Safety Culture in the News

Creating wellbeing – 7 leadership habits of positivity and trust creation

www.shponline.co.uk/culture-a…

More and more companies are embracing the truth of these messages and the ‘emerging from COVID’, opportunities to create a stronger and more resilient workforce are being embraced by many. Although some are, of course, just adopting a tick box ‘train up some mental health first aiders then forget about it’ approach, others are attempting something more impactful and holistic. Unfortunately, there’s a contextual difficulty for all…

In most of the UK and Europe (and certainly, from where I come from in South Wales) we had it drummed into us at an early age that there’s only one answer to the question “how are you?” and that’s “I’m fine thank you – how are you?’. Any other response and the person you’re talking to can call the police. It’s a law. It’s a bit like when a European gets into a lift in America and others start talking to you… instinctively we’re overcome with horror, bewilderment and panic.

Building a food safety culture through training, technology

www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/…

Sanitation and disinfection in pet food processing is more important than ever before. Where once plants did not shut down just for cleaning, now down days for cleaning are regularly scheduled. Randy Kohal, vice president, food safety and reliability, Nexcor Food Safety Technologies, Buford, Ga., said the importance of processing sanitation and disinfection has increased over the years from early concerns of dirt and buildup to a modern understanding of the risks of microorganisms.

“Risk mitigation is the basis for sanitation practices and having a scientific understanding as well as a food safe culture is critical to success,” he said. “The resulting benefit is a workforce that understands the importance of sanitation, proper food safety, and execution in the most economical way possible.”

Sanitation is one of the most important pillars for food safety. Joe Stout, founder of Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS), New Orleans, La., noted that without proper sanitation and disinfection, there can be no safe food manufacturing environment.

Text, telephone-based notification system helps garrison folks stay safe

https://www.army.mil/article/252423/text_telephone_based_notification_system_helps_garrison_folks_stay_safe

“All service members, civilians, and contractors are required to register for this program, and we highly recommend that local nationals register as well,” said Claude Jones, garrison operations officer. “If your place of duty is on a DOD facility, you must sign-up for Alert! and ensure your contact information is current.” “Alert! is important for all of our community members,” continued Jones. “It is a quick and efficient way for us at the garrison to reach community members quickly. We use the system to notify our users of emergencies, road conditions, and garrison closures or delays.”

Family members can also receive notifications; however, their sponsor must sign up first and enter family member information.

The garrison safety office highly recommends having Alert as part of a complete information update matrix.

“During the sign-up process, you can add your dependents to the system,” said Stefanie Diaz, garrison safety and occupational officer. “Within the dashboard, there is a field that allows for you to opt-in your dependents and enter their individual contact information.”

“Effective communication and reporting of hazards protect our members and also promotes a great safety culture amongst the garrison,” said Diaz.

How to build a culture of food safety

www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/1…

Jeannie Shaughnessy, CEO of PTNPA, explores what it takes to create a food safety culture and why it matters, offering helpful insights along the way.

When food safety culture becomes a core business component, it builds brand integrity, and creates common purpose and pride. Within such an environment, every person – from front office to front line – owns the privilege of being a part of this culture and the responsibility for making it work. But how is that accomplished and why is it important?

Food safety culture: perspectives

Built on a foundation of best practices, standards and regulatory compliance, a culture of food safety ultimately exists when dedication to food safety becomes an undeniable priority. When present, this culture serves as a point of pride for everyone in an organisation. Everyone must arrive at a place where they sincerely and consistently consider food safety as integral to all aspects of an organisation. The most authentic cultures that are committed to food safety do so because it’s simply the right thing to do.

Hazard, incident reporting app launched by CAA

www.bolnews.com/latest/20…

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has introduced a smartphone application for reporting hazards, accidents, or safety issues that pose a threat to air travelers.

The PCAA announced the launch via their official Twitter account, according to the post read, “Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility. PCAA is pleased to announce the launch of an android app “Voluntary Hazard/Incident Reporting System”.

The air travelers can download the application from Google Play Store, the PCAA post read.

The application has been developed to invite the general public and air travelers to become a part of the aviation department’s safety culture, according to an official statement released by the department.

Hazard, incident, accident, damage, deficiency, violation, failure, and services are just a few of the areas covered by the app.

If You Think Managing Worker Health And Safety Is Expensive, Try An Accident

www.forbes.com/sites/sap…

While October was National Safe Work month in Australia, contract worker safety is a year-round commitment for the energy and natural resources industries. Thomas Barlow, head of SAP Fieldglass Center of Excellence, recently led an insightful conversation between a panel of experts who talked about how companies can keep contract workers safe by building a safety-first culture and using advanced technologies.

