ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition

Introduction

On 4 November 2010, 469 people on a flight from Singapore to Sydney were in the centre of dramatic events that had the potential to go down as one of the world’s worst air disasters. Shortly after leaving Changi Airport, an explosion shattered Engine 2 of Qantas Flight QF32 – an Airbus A380. Hundreds of pieces of shrapnel ripped through the wing and fuselage, creating chaos as vital flight systems and back-ups were destroyed or degraded. The crisis showed every sign of ending tragically. Instead, the plane landed safely a few hours later at Changi airport in Singapore with all people on board unharmed.

At the height of the crisis, the A380’s electronic centralised aircraft monitoring system (ECAM) was spitting out hundreds of alerts on what was wrong with the plane and instructions on what the pilots were required to do to address those defects. It was at this pivotal moment that Captain Richard de Crespigny made a profound decision. As he recalls in his book on the crisis:

“I was growing tired of being reactive to the ECAM and I wanted something positive to focus on. There were too many alerts, too many things broken and not much to be achieved by dwelling on them.”

At that moment, Captain de Crespigny had what he called an epiphany:

“I inverted the logic. I remembered what Gene Kranz, NASA’s Flight Director said during the Apollo 13 mission: ‘Hold it, gentlemen, hold it! I don’t care what went wrong. I need to know what is still working on that space craft.’ We went back to basics and it became easy.”

Captain de Crespigny’s actions in focusing on what was right with the plane on that day rather than what was wrong with it, allowed him and his crew to land the plane safely, saving the 469 lives on board. Are these lessons for safety professionals from this?

Introduction

When I had first arrived at my prior place of employment, I used whatever I could lay my hands on for training. I found several CDs at the site with a bunch of presentations on them, and went to town. Don’t misunderstand me; purchased training presentations can be a good starting point. But once I got past the initial rush, I began to create my own site-specific training.

In my personal protective equipment (PPE) training, for example, I used a football equipment analogy to get the employees to “buy into” my plan to change and upgrade their PPE. So, I showed them a visual history of football helmets. Much like football helmets had changed over the years, our PPE would also be changing. I had to overcome the “if is not broken, don’t fix it” syndrome. (Not that that doesn’t happen anywhere else, of course.)

Now, besides being site specific, another benefit was realized. The employees knew I was putting in the time to create the training, and this made the training have a greater value to them. After all, perception is often reality, when it comes to effective training.

Of course, I’m not the first person to realize that good training can be made better with a well-designed presentation. There are lots of books on the subject, so I’ll only mention three of them here.

Presentation Zen, by Garr Reynolds, is a book, and worth checking out. Its main advise is: “Use pictures.” Images are remembered longer by people. There are several examples of before and after slides in this book.

Beyond Bullet Points, by Cliff Atkinson, is another book on the subject. Its’ big message is: “Tell a story, have a plot.” Think of the presentation as a mini-movie, with a beginning, middle, and end. One of the interesting ideas from this book is the use of hidden slides for organizing a presentation when in “view-all-slides” mode.

Then you have Slide:ology, by Nancy Duarte; this book contains lots of insight into slide design. It covers fonts, colors, placements, space, arrangement, backgrounds, text use, and images. It also gets into some fundamental animation, motion and multimedia methods. I’ve gone back and have reread this one a few times.

Introduction

The declining health status of today’s workforce has decreased the predictive value of risk assessment practices in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), and has contributed to an emerging issue threatening workforce safety. Common risk assessment practices used across industries do not consider today’s escalation in debilitating medical conditions among workers and the resulting increase in likelihood and severity of injury for the general workforce population. This paper will serve to expand the OHS professional’s knowledge base regarding workforce health and raise awareness of this issue.

Risk assessment is an essential component of any comprehensive safety and health program. This practice has been effective in reducing the likelihood of injury, illness or accident before such an adverse event is experienced. This fundamental practice has contributed to the standardization of safety practices through attempting to address the multitude of factors contributing to potential injury, illness or accident.

Although necessary and utilized widely, the process of identification of potential harm to workers through risk assessment practices is losing effectiveness. This is a bold statement; however, we must acknowledge there is a glaring omission across the most commonly used risk assessment practices today: the underlying health status of the worker. A critical contributor, underlying health, is not considered in any of the commonly used risk assessment practices and therefore the physical and mental condition of the worker is assumed a constant in risk prediction. Yet this single unaccounted for factor is quite varied across individuals and one of the largest contributors to injury, illness and accident in the workplace.

