Observational Safety - The Pro's and Cons

Creating an observational safety system that's designed with an expectation for many to use simultaneously, with quality, and detail and to learn from its use while understanding the potential effects of hazards and risks to themselves and others doesn't just happen like magic. It's an investment on the part of everyone involved...including the 'top table'.

With any observational system that's currently being used in any theatre of the world it will have taken time to become embedded into the flow of work, to be regarded as an integral part of the daily practices and activity discussions and relies heavily on the correct mindset and familiarity of those who we place it into the hands of to use it.

In my experience of using and administrating a great number of different named systems over the last 24 years of my HSE career, I can honestly attest that they are mostly neither welcomed, appreciated or used correctly and fully.

On reflection, there has for some years now been huge investments in both time and money toward the required use and understanding of Permit To Work systems and due to online facilities being more readily available these days we thankfully managed to veer away from having to undertake extensive and repetitive courses in onshore classroom environments prior to being permitted to travel offshore to undertake our assigned works. Not only were the courses seen as time consuming for those on rotational patterns predominantly, but they were often dreaded simply because no two were ever the same and we found it difficult to gain any level of continuity.

For me, and some may consider this controversial, I don't see any significant difference between PTW systems and observational safety and reporting systems, and not because I as a safety guy am expected to uphold and promote the use of both...I have a genuine engagement with both because they can each have a significant influence over safety outcomes and circumstances yet one is certainly considered far more importantly than the other.

Likewise, I don't see a need or requirement to attend specific courses to become familiar with each companies reporting systems, however, I would like to see an increase in how these systems and results are correctly analyzed and processed. Like anything we wish to excel at, time is needed to learn it well and make it a skill. In my HSE career I have only ever undertaken 3 companies CBT's that offer any form of introduction to the clients or contractors reporting systems. There's a message in that statement.

Having used maybe 30+ systems, I don't have to work for every business entity to confidently state that their system is more likely merely receiving 'lip service' in it's sought after results and potential learnings. Better can be had and so easily achievable.

In a related issue, many of the incident investigations I have conducted over the last 5 to 10 years have, as we have been reminded so consistently, been completely preventable. In many cases, the event outcomes have been almost exact repeats of previously seen events. We have to ask ourselves 'what are we not getting right' with the array of tools we have?

Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to 'champion' the use of observational safety systems purely because it's aligned to my core business, or that I have designed and produced my own safety reporting system in the form of the #acecard.

Through personally gained experience and evidence, I have seen and supported vast improvements in observational systems that work smartly and with enthusiasm and faith by those relied upon to make the difference.

Developing an 'ownership' and 'trust' from those that we expect to use the systems needs to be correctly managed and I am saddened to say I don't have confidence that this is the case with many due to a severe lack of engagement and equal recognition of its importance.