The evolution of safety

www.thesafetymag.com/ca/news/o…

Focusing on the future is an important part of all facets of the oil and gas industry. There are always new opportunities, new challenges and better ways of doing our work. We, as an industry, must stay committed to continuous improvement. One way to recognize the improvements we have made and the way we have evolved is to occasionally pause for self-reflection.

I have experience in many industries working for various employers, but the vast majority of my time has been in the oil and gas industry. I have worked in the field and have friends and family members who continue to do so. My experiences in the field and as an HSE professional drive my commitment to looking for ways to manage safety and refine the qualification process. My approach to safety is to develop processes and procedures to eliminate incidents, and to surround myself with colleagues in HSE, the field and in senior leadership positions who share the same goal. I am proud to be part of Michels Canada’s safety culture and of a team that, as of this writing, has completed more than 3 million exposure hours without a single loss-time incident.

When I reflect on my observations over the past decade, I recognize vast improvements and the ongoing need for continuous review and advancements. I hope that as you read this, you will review your own personal commitment to safety and identify ways for our industry as a whole to continue our journey to safety excellence.

FIRST Center, FDSOA receive $1.5M Fire Prevention & Safety grant

www.firechief.com/fire-gran…

PHILADELPHIA — The Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST Center) and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) announced on Monday the receipt of a $1.5 million grant from FEMA’s Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) program. The funding will extend the scope of the Fire service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey, a fire service-specific safety culture assessment tool.

The FIRST Center said this collaboration is in response to FEMA’s national prevention priorities on firefighter safety projects “designed to measurably change firefighter behavior and decision-making,” adding that “safety culture is a robust predictor of occupational injuries and organizational outcomes such as burnout, job satisfaction, and engagement.”

The funding will extend the scope of the Fire service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey, a fire service-specific safety culture assessment tool. The funding will extend the scope of the Fire service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey, a fire service-specific safety culture assessment tool. (Photo/FIRST Center) The newest grant funding will extend the scope of FOCUS by allowing FIRST and FDSOA to partner with Workers’ Compensation Bureaus (WCBs) to explore models of scale-up and utility so that all U.S. states and territories will be served. The implementation of FOCUS by fire departments covered by each state’s WCB will evaluate the impact on injury and well-being claims as well as explore premium reductions for participants.

Life in oilsands camps taking mental health toll on commuter workers, finds U of A study

www.coldlakesun.com/news/life…

A study from the University of Alberta found commuter workers in the oilsands have worse mental health and more work-related stress than the general population.

Mental health advocates in Northeastern Alberta say the report backs up what they have been arguing for years.

The preliminary report included 72 participants who were interviewed between late 2019 and early 2020, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most lived across Alberta and Canada, and worked 10- to 12-hour shifts during rotations that lasted six to 21 days.

The research team, led by sociologist Sara Dorow, found distrust was common towards employers regarding mental health treatment. Any available supports will not solve this crisis if current attitudes towards mental health continue, she said in an interview.

“I didn’t expect that distrust to come up as often as it did,” she said. “Mental health prevention needs to be built into safety culture. Everyone’s proud of the safety culture in the oilsands industry, but the industry has not done nearly enough around psychosocial safety.”

Half of the workers with on-site health care said they were unlikely to use it. They did not believe confidential matters could be kept private, and feared the services would hurt reputations, wages or employment. Half of all participants felt employers did a bad job at discussing mental health supports and showed little interest in minimizing stress.

Aerodrome Safety: BASL Launches FOD Awareness Initiative

thewillnigeria.com/news/aero…

October 30, (THEWILL) – The management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), has launched the Foreign Object Debris (FOD) awareness initiative.

The initiative, according to the Ag. Head of Business, Mr. Raphael Uchegbu, is a deliberate move to ward off potential dangers that FODs constitute to aerodrome operations.

Uchegbu, who stated that FODs contribute to the damage or potential damage to aircraft, ground equipment and endanger life, also maintained that FODs can be as simple as a nut, a piece of concrete, a piece of paper, a stone, a suitcase handle, a screwdriver or even passenger.

He added that “throwaway items are inherently dangerous. In the working environment of an apron, they contribute to the damage or potential damage to aircraft, ground equipment and perhaps even endanger life. This initiative is in line with BASL’s determination to maintain top safety culture at MMA2 at all times – all for passengers’ comfort.”

Uchegbu noted that the terminal operator decided to take the bull by the horn to launch the initiative with special FOD bins. The bins, he stressed, come in yellow colour for easy identification – separate from other regular bins on the airside.

