It is very interesting to realize that such a simple word can have a significant impact on our performance; more than that but on everyone’s performance. Your work attitude makes a statement about you and affects how well you do your job, but it also affects how safe you are when doing it. Positive people usually perform better because they maintain an open mind and consider the outcome of their behavior. Negative people, on the other hand, complain about everything, including having to practice safety. The person with the negative attitude is less likely to care about the quality of the job they are doing or how they do it. A negative work attitude can lead to unsafe work habits and eventually an accident.

This week we are going to focus on attitudes, both good and bad.

Let’s Get Focused

A number of years ago, my focus on safety became the most important aspect in my life. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation I am about to tell is imprinted in my mind as though it happened a moment ago. At the time, I was a craft supervisor with responsibility for maintenance of all non-powerblock HVAC units at the Nuclear Power Plant I worked at for 18 years. We had some routine work on a roof top unit, a small leak in a supply line that required minor soldering. I dispatched my HVAC mechanic that morning, with minimal briefing, no pre-job walkdown, and no assistance, as we were shorthanded that day. A firewatch was not required based on the site requirements at the time; otherwise, he would not have been alone. In addition, it was a Friday and I needed to leave early for weekend plans.

Due to the configuration of the rooftop unit, my HVAC mechanic was placed into a situation where he could not adequately see the leaking line and resorted to use of mirrors. Shortly after morning break, I received a call from Medical to report immediately. My HVAC mechanic had been burned; first and second degree burns to his arms that were exposed when over-reaching into the unit, between his gloves and fire retardant clothing. In a millisecond, lives were impacted. As I spoke with his spouse at the hospital, the graveness of the situation became overwhelming. Her husband was scarred for life and I could have prevented this from happening. I did not do my job in protecting this individual – ensuring that the job was planned appropriately, providing the resources needed to be successful, and most importantly, I did not engage the individual to understand the concerns he may have had with performing the work. Can you imagine how much worse the outcome of this situation could have been? It is something I will have to consider every day for the rest of my life.

Consider your role when it comes to safety – Have you ever been distracted? Found yourself in a hurry to complete an assigned task? Been afraid to ask questions or raise a concern or just felt that it would not matter anyway? Have you ever walked by someone who was behaving unsafe and chose not to say something? If you answered yes to one or all of these questions and everyone went home safe at the end of the day, you are lucky. Safety is not about luck, though. It is about the choices we make every day. Consider how many lives you can impact in a millisecond and make the right choice. The alternative is an impact for a lifetime.

Lisa PanebiancoPresident—Support Services

Diversity Quote

“People may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture.”

Felix Adler

The Attitude-Behavior Link

Attitude is the fuel that drives behavior. It determines the ways in which you think and feel. It sets the tone for your emotions and how you react to what happens.

Your attitude not only affects what you do, but how you do it. While it is an instinct to avoid hurt and pain, when you have a negative attitude, it's easy to ignore safety precautions, rules or procedures that are in place to keep you safe. This is the attitude and behavior that puts you and others at risk of an accident. A person with a negative work attitude is more likely to become careless while performing their job.

Attitude and Accidents

Carelessness is one of the leading causes of workplace accidents. Carelessness begins with a poor work attitude. People with negative work attitudes become unsafe when performing their jobs because they aren't paying attention to what they are doing. Their minds are distracted, often remunerating the wrongs they've experienced at work or home. Safe work habits are ignored, putting the worker and others into jeopardy, especially when working around dangerous machinery or equipment.

Positive vs. Negative AttitudeInstead of thinking of ways to practice safety at work, a negative attitude causes a person to lose interest. The person with a positive attitude stays opens to new ideas, pays attention to details and has a broadened mindset. A positive attitude at work helps a person develop safe work habits because they are always looking for ways to improve.

Positive attitudes tend to get more out of life and work where a negative attitude causes people to retract and close down. Actions become limited under the weight of a negative attitude because a person's primal fear-based reactions engage.

Safety Attitude

When you have a positive safety attitude, you think first and then take action:

• Your mind is able to recognize unsafe habits or behavior.

• You stay alert while on the job.• Your positive safety attitude helps you to recognize

hazards that arise and respond appropriately.• Your mind is focused on your work and you pay

attention when you work with machinery and equipment.

With a positive safety attitude, you develop work habits that lead to greater organization and efficiency.

With all that said, do you think attitudes matter? Certainly hope so because a positive attitude is conducive to safety and a negative attitude leads us all towards accidents and injuries. Be on the look-out and stay proactive to change attitudes that don’t belong on our Team.

Attitudes - The bad ones:• Safety is a matter of chance. I will get hurt when

my number comes up.• It is necessary to take chances to get my job

done.• If I know what I'm doing, I can take risks and get

away with it.• This organization does not really care about

safety.• My coworkers will not respect me if I am always

being careful because it slows me down.

