Turnaround Safety – A Key to Success
Apples to Oranges?
Over the years, one thing that continuously strikes fear into many hearts of Safety professionals and management alike, is the Safety challenge that comes with a turnaround. A turnaround of any scale will introduce a totally different dynamic into the workplace. Assuming the status-quo in Safety will suffice during a turnaround is a misconception. Past experiences often have been negative, and in many cases, lessons-learned from previous turnarounds have not been properly addressed or, worse, they have been completely ignored. Granted, many of the Safety challenges accompanying a turnaround are unique. Increased headcount, increased vehicle traffic, increased crane activity, etc., all put a strain on existing resources. A simple risk matrix would indicate the potential for an increased level of risk: increased activity + increased personnel = increased risk.
Logistical issues aside, let’s consider the human factors that come with a turnaround. Not many operators enjoy the luxury of hand-selecting their contractor’s personnel. The contractor may be a known performer – one that has the desired capabilities, can provide the proper services, equipment or expertise. However, the odds are they will have to increase their craftworker headcount to meet the scope of the owner’s turnaround. That in itself, will add a different dimension to the worksite dynamic, especially in terms of Safety. With the current worker demographic in the industry, the contractor will be hard-pressed to find personnel with a long history in their craft, and even more frightening is the fact that there is a dwindling percentage of craft workers who have a Safe-work mindset. So, is Safety Success during a turnaround an impossible achievement? Absolutely not!
Apples to Apples!
Turnarounds inherently involve a long period of pre-planning. Months, even years, in the planning stage, go into assessing every detail associated with a turnaround of any scale. Materials, costs, personnel, logistics and quality, among other factors, are all considered. Unfortunately, in many cases, Safety issues are often poorly assessed, underestimated or even neglected during the planning stage of a turnaround. Safety cannot be an ‘afterthought’; it should be a priority from early planning and remain embedded through completion of the event. One thing is certain: if you fail to properly manage Safety, it will manage you!
Most owners have an established Safety Culture at their worksites; many are quite mature and highly effective. With the introduction of a turnaround into this mature Safety culture, one then would have to question why Safety performance often suffers. If all the Safety processes such as Permit-To-Work, Job Safety Assessment/Job Hazard Assessment, LockOut/TagOut, etc., are in place, why then do we not realize the level of Safety Success we desire? I would propose that, while the Safety processes may have been adopted by the contractor workforce, it’s likely that the Safety culture has not. We have to understand that Safety processes and Safety culture are different. Simply put, Safety processes are the how to safe-work, while Safety culture is the why.
Let’s consider approaching the Safety Culture concept much as we would any other aspect of turnaround planning. If an owner places Safety Culture in a position of prominence in the early phase of planning, it will be considered by the contractor to be as much of an expectation as supplying manpower or materials. As with any other expectation, it has to be established early and reinforced often. If you’re starting to think this is indicative of Safety Leadership, you are absolutely correct. A key component of Leadership is clearly establishing expectations that must be communicated effectively and reinforced properly. In the case of a turnaround, this will mean immersing the contractor in the Safety culture of the worksite before actual hands-on work begins. That immersion begins with contractor management, and is reinforced daily, even hourly, by front-line supervision. Once the workforce leaders have embraced the Safety Culture, the craft ranks will mirror the behaviors they see demonstrated by those Leaders.
Sound simple? It actually is. Easy? It is with effective Leadership. Successful planning will yield successful results and successful planning requires successful Leadership.
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