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Getting the numbers right
Staffing assessments and supervision
How do you know if you have the right number of people?
Routines are getting doneNot had a major accidentEveryone is copingComparable with othersBut could you get by with less?
Can’t look at staffing in absolute numbers
Batch vs continuousSimple vs complexManual vs automaticSpecialist vs commoditySingle site vs global business
Changes across the industry
New technologyMore automationLess peopleLess layers of supervisionJobs have changed
More passiveMore lonelyMore responsibilityOrganised differently.
Two methods developed as HSE research projects
CRR 272/2001 - Assessing the safety of staffing arrangements for process operations in the chemical and allied industries
Energy Institute User Guide 2004
RR 292/2004 - Different types of supervision and its impact on safety in the chemical and allied industry.
Coach
TeamLeader
Reducing staffSupervisor
Operator1 Operator2 Operator3 Operator5Operator4
Operator Operator Operator OperatorOperator
Rotating leadership
Coach / mentor
Team appointed
leader
Management appointed
leader
Traditional hierarchy
True SMT
Supervision is team led
Supervision is management led
Supervision Assessment – RR292
Supervision is a management function.It may be delivered by one or more individuals, Who may be within or external to the team
There is no right or wrong organisationEach has inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Self-managed, multi-skilled teams
Inherent strengths:Less ‘layers’ improves communication within teamsIncreased workforce involvementTeam members have more variation
Inherent weaknesses:Lack of leadershipPoor communication external to the teamResponsibilities less well defined & understoodHigher training burden to maintain competence.
If you take the supervisor away, supervision still needs to happen
Defining overall team workloadAllocating day-to-day work prioritiesAllocating manpower for daily tasksCommunicating operational informationProblem solving/decision makingIdentifying competence requirements for tasks
Assessing training requirements for teamMeasuring team performanceCarrying out appraisalsImplementing first-level disciplineInvestigating incidentsMaintaining/updating proceduresProviding leadership in emergency situations
About the method
Acknowledges different methods of delivering supervisionAssists in developing safer forms of supervisionUseful when changes are being madeAssists HSE inspectors in carrying out inspectionsBrings issues out into the openHelps verbalise how supervision is delivered in practiceIdentifies 5 Safety Assessment Principles (SAP).
SAP1 - Supervision is a critical management function
This must be reflected in an organisation’s safety management systemLevel of rigor commensurate with risk
PrioritisedSame as other elements of equal risk
POPMARPolicy, organisation and planningMeasurement, audit and review.
Counterbalances
Empowered teams more
likely to deal with problems locally
than refer up
Empowered teams more
likely to deal with problems locally
than refer up
SMS to define chain of
command & tiers of responsibility
SAP2 - Supervision has a key influence on the way teams perform
Method of delivery must be suitable for the teamArrangements must ensure all elements of supervision are performed
In traditional teams they may all be performed by one personIn modern teams this is distributed
Everyone must understand how the team functions, including delivery of supervision
Includes team members, management etc.Its importance/priority must be clear.
SAP3 - Individuals with supervisory role must have resources & opportunity
Time to carry out their roleInteraction with the people they are supervising
OpportunitySkillsRespect
Experience in supervisingHow does someone learn?Continual improvement
Operational knowledge.
SAP4 - Supervision of contractors must be properly managed
Can have a significant impact on health and safety performanceNeed to understand why contractors are being usedArrangements to address all circumstances
Short vs long-term contractorsDifferent tasksDifferent activities (e.g. major shutdown)
Both sides need to understand and participateContracting and operating companies.
SAP5 - Organisation must ensure good leadership in emergencies
Leadership not supervisionSetting direction and providing supportLess direct control - groups work autonomously
Critical for effective and efficient responseRoles clearly defined and understood
Also for deputies
Reliance on training, refresher training and emergency exercises.
Staffing assessment – CRR272
Challenges whether you are likely to have Enough people With the rights skills Who are able to work together To successfully deal with high demand situations
The ‘physical’ ability to detect, diagnose and recover from scenario’s in time to prevent accidentsManagement and organisation in place to make sure arrangements are sustainable.