Attitudes - The good ones:• Accidents have causes and they can always be

prevented.• Accidents interfere with production meaning that

safe work is efficient work.• The organization is truly interested in safety and

so are the people who work here.• My coworkers will respect me if I show good

judgment and work safely.• Working safely is a mark of skill.• We are proud of our safety record.

There are many other attitudes for safety. If we accept and express positive attitudes for safety those around us will do the same and safety will become an integral part of our day.

Create a culture of safety:• Attitudes are contagious! So they will spread and flourish best in favorable environments.

If we create a good environment for safety ideas, everyone is more likely to accept them.• Attitudes are influenced by example! If we set an example of working safely and working

for safety, everyone will be influenced by what they see.• New hires are impressionable! They are strongly influenced by the behavior of the veteran

workers and supervisors. Be sure they are given the correct direction right from the start.

Positive safety attitudes will spread throughout the work culture of BHI if each of us takes an active part in discussions about how accidents can be prevented.

Hazard Recognition

Routine/Repetitive Tasks and Non-Routine Tasks

Similarities Both routine/repetitive tasks and non-routine tasks can involve significant risks or hazards Both types of tasks may require a clearance or may no t require a clearance Both types of tasks may require a certain level of experience to perform or may require little or no

experience to perform

Differences Even if the identified hazard is virtually the same for the repetitive/routine tasks and the non-routine

tasks, the perception and respect for the hazard is usually greater for the non-repetitive tasks The potential for complacency is higher for routine/repetitive tasks

ConclusionsThe knowledge that a hazard exists and the decision to appropriately respond to the hazard should ALWAYS be made irrespective of whether the task is repetitive or non-routine in nature.

Hazard recognition is completely useless and of NO VALUE unless you correctly and promptly take effective steps to either eliminate the hazard or protect against their effects.

Our level of awareness to what we are doing as well as what is going on around us plays a critical role in reducing risk. But alone, awareness is not enough. While we focus on being situation ally aware, we need to also set a level of acceptance that reflects our strong safety culture and values. We should not be in the habit of accepting unnecessary risk for the sake of finishing a task.

Risk = Consequences X Probability

Lower either the probability of an event or minimize the consequences of an event, should it occur and you will reduce the risk. But even better, if we lower both the probability and the consequence we could potentially eliminate the risk.

We must be Fully Conscious in order for this to work. We need to consciously seek out means of reducing the probability of events (using our HU tools to raise awareness). We put barriers in place to minimize the impact which in turn will reduce risk.

Fully ConsciousJust ReactingAutomaticTrue Sleep

Work out of conscious mode to reduce probability of an error and identify the barriers to minimize the consequences of an error.

Worker Receives Electrical Shock at Harris Nuclear Plant

July 14, 2013

Event Summary:

On July 11, a contract employee received a momentary shock from a 110-volt AC power receptacle while opening the lid of a gang box. A coil of insulation tie wire was lying on top of an electrical receptacle. The outlet had two ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) devices plugged into it. The weight of the GFCI device created a gap at the top exposing the conductors of the device.

When the worker lifted the lid of the gang box, his arm bumped the wire and the wire slid into the gap and became energized when it contacted the conductor.

Housekeeping in the area was identified as deficient and a contributing cause.

Worker Receives Electrical Shock at Harris Nuclear Plant (continued)

Lessons Learned:

• For the individual – Recognize hazards, specifically storing wire in an unsafe manner.

• For leadership – Leadership sets the standard for housekeeping; if it’s tolerated it becomes the standard.

Error Traps / Flawed Defenses / Latent Organizational Weaknesses Encountered:

• Housekeeping – The area was not maintained to required housekeeping standards. The wire should have been properly stored. Leadership was not intrusive regarding routine inspections of the area.

Worker Receives Electrical Shock at Harris Nuclear Plant (continued)

How Could this Event Have Been Prevented?

• Hazard Recognition – A worker stored the wire improperly and this condition was not recognized by others.

• Temporary GFCI devices should be removed from the outlet when not in use. When a temporary GFCI is used, the weight of the device must be supported as required.

• Ownership – Multiple work groups used the work area. No one group or person was responsible to ensure standards were maintained. Ensure areas are assigned ownership for housekeeping and safety issues, and are routinely inspected.

Worker Receives Electrical Shock at Harris Nuclear Plant (continued)

Immediate Corrective Actions / Areas for Improvement:

• Work was stopped in the area and all deficiencies were corrected.

• A stand-down was conducted with supervision responsible for the area.

• Prior to returning to work, BWB workers will review this event, and discuss the organization and individual responsibilities for correcting unsafe conditions and behaviors.

• GFCI devices not in use were removed from receptacles.

• Expectations will be communicated to ensure proper use of temporary GFCI devices, including removal when they are not in use.

• Extent of condition walk-downs for other shop areas were conducted.