Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
July 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 90 final word | by Tom Jackson E very month I read a dozen or so OSHA FACE reports (fatality as- sessment and control evaluations) looking for a construction accident relevant and suitable for our Safety Watch feature. One thing I find almost all these accidents have in common – regardless of the type of ac- cident, machine or worker – is that prior to the accident, something had changed. Often the change had to do with people. The guy who normally performed a certain job didn't show up that day. A supervisor is called away and an impatient crew took matters into their own hands. Sometimes an operator is asked to run a machine he wasn't trained on. Other times it may be changing conditions such as the weather, ice or rain causing a loss of traction or visibility. A driver may be asked to make a delivery to an unfamiliar site, a place with power line hazards or terrain un- suitable to his truck. If your safety training tends to focus on specific hazards, you may want to take a break occasionally and focus instead on teaching your people how to recognize when some- thing has changed and how to evaluate the new and unexpected safety hazards that result. Military pilots are trained to use the OODA loop in aerial combat. Rather than firing away randomly at any and all targets, pilots are trained to first observe the situation, then ori- ent themselves to the possible target, decide whether to engage the target and then act on that decision. If fighter jocks flying at 500 mph can take the time to work through the OODA loop, you and your construction crews should be able to take a minute or two, especially when confronted with a new situation. Here's how it would work in the construction world: Observe. Just take a look around. Ask yourself: Has the site physically changed? Has anybody asked you to do something out of the ordinary? Are people missing? Are new people present? Is the weather changing? Have you been asked to do something you've never done before? Orient. Figure out how this change might intersect with your tasks for the immediate future. Ask yourself and the others around you: Could these changes affect our safety in ways we haven't anticipated? Do these changes bring unknown risks? Decide. Make up your mind if you are going to change your behavior, the people or the jobsite and reduce the safety risk appropriate to the new conditions. Act on that decision. Cease work or make the appropriate changes. Also make it a habit to go through your own 90-second OODA loop every morning and any- time you become aware of changes to the site, equipment, weather or personnel. Challenge your people to do so as well and talk about what their action steps would be in response to those changes. Most days you won't find many big changes, but by getting in the habit of looking for them you naturally improve your mindfulness and situational awareness. Good athletes have this quality in spades – the ability to read the field and anticipate the next reaction. Good construction workers need it as well. Some people have it naturally, but anybody can get better if they are trained to become more aware and make it a habit. The best safety tip I know TJackson@randallreilly.com