Are there really workers that start their day thinking of intentionally injuring themselves? I believe the answer within BHI Energy is “NO” but then we have to also keep in mind that accidents don’t just happen. While there may be some that believe this to be the case.

Usually, an error that is within control or preventable is at the bottom of things. Often, several errors take place, at the same time, for an accident to occur. So when we analyze accidents and their contributing causes, we should focus on the aspects of a task which were controlled and which were not. More times than not, an accident is frequently due to haste, poor planning or a failure to recognize potential hazards.

The more effort we put into preparing and planning for our work activities, the less likely we are to encounter an accident. Planning, preparations and work area walk-downs geared towards identifying known, likely or potential hazards is the goal. Everyone should make it a habit to check out their work areas and assure that work can be done without concerns. It helps to remember these five P’s in the future: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

Let’s Get Focused

Mark Twain once said, “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” Our human nature predicts our very inability to simply learn from the mistakes of others. For example, we all know that it is unacceptable to stand on a chair at work to reach an object. We know why, because we’ve been told. But, how many of us have actually fallen off a chair? And, while we wouldn’t do it at work because there are consequences, we wouldn’t hesitate to do it at home. There are people in your life that have a feeling of invincibility when it comes to personal safety because they haven’t experienced a serious fall, a bad cut, a broken bone. The most vulnerable group is children. Have you ever told a child not to touch something that’s hot? My guess is you know it will hurt because you’ve experienced a burn sometime in your own life. Try as you might, they may have to “pick up the cat by the tail” to learn. I’ve learned over the years to never give up delivering the message and that the best I can do is lead by my own example.

The principals we learn about at work apply to our everyday lives. Safety doesn’t stop when we walk out the door.

Bill ZuppingerDirector of Project Controls—BHI Energy

Diversity Quote

“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.”

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Sometimes hazards are easy to identify and other times they may not be so clearly noticed. Pushing a button to roll up a door seems like a safe thing to do. However, strong wind currents that are created when the door opens could stir up dust and debris which could get in someone’s eye.

Other hazards are easier to see, like trip hazards, pinch-points, things you might bump into or cut yourself on.

It is important to recognize hazards prior to starting work and it’s equally important to make your work area safe.

Take time to think and use the “2-Minute Rule”. A key objective of this tool is to improve a person’s situational awareness when first arriving at their work area. A carefully performed work area review should take as much time as needed to help develop an accurate understanding of critical indicators, system or equipment conditions, the work environment, hazards, and even other team members. Taking the time necessary to get acquainted with your immediate work area helps establish a healthy sense of uneasiness, boosting the questioning attitude and enhancing the accuracy of everyone's awareness to the hazards of our work environments.

Explore your job site for a couple minutes by performing an area walk-down. Look around the area (near the hands-on touch points) and adjacent surroundings to identify conditions such as the following:

• Industrial safety and environmental hazards

• Right work area, Right unit and right components

• Injury and Error precursors• Conditions are consistent with

the Pre-Job Briefing

If you-re pulling on a wrench, pushing on a pry bar, or simply applying force to something, and that bolt or equipment breaks loose unexpectedly, or your tool slips…….where are you going to end up?

Over the years, employees have had teeth knocked out, stitches on the chin and forehead, wrenched shoulders and backs, busted knuckles, and a broken nose or two…….all because we didn’t plan for the unexpected.

Take the time necessary to plan and prepare for the unexpected. Remember, it’s not only about the hazards you can directly see or identify, it’s also about the hazards that you can imagine.

Every day we make decisions that we hope will make the job faster and more efficient. But do time savers ever risk your own safety or that of other crew members? Taking shortcuts may cause you to overlook a hazard which could cause serious harm to you or a co-worker.

Evaluate each and every process or work task for time saving opportunities but not at the cost of safety. Time saved in work performance could also create time lost due to injury. In the end, you have saved nothing and at a far greater cost to you or a coworker.

What we have is a failure to communicate!