Safety Culture Practices

bmmagazine.co.uk/business/…

A safe workspace is one of the features most workers look for. Workplaces that have standardized safety measures are less likely to have accidents, earning the company a good reputation. In industries where injuries are prone to happen, business owners do their best to develop a safety culture.

If you’re into manufacturing or production industries, you may want to know how to promote builders’ safety. For that purpose, here’s an article that could help you gain ideas.

Ep.83 Does the language used in investigations influence the recommendations?

safetyofwork.com/episodes/…

The paper we are discussing today is about the language used in incident reports and whether it influences the recommendations made based on these reports. We run through the findings in this paper which include the process of writing three different reports on the same incident - each including all the same facts but just written with a different perspective and focus.

EPISODE NOTES

This paper reveals some really interesting findings and it would be valuable for companies to take notice and possibly change the way they implement incident report recoMmendations.

Topics:

Introduction to the paper The general process of an investigation The Hypothesis The differences between the reports and their language The results of the three reports Differences in the recommendations on each of the reports The different ways of interpreting the results Practical Takeaways Not sharing lessons learned from incidents - let others learn it for themselves by sharing the report. Summary and answer to the question

Quotes:

“All of the information in every report is factual, all of the information is about the same real incident that happened.” Drew Rae

“These are plausibly three different reports that are written for that same incident but they’re in very different styles, they highlight different facts and they emphasize different things.” Drew Rae

“Incident reports could be doing so much more for us in terms of broader safety in the organization.” David Provan

“From the same basic facts, what you select to highlight in the report and what story you use to tell seems to be leading us toward a particular recommendation.” - Drew Rae

California American Water Reminds Customers to Verify Utility Worker Identification

www.businesswire.com/news/home…

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–California American Water cares about the safety of its employees and customers. We want to remind customers, that thieves sometimes pose as utility workers to rob homes or con money from unsuspecting customers.

“California American Water has established an uncompromising safety culture and always puts the best interests of our employees and customers first” Tweet this “California American Water has established an uncompromising safety culture and always puts the best interests of our employees and customers first,” said California American Water President Rich Svindland. “Nothing is more important to our company than ensuring the health and safety of our employees and customers.”

All California American Water field service personnel wear uniforms, drive vehicles with the California American Water logo and wear photo identification badges containing the company’s brand name.

WAYS TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY CULTURE IN A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

theculturechronicle.com/ways-to-i…

Construction is a dangerous profession. Workers expose themselves to many different materials, elements, and fumes daily. So it’s not wise to overlook safety precautions. Read these ways to improve the safety culture in a construction company to protect your workers from any potential harm. These tips go a long way to improve the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved.

Safety of Work podcast Ep.82 Why do we audit so much?

safetyofwork.com/episodes/…

It’s Modelling the Micro-Foundations of the Audit Society: Organizations and the Logic of the Audit Trail by Michael Power. This paper gets us thinking about why organizations do audits in the first place seeing as it has been proven to often decrease the efficiency of the actual process being audited. We discuss the negatives as well as the positives of audits - which both help explain why audits continue to be such a big part of safety management in organizations. Topics:

What kinds of audits are happening Why is the number of audits increasing? Why do we keep doing audits when they seemingly do not help productivity. Academia and publication metrics The audit society The foundations of an audit trail The process model of an audit trail The problem with audit trails. Going from push to pull when audits are initiated Why is it easier for some organizations to adopt auditing processes than others? Displacement from goals to methods Audits help different organizations line up their way of thinking Practical takeaways

Building Habits through Lab Safety Activities

www.labmanager.com/lab-healt…

Consistent safety activities have the potential to create a stronger safety culture. When lab management fully embraces these tools, the benefits can include decreased injuries, increased morale and productivity, and improved cost savings. How can safety activities contribute to a stronger safety culture? Consider this: Major League Baseball players practice similar drills as Little Leaguers. By turning the fundamentals into habits, professionals and amateurs alike can focus on more complex tasks. This lesson applies to all aspects of life, including a safe laboratory environment.

The following safety activities are options for companies to consider implementing. These activities should be completed consistently with intention and recorded for the sake of accountability.

Staying ahead of inspections

www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/…

KANSAS CITY — Maintaining sanitary conditions and verification of processes through documentation are some of the top things to be prepared for during an inspection.

Also at the top of the list: having all your documents organized and readily available, and having the ability to effectively communicate the details of your programs and documentation.

