Risk Assessment is for Everyone

[gafftaper]

I attended a great conference session titled Risk Assessment is for Everyone with Eddie Raymond, Jonathan Drill, and Bill Sapsis.

It was a great session. I'll post my thoughts and some snapshots of slides from the presentation.

There was a great discussion of assessing risk based on the two questions :What is the likelihood of the risk occurring? What is the severity of the danger? Here's an example of a grid you can use to assess the risk of something.





The thing that struck me the most was the discussion of the chart below. PPE should be your LAST line of defense against a risk. But our industry often sees it as the first. We should begin with finding ways to Eliminate or substitute for the danger. Can you engineer a safe way to work around the danger? Administratively can you alter how people work around the threat to make it safer (assign two people to lift the heavy crate). Finally we resort to PPE last. We are pretty good about wearing harnesses these days, but we should be looking for ways to redesign the situation to make it so the harness is not necessary.

A few random thoughts and quotes from the discussion:

Ask yourself, "What could possibly go wrong?" and act upon that. Every major disaster in this industry had multiple potential points where someone could have said, What could go wrong and done something to prevent it. But that didn't happen.

"A risk assessment" as a document is basically useless. It needs to become a cultural practice to be useful.

Take the risk assessment and use it to plan for how to handle things when the threat does go wrong. Then repeat the cycle. Searching for new risks.

We need to do personal risk assessment. You are responsible for your own safety. You have a right to say no. You need to draw lines and not cross them for your own safety.

Here's an example of a full risk assessment chart.

 

[almorton]

Absolutely - everyone should be awake to risk and how to minimise and mitigate it.

 

[Crisp image]

I have been using these exact tables for years here in Australia. For an exercise try doing a risk assessment for a task with a group of people. Even make it a simple task like making a cup of tea. You will get a wide range of perceived risk and consequence.
Perceived safety and risk is subjective and changes between people. What I think is safe may be perceived as unsafe by another.
It is good to have tools to use so we are playing on the same field but there is also an amount of common sense (which we know is not common) that needs to apply. In our legislation it refers to what a "reasonable person ought to know". When things go pear shaped the first thing the courts must decide is what a reasonable person ought to know. Then it is game on.
Regards
Geoff

 

[RickR]

That information was given in my OSHA 10 class. While the last one was a few years ago I imagine its typical.

One interpretation of OSHA rules is that all employees of all industries should take the OSHA 10 class. For those of us in even moderately dangerous conditions basic safety training should be a no-brainer. Pencils are pointy and contain potentially damaging chemicals! A paper page on the floor is a slip hazzard! Safety is everyone's job.

 

[darinlwebb]

I like to also think of that hierarchy of controls in terms of levels of influence. The Organization needs to be mitigating risks starting at the top and working its way down. The Individual, who may not have much institutional power, needs to start mitigating risks at the bottom. Nobody can stop you from wearing PPE.

If you find yourself in an organization where leadership isn't making an effort to meet you in the middle, start looking elsewhere.

 

[gafftaper]

I like to also think of that hierarchy of controls in terms of levels of influence. The Organization needs to be mitigating risks starting at the top and working its way down. The Individual, who may not have much institutional power, needs to start mitigating risks at the bottom. Nobody can stop you from wearing PPE.

If you find yourself in an organization where leadership isn't making an effort to meet you in the middle, start looking elsewhere.

Yeah the real challenge is how do you as a fresh out of college/early in your career on your first big break through gig stand up for your own safety when PPE isn't enough? It's easy for me with a long career record to say no way and walk off the job. I have references who will back my decision and I will get work tomorrow without consequences. If you do that when you are just starting out, it could take years to recover.

 

[What Rigger?]

Yeah the real challenge is how do you as a fresh out of college/early in your career on your first big break through gig stand up for your own safety when PPE isn't enough? It's easy for me with a long career record to say no way and walk off the job. I have references who will back my decision and I will get work tomorrow without consequences. If you do that when you are just starting out, it could take years to recover.

Fair enough. But think of the possible alternative.

 

[MrsFooter]

What *should* happen is that industry should put people and safety before profits and take concerns of safety seriously, regardless of whether they come from the mouth of an experienced veteran or someone new to the industry.

Lol, I know, right?

Personally, I view this as part of my responsibility as an experience and established member of the industry in a leadership position. Whether it's pulling a young woman on my crew aside to tell her, "You don't have to put up with that calling you "sweetheart." If you call him out on it, I will 100% have your back, or I can do it for you if you'd rather," or being the person to loudly say, "You sure you feel comfortable doing that, dude? This seems like a terrible idea that's going to get someone injured, I sure as crap wouldn't do it," or (my personal favorite,) "Unless you want to pack this truck by yourself, I suggest you put out that cigarette, because none of us are getting in the back of the truck if you're going to smoke in there," I feel that it's my responsibility to use my clout to advocate for those who don't feel comfortable or secure enough in their position to advocate for themselves. Because @gafftaper is right, when I was first starting out, I was terrified to stand up for myself out of fear that I'd be hung out to dry by management. (And I was more than a few times. Not over safety, but how was I supposed to know that there would be a difference?) I got rolled aaaaaaaall the time by road co until I feel secure and confident enough to push back.

So yeah, @darinlwebb has it right. Risk management and mitigation should absolutely come from the top down. But until it universally does...it's up to those of us who've been around to watch the backs of those who can't.

 

[What Rigger?]

What *should* happen is that industry should put people and safety before profits and take concerns of safety seriously, regardless of whether they come from the mouth of an experienced veteran or someone new to the industry.

