complex systems contain changing mixtures of failures latent within them The complexity of these systems makes it impossible for them to run without multiple flaws being present. Because these are individually insufficient to cause failure they are regarded as minor factors during operations. Eradication of all latent failures is limited primarily by economic cost but…...

If you really want to get a feel for the culture around safety, STOP with the surveys and get with today’s technology Three of my five bosses throughout my career all had this same practice, which is far more telling than a “survey.” And with today’s technology, such as cameras and drones, there is a…...

“… an attitude of frustration or an internal state of distress can certainly influence driving behaviors, and vice versa. Indeed, internal (unobserved) personal states of mind continually influence observable behaviors, while changes in observable behaviors continually affect changes in person states or attitudes. Thus, it is possible to “think a person into safe behaviors” (through…...

Once again, a great friend and former colleague invited me to discuss safety and culture at his new workplace with his C-Suite team. As usual, he was spot on in his thinking about safety. He has been with this organization for nine months and has recognized that in those nine months, every aspect of the…...

This is one of my favorite videos to use in my SMS Training courses (with approval from HR). Some of the scenes are over-the-top fake graphic scenes, but they are so over-the-top that I hope adults can handle them. The video mocks Lagging Indicators and Pizza Parties, which most of us have come to recognize…...

Safety should be an unwritten rule, a social norm, that workers follow regardless of the situation. It should become a value that is never questioned—never compromised. It is human nature to shift priorities, or behavioral hierarchies, according to situational demands or contingencies. But values remain constant. The early morning anecdote illustrates that the activity of…...

Catastrophe requires multiple failures – single-point failures are not enough The array of defenses works. System operations are generally successful. Overt catastrophic failure occurs when small, apparently innocuous failures join to create opportunity for a systemic accident. Each of these small failures is necessary to cause catastrophe but only the combination is sufficient to permit…...

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Way back in 2006, when Dennis retired after a nearly 40-year career with OSHA and came to work with me at SAFTENG, we always traveled together, and he TAUGHT me more about “safety management” during those trips than I had learned in the preceding 13 years in industrial safety. One of the items we discussed…...

Why do “lagging indicators” remain such a popular means of gauging/measuring the success of the safety effort?  We should measure the results and that these lagging indicators can/do play a role in measuring our success in all functions within a business. However, as I would like to point out to C-Suite executives, the company does…...

Leadership should demonstrate a commitment to safety within their organization by setting a clear tone from the top, promoting the vision for safety, and by: Source: JSP 815 Defense Safety Management System (SMS) Framework… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

The HSE Advisory Committee’s definition of safety culture is: An organization’s safety culture is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization’s health and safety management.”  A safety culture builds slowly, but behaviors are influenced quickly…...