“Maintaining sanitary conditions is crucial in any industry, especially when it comes to food safety,” said Candy Lucas, senior food safety director for Kieler, Wis.-based PSSI, a leading food safety and contract sanitation provider. “There’s a lot to manage in food processing plants and retailers, such as personal hygiene, allergen control, cleaning of storage areas, chemical monitoring and maintenance and pest control.”

… That includes conducting routine internal food safety assessments and ensuring they’re audit-ready at any time through PSSI’s proactive sanitation assessments, Real-Time Performance Metrics (RPM), and documentation.

“There is a big push from GFSI and FDA to drive a food safety culture within your organization,” Fryar said. “It’s becoming more of a requirement in certain audits to ensure that your documentation supports your efforts in promoting your food safety culture company wide

Move the Needle on Food Safety Culture Starting with Your FSQ Team

foodsafetytech.com/column/mo…

Yeah, yeah, I know. We’re supposed to have FSQ (Food Safety and Quality) verify the line before we start. But c’mon, we could see the plastic so we just removed it and then we visually inspected all the product on that part of the line. We looked everywhere for the other missing piece. We didn’t find it, so somebody probably found it not knowing what it was and tossed it out. We radioed for someone for FSQ about five minutes ago and no one came. We did what we needed: Stopped the line, found the foreign material, and now we’re running again. We only have an hour of production left and we’re almost done filling this order.”

As the operations supervisor was telling me this, I could feel my entire body become agitated. My blood began to boil, and I had to bite my tongue to avoid saying unkind and unhelpful words.

It wasn’t the first time we’d had foreign material on that line that week. And to top it off, it was the same supervisor telling me they knew the FSQ Team had to be part of foreign material incidents, yet the supervisor decided the situation wasn’t important enough to follow the written SOP on handling foreign material that we all signed off on earlier in the month in an attempt at streamlining the process to be easier to execute. I’m not sure what made me angrier—the fact we were having this conversation again or that this type of conversation always got under my skin. How was it I was blowing a gasket while the supervisor thought it was no big deal?

It all seemed to come down to a difference in beliefs. A difference in attitudes. A difference in the actions taken when no one is watching. This situation is showing the food safety culture of the organization, and everyone nearby is seeing it. This isn’t uncommon—these every-day moments are displays of the food safety culture within our organizations. These moments are an opportunity to create a new story around food safety culture.

A true safety culture gives everyone a voice

www.freightwaves.com/news/a-tr…

We’ve seen them all over the place, companies slapping a nice-sounding safety message on their trailers. When a company claims safety to be its top priority, we trust their word to be golden. But are these carriers actually adhering to their mission statements? Only they can answer that question.

Robert Kaferle, Reliance Partners’ director of safety, explains the simple secret to legitimize any safety program, from companies small to large.

“A successful company will empower their people to call out with critical comments and bring solutions to the table,” Kaferle said. “The way to instill this is from the top down, developing a program where everybody’s opinions are met and valued, everybody is empowered to bring problems to the forefront and offer solutions.”

This means everyone — all members of your organization — can voice their concerns on any issue without fear of reprimand.

From a driver refusing to haul a dangerous load to a driver manager explaining to a customer that its driver cannot deliver any faster to a maintenance professional refusing to let a truck operate using poor components, while safety is preached from the top down, its practice starts from the bottom up. Kaferle said that good decision-making should be rewarded at all levels of the organization.

Safety must be the foundation for Queensland farms

www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/741…

Queensland farmers bear the important responsibility of ensuring they, their workers and other people on-farm are clear about their health and safety responsibilities and building a safety culture. It’s a duty they take very seriously with the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector recording an average of six fatalities each year between 2015-16 to 2019-20. It was the third highest number of fatalities in Queensland over the same period compared to about 59 each year across all Queensland industries.

Quad bikes are one of the most common agents of fatality in Queensland, and have been involved in more than 50 fatalities across the state and a variety of industries since 2011. To help reduce the risk of fatality and injury associated with quad bikes, the Consumer Goods (Quad Bikes) Safety Standard 2019 was introduced by the federal government. Phase one of the national safety standard was implemented in October 2020 and required improved information for consumers including a rollover warning label and additional information in the operator’s manual. Queensland farmers should be aware that phase two of the safety standard begins on October 11, 2021. This next stage requires all new and imported second-hand general use quad bikes to be fitted with an operator protection device or have one integrated into their design, and to meet minimum requirements for stability.

Ep.80 What is safety clutter?

safetyofwork.com/episodes/…

Clutter in safety procedures are a thorn in the side of many employees and contractors. We discuss the different types of clutter, what causes these procedures to become cluttered and why it’s a good idea to declutter.