If you consider it, many people, through their words and/or actions fail to communicate effectively.

How many times have you seen a work order that is poorly written that either you must circle back several times to get clarifications on or you guess on the meaning and perform the work—increasing the chance of equipment failure or a safety incident?

How many times have you received an email, or other typed, written or verbal message that was delivered in a manner that does not convey professionalism?

It’s easy to dismiss or delete the message that makes no sense or has a few incorrectly spelled words. How many times have you tried to deliver a message, but instead of people understanding what you were trying to say, they understood almost the opposite? Disappointed, you ask yourself why that occurred. In order to express a certain thought the way you want it to come across, you have to keep in mind a few things.

• Keep the words you are using in mind; adapt the vocabulary of your message to your intended audience. Don’t use acronyms or specialized terms for non-specialists and try to make your message easy to follow. Don’t assume that because you know the meaning of what you are saying, that so will others.

• Repeat or restate—Use 3 part communication. It helps a listener to comprehend exactly what you are trying to communicate. Repeating an important point or asking the listener to repeat a point drives what you are really trying to convey. Restating a point gives your listener a new perception, thus giving them another way to understand your point.

One of the biggest focus points for me when it comes to Behavior Based Safety is the component that deals with Values.

When asked, “What are your Values in Life?” what thoughts and images come to mind? Many will think of family, employment, integrity, good work ethic, honesty, loyalty, health…...and the list goes on and on.

So when you think about your values, those things that mean the most to you in life, do your decisions always reflect your values? They should but I am positive each of us can think back to a time where that is not the case. Times where you find yourself saying “Why did I do that?”.

Behavior Based Safety doesn’t stop with Actions or Behaviors like many other safety programs. It goes beyond this to get to the human factor, the real heart of what drives each of us to do what we do and why we make the choices that we make.

With every decision, work or personal, your values should always be reflected because you can be assured that they most definitely will be impacted. Are you making unsafe choices at work or in your life? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to re-evaluate and start making choices that are safe and reflect what we say we value the most out of life.

Alert Type: Safety Near MissExpectation: Read and Discuss

During H1R18 three safety relief valves (SRVs) are being removed and replaced in the drywell. At approximately 12:30 am this morning, an SRV was removed and placed in the drywell bullpen area being prepared for removal from the building. The SRV was suspended from a chain fall with the bottom end of the 1100 pound valve approximately 18” in the air above its transport cart.

Workers were preparing to bag and wrap the valve for contamination control purposes. A drywell radiation protection technician (RPT) asked the SRV crew to rig the valve onto its side so that a radiation survey could be obtained for shipping documentation. The crew did not have the appropriate sling to rig the valve in that manner. The RPT made the decided to lay on his side and reach under the suspended valve with a survey meter to obtain a dose rate measurement. By exposing a portion of his body and arm in the line of fire under a suspended load, the RPT performed an unsafe act and could have been seriously injured.

Alert Type: Safety Near MissExpectation: Read and Discuss

Five for life activities contain critical safety elements that, if not followed correctly, have the substantial probability for injury or death.

Five For Life activities are:• Confined Spaces• Electrical Safety• Suspended Loads• Safety Tagging• Safety at Heights

In this incident, the technician made a conscious decision not to contact his supervisor and work outside of procedure and processes (OOPS). This behavior will not be tolerated.

A prompt investigation was initiated to ensure the facts of the issue were immediately understood and the behaviors of the personnel involved were corrected. An immediate communication was made to all radiation protection technicians reinforcing this behavior as an unacceptable practice.

Using the 2-Minute Drill for Hand Injury PreventionIndustrial Safety Pocket Guide – pg 32

Step back and ask yourself:

Where am I about to put my hands? What risk is involved placing my hands here? What could possibly slip or move while I am performing my work?

What is the best body position and motion to prevent my hand from striking an object should a slip or other sudden release of tension occur?

Alert Type: Safety Near MissExpectation: Read and Discuss