Assessment Methodology
Physical assessmentConsider high demand situationsDecisions treesPass/fail
Ladder assessmentIndividual and organisational factorsHow high can you climb?Top rung considered to be industry best practice
YES
YES NO
NO
Assessment of physical arrangementsAre people where they need to be?
To hear alarms, to read displays
Are there enough people around?Will stand-by operators be able to leave their own units Will off-site staff travel in in enough time
Can people do their tasks in the time available?Can field operators get from place to place in time
Will the communications be reliable?Will the batteries last
Eight decision trees provided to assess the adequacy of physical arrangements
Is Control Room (CR) continuously manned?
Yes No
Does the CR operator go into the field?
What is the maximum time the CRO is away from CR?
Mins.
Where does the CRO go?
Define:
Is it more than the minimum time it takes to develop an unrecoverable scenario?
Yes No
Yes No
What happens if the CRO gets retained e.g. treating a process problem, or he falls over?
What is the primary way that a process alarm or trip is detected when he is away?
FAIL
Sufficient Reliability?
No Yes
None Pager? External Alarm? 3rd Party?
Other?
No Yes
Physical assessment topics1. Control room continuously manned
Cover for meal and toilet breaks
2. Operator always at console
Issuing permits, secondary consoles
3. Operators distracted Phone calls, visitors, alarms
4. Obtaining information Process data, drawings, documents
5. Calling for assistance Help with diagnosis
6. Number of people required
Where are they, what will they be doing
7. Communications during response
Radios, phones, backup
8. Additional activities Raising alarm, roll call
Ladder Assessments
Assessment of individual and organisation factorsSet of questions encourage assessment team to consider the key issues‘Ladders’ provided to assess adequacy
Each rung is a description of system attributesStart at the bottom, how high do you get?
Minimum, acceptable levels are defined for each ladder.
Ladder assessment
Rung Z
Rung Y
Rung B
Rung A
Minimum acceptable level
Always start at bottom
Better than statement?
Rung Z achieved
No
No Rung Y achieved
NoRung B
achieved
No
Yes
Agree with statement?
Yes
Agree with statement?
Yes
Agree with statement?
Best practice achievedYesIndustry best
practice
Ladder topics
Situational awarenessTeamworkingAlertness and fatigue (work pattern)Alertness and fatigue (health)Training and development Roles and responsibilities
Willingness to initiate recovery actionsManagement of operating proceduresManagement of changeContinuous improvement of safetyManagement of safetyAutomation
Physical assessments
Scenario Tree 1 Tree 2
Oil leak Pass Pass
Fire Fail Fail
Etc. Pass Fail
%Failed 33% 66%
Reporting results
Ladder 1 Ladder 2 Ladder 3
A A
B A B
C B C
X Y Y
Y Z Z
Z
Ladder assessments
Other considerations
Routine workloadMore critical for plant with reliable trip systems that are easy to start and stopList tasks and approximate durationShould be significantly less than 100% loaded
Plant disturbancesFrequencyNumber of people involved and durationHow do they impact on the routines?
Conclusions
Two methods to assist assessments of staffing arrangementsGive some objectivityProven to provide a useful framework for assessmentsParticularly useful when considering changes
Rarely a pure numbers gameAlternatives to employing more people.
Common themesOver reliance on informal trainingInadequate refresher trainingToo many distractions in control rooms
Nuisance alarmsVisitors, contractors, day staff
No control on shift swaps, overtime, breaks etc.Very passive approach to stress and fatiguePoor management of the safety implications of organisational change (including staffing levels)Failure to consider human factors when automating.
Problems with change
Financially driven ‘Trendy’ organisationsFull impacts of change not understoodNo monitoring of the impacts of changeLack of objectivity in planningInadequate staff to deal with foreseeable eventsLoss of practical and technical competenceAssumption that change will be successfulLack of buy-in.