EPISODE NOTES

The paper we reference today is our own research paper published in 2018 named; Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of ‘safety’ work that does not contribute to operational safety. So we have done ample research when it comes to this particular topic and we’re excited to share this knowledge with you. Hopefully you will take away from this episode a better understanding of where to start looking for (and clear out) clutter in your own workplace.

Topics:

What is safety clutter? The three C’s Contribution Confidence Consensus The paper - Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of ‘safety’ work that does not contribute to operational safety Types of duplication in safety tasks Generalization of safety tasks Symbolic application of safety tasks Attempted simplification Least common denominator Overspecification The causes of safety clutter Why reduce safety clutter? Ways to deal with safety clutter

Building industry must change its safety culture by adopting ‘golden thread’ principles says building regulations committee

www.ifsecglobal.com/fire-news…

The building industry needs to change its safety culture and embrace digital information in order to rise to the challenges of improved building safety, a new report from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) says.

Published last month, the committee’s report picks up on Dame Judith Hackett’s concept of a ‘golden thread’ running through the lifetime of a building, as set out in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The BRAC report fleshes out what the golden thread means in terms of providing and managing key information about a building’s potential fire and structural safety, and the digital recording and processing of that information. The provisions apply to higher risk buildings – those that are more than 18m or seven storeys high and comprise a minimum of two residential units.

The report emphasises that the golden thread is not just information about a building – it also includes how that information is managed and processed, to ensure it is both accurate and accessible. It applies to the whole life of a building, from design and construction through to occupation. Crucially, the golden thread will record any changes (such as amendments to information, documents or plans), when changes were made and by whom, to help drive improved accountability.

The golden thread supports the safety case approach, where those accountable for high-rise and in-scope buildings must ensure reasonable steps are taken to manage fire and structural safety risks through prevention, control and ongoing management. They must set out and justify their approach in their safety case report, which will be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator. The intention is for the regulator and residents to be able to hold accountable those involved in the design, construction and management of a building.

Queensland COVID vaccine operators ‘incredibly sorry’ after ultra-low Pfizer doses

7news.com.au/lifestyle…

Dozens of people have been given ultra-low doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 due to an error at a Brisbane immunisation centre.

Sixty-six people have been contacted by Queensland Health on Wednesday, after the error was made at Kippa Ring Vaccination Centre before 9.30am on Saturday.

It is believed among the 66 people, six of them received the ultra-low dose. They are not yet identified.

“The Pfizer vaccine requires a process of preparation where saline is added to the vaccine vial and withdrawn to make up to six syringes,” Queensland Health said in a statement.

“An initial review indicated one vial was used twice, meaning the doses drawn on the second use were over-diluted.

File image of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines after dilution. File image of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines after dilution. Credit: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images “The error occurred within the first hour and a half of the clinic opening and immediate action was taken.

“Unfortunately there is no ability to trace which six of the first 66 patients through the vaccination clinic were given the ultra-low dose.”

The authority will work with all potential recipients of the low dose to attempt to get them to the optimal immunity level, however it’s not believed an ultra-low dose is harmful.

“I am incredibly sorry for any distress this has caused to those 66 people and their families. We will, of course, be supporting every single person impacted,” Metro North Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman Jackie Hanson said.

“I am incredibly grateful we have good safety culture at Metro North and that the error was picked up quickly as a result of those safeguards.”

Fact sheet provides tips on food safety culture for businesses of all sizes

www.fruitnet.com/producepl…

he Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand (FPSC) has released the Food Safety Culture fact sheet.

The resource provides tips and practical actions for improving food safety culture among businesses of all sizes.

Michael Worthington, chairman of the FPSC, said his board identified food safety culture as a key area for the improvement of fresh produce food safety across the supply chain.

“The Food Safety Culture fact sheet was developed with produce businesses, both large and small, in mind. We wanted to build a convenient resource to help guide best practice at every level of operation,” said Michael Worthington, chairman of the FPSC.

“The FPSC believes that implementing a robust food safety culture is of paramount importance to the continued wellbeing of our industry and the community. The actions individuals and businesses take has a crucial impact on improving food safety culture and raising awareness through educational resources is a key step in achieving this improvement.”

The fact sheet was written by Elizabeth Frankish, a food safety consultant and part of the team at the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry at the University of Sydney.

New visual aid to help minimise risk in the food industry

HTTPS://WWW.FOODMANUFACTURE.CO.UK/ARTICLE/2021/08/03/FOOD-SAFETY-TOOL-LAUNCHED-TO-HELP-MINIMISE-RISK

Campden BRI has developed a new visual tool to help food and drink manufacturers communicate and manage risk within their businesses and boost food safety culture.