Lol, I know, right?

Personally, I view this as part of my responsibility as an experience and established member of the industry in a leadership position. Whether it's pulling a young woman on my crew aside to tell her, "You don't have to put up with that calling you "sweetheart." If you call him out on it, I will 100% have your back, or I can do it for you if you'd rather," or being the person to loudly say, "You sure you feel comfortable doing that, dude? This seems like a terrible idea that's going to get someone injured, I sure as crap wouldn't do it," or (my personal favorite,) "Unless you want to pack this truck by yourself, I suggest you put out that cigarette, because none of us are getting in the back of the truck if you're going to smoke in there," I feel that it's my responsibility to use my clout to advocate for those who don't feel comfortable or secure enough in their position to advocate for themselves. Because @gafftaper is right, when I was first starting out, I was terrified to stand up for myself out of fear that I'd be hung out to dry by management. (And I was more than a few times. Not over safety, but how was I supposed to know that there would be a difference?) I got rolled aaaaaaaall the time by road co until I feel secure and confident enough to push back.

So yeah, @darinlwebb has it right. Risk management and mitigation should absolutely come from the top down. But until it universally does...it's up to those of us who've been around to watch the backs of those who can't.

An important component that needs to be said loudly and often. Thanks, @MrsFooter .

There's no saying you won't get blowback for advocating for safety, whether you're loud and obnoxious like me, or you are a diplomat to the Nth degree. Nobody is really looking out for you except for you, and maybe a handful of others. We that have been around completely have an obligation to do it right, say it when it isn't right, and have the courage to back up the people around you. Go read what Mrs said one more time. It is everything.

 

[gafftaper]

@MrsFooter It's interesting how quickly you went from people with no time for safety to "let me help you with that sweetheart". On the surface there is no connection between minimizing safety issues and sexism. Yet we both know that the same people who do one are often guilty of the other. There's a good psychological research project in there somewhere.

The good news is there are a lot more of us than there were in the past and the dinosaurs are dying off. But, we have to keep fighting the good fight every day in big ways and small, using our positions of power to stand up for the safety and respect of others around us.

 

[gafftaper]

P. S. I'm so proud to be associated with this community. There are so many great people here who really do care about the big issues like safety and equality and do proudly stand up when it isn't the popular thing to do.

 

[MrsFooter]

@MrsFooter It's interesting how quickly you went from people with no time for safety to "let me help you with that sweetheart". On the surface there is no connection between minimizing safety issues and sexism. Yet we both know that the same people who do one are often guilty of the other. There's a good psychological research project in there somewhere.

The good news is there are a lot more of us than there were in the past and the dinosaurs are dying off. But, we have to keep fighting the good fight every day in big ways and small, using our positions of power to stand up for the safety and respect of others around us.

Feeling unsafe can come in many forms. It can be feeling pressured or bullied into climbing without the proper harness. It can be getting less than 6 hours off between calls and struggling to stay awake as you drive to the venue. And it can also be fearing being left alone with that road co member who's been calling you 'babe' and pestering you for your number all day.

In all these situations, there's a line between a close call and a human being is damaged, and damage doesn't always look like blood or injured backs. In all these situations, we, as leaders of the industry, shouldn't stand by while toxic management forces our less experienced members to see how close they can be pushed to that line. In all situations, we should be able to set our own boundaries between where we are comfortable and where we feel unsafe, and expect that those boundaries will be respected.

 

[RickR]

My suggestion for the younger crowd is to get fluent in the text of safety regulations. If you can quote the right OSHA ladder limit then you are not presenting yourself as the expert. It can also be a good learning opportunity and diplomatic ploy to phrase it as a question. "Doesn't that exceed its WLL?" knowing that "we do it all the time" is not a good answer!

 

[cbrandt]

or being the person to loudly say, "You sure you feel comfortable doing that, dude? This seems like a terrible idea that's going to get someone injured, I sure as crap wouldn't do it,"

We need to normalize this as a process all the time. So many things can be solved with a check in. Sometimes people are unaware, sometimes they're too full of pride to admit it, or just damn pigheaded, but giving them an out can make a world of difference.

 

[What Rigger?]

@MrsFooter It's interesting how quickly you went from people with no time for safety to "let me help you with that sweetheart". On the surface there is no connection between minimizing safety issues and sexism. Yet we both know that the same people who do one are often guilty of the other. There's a good psychological research project in there somewhere.

The good news is there are a lot more of us than there were in the past and the dinosaurs are dying off. But, we have to keep fighting the good fight every day in big ways and small, using our positions of power to stand up for the safety and respect of others around us.

Realizing this echoes @MrsFooter, and please dear Odin and Shiva don't let this come off as mansplaining:
What I am hoping we are starting to move (rightfully) under the umbrella of safety is people's mental and emotional safety. Having to put up with misogynist behaviour and not being supported ruins careers, at the very least. I mean, I'm one of those people who likes to fight, but at this point in my life all I want is "Just please, don't let the A-holes be here today."; and I'm a cis white male- now imagine being a woman, or POC, or LGBTQ+ people putting up with the micro-aggressions instead of just rolling in to work and doing the gig. That's all anyone wants; it's just another component of "Go home in the same or better condition you showed up in." Work safety doesn't just deal with getting physically mangled. Stay sharp for yourself and others, especially now in this Brave New World.

 

[TimMc]

Never mind....

3 paragraphs of thoughts that will receive "cancel culture" responses... are now in the bit bucket.