Edition 06/2002
Attitudes
To Safety
Whilst
delivering many addresses over the years to sport and recreation
bodies on the subject of risk management, statements such as “risk
management and safety must become a part of the culture of the
organisation”, or “risk management and safety is the business of
everyone in the club”, spring to mind as comments I make on many of
these occasions. Such
statements form part of the message that whilst the ultimate
responsibility for development, implementation and review of risk
management policies and procedures sits at the top of organisation
with the board of management, the success of such programs is
dependant on a much wider cross-section of people. Achievement of the outcomes for which these programs aim
(that is to see tangible improvement in physical, financial and legal
safety throughout the organisation, from the national/international
team to the little club at the back of Bourke), requires the
embracement of the principles by all involved.
An
article titled “Accidents Waiting To Happen”, appearing in the
June – July 2002 edition of the magazine “Insurance and Risk
Professional” recently caught my eye.
The sub-title of the article was, “If you can measure
attitudes to safety, you can identify the attitudes most likely to do
some damage”, and it reported how some leading Australian insurers
were using a psychological technique to identify policyholders who are
more likely to be involved in accidents, incidents and workers
compensation claims. It related primarily to industries such as heavy vehicle
transport, and stated that most safety research specialists, insurers
and organisations believe that 90 percent of accidents and injuries,
and injury claims can be directly or significantly attributed to human
error.
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Leading
heavy vehicle insurers have developed and implemented risk management
programs and employed risk managers with many years of expertise
gained from working in the transport industry.
Whilst these initiatives have been a great contributor to
healthier safety statistics, most organisations report their accident
and injury reduction or quality management programs eventually slow
down, plateau or drop away, which is also when insurance companies
tend to see claims ranging from machinery and equipment damage to
personal injury begin to rise.
Psychologists
who specialise in workplace safety behaviour have identified and can
measure the core factors – safety attitudes that will determine who
is at greater risk for unsafe behaviour.
They can also identify why.
Most people who are at greatest risk have what is called
under-developed attitudinal safety awareness (ASA).
In one research study, 100 heavy vehicle drivers were assessed
for their “driver attitude” (professionalism).
The 50 drivers who scored the lowest professional attitudes
were responsible for 72% of vehicle accidents and 97% of lost-time
injuries.
An
accident risk management questionnaire (ARM-Q) was developed by safety
professionals and psychologists.
Benchmarking studies using the ARM-Q have shown:
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50%
of personnel at a tile factory who scored a lower safety awareness
result in the questionnaire test accounted for 92% of the
workgroups injuries.
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At
a manufacturing company, 83% of the accidents incurred by the 70
employees were predicted. The 50% who scored a lower safety
awareness accounted for most of the accidents
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In
an underground gold mine, 100% of the 912 hours lost were
attributed to those people who scored below average in safety
awareness.
Continued
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