Underlying Health as a Deterrent to Workforce Safety and Productivity

Health risk factors are physiological conditions or lifestyle habits, such as hypertension or smoking, which can negatively impact physical or cognitive functioning. Underlying health risk factors are associated with the increased incidence of declining health and the onset of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or mental health issues. These health risk factors and diseases have an impact on basic human function such as potential decreased cognitive function or declining physical capacity. As a result underlying health and the presence of health risk factors are major determinants of both performance at work, and the likelihood and severity of workplace injury and illness.

Introduction

The need to assist employers and employees in preventing electrical injuries and deaths has never been greater. With this need, there have been some major changes in the electrical safety standards, such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E, as well as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement of these standards. Assessing electrical hazards and training workers can be a very complex task for most companies.

One of the biggest problems with electrical hazards is that electricity cannot be seen, heard, or even smelled until it’s too late. It is very difficult for people to give the proper respect for arguably the most powerful hazard in a facility when it is virtually invisible. In recent years, arc flash has been given a lot of attention. Explosions and burn injuries are easy to visualize compared to the invisible hazards, such as shock and electrocution.

With the unacceptable death and injury rates caused by electrical hazards, OSHA compliance officers and safety professionals are taking another look at what can be done to protect workers and reverse years of complacency in electrical safety.

This paper will help guide employers and employees in the direction of becoming compliant with

the latest standards and enforcement of these standards.

The PDF file is a slide presentation.

Learning Objectives

• Share specific construction OHS best practices
• Discuss emerging trends in construction
• Exchange ideas on how to manage continuous improvement

Common Safety “THOUGHTS”

Safety is about preventing accidents!

• Accidents are “caused” by careless employees!
• Zero Accidents = SAFE!
• Accidents are unplanned, unexpected, fortuitous events!
• Safety is the job of the Safety Function!
• Discipline improves performance!
• Safety programs minimize loss costs!

Construction Industry Facts

Out of 3,929 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2013, 796 or 20.3% were in construction‐that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 468 workers̛ lives in America every year.

• Falls — 294 out of 796 total deaths in construction in CY 2013 (36.9%)
• Struck by Object — 82 (10.3%)
• Electrocutions — 71 (8.9%)
• Caught‐in/between — 21 (2.6%)

SH&E’s Return on Investment

A recent survey shows:

• 61% of executives say $3 or more for each $1 invested in safety
• 95% of executives say workplace safety has a positive impact on a company’s financial performance
• The survey also shed additional light on the two types of costs:
• Direct & Indirect
• 93% of the executives surveyed said they clearly see the relationship reporting that $1 of direct costs generates at least $3 ‐ $5 of indirect costs

Teaching Modes that Promote Content Retention and Develop Effective Self-learning Habits

Traditional methods of teaching, such as lecture, offer a means of quickly delivering a message but can be enhanced by following with activities that reinforce the material and promote the process of self-education. A number of approaches to active learning can be used to keep students on task and focused on the learning objectives. When students are engaged in the classroom, long-term retention of the material improves.

Traditional Methods: Do They Engage Students?

Traditional methods of teaching, such as lecture, offer a means of quickly delivering a message but can be better utilized if used in small amounts and by immediately following up with an interactive class activity that reinforces the material presented and promotes the process of active self-education. Several approaches to active learning can be used to help keep students on task and better focused on the learning objectives and outcomes for a course. When students are engaged in the classroom with a reinforcement activity, the retention of the lectured or read material, according to many studies, improves.

As the K-12 environment continues to evolve and incorporate the use of different teaching modes and technologies, students most likely arrive to the university setting with an expectation that the experience will be interactive in nature, with electronic devices integrated into their learning experience. Employers will most likely expect those emerging into their field of study to be proficient, not just with the current forms of technology, but with the ability to independently develop the skills needed to meet the expectations and goals of an organization. With this in mind, it is important that lesson plans are designed to incorporate the tools of active learning and the usage of electronic devices when they support or enhance the learning objectives.

The PDF file of this paper is in Spanish.

Introducción

Desde el año 2005, me he esforzado para honrar y respetar a todos durante reuniones y al hacerlos cumplir con las pólizas de seguridad. He trabajado con una amplia gama de empresas en la construcción, la agricultura y la industria en general. Tengo la Certificación de Profesional en Seguridad (CSP), era el Director de Seguridad para la empresa de Techado King of Texas, y soy actualmente el Gerente de Seguridad para KPost Company. Recibí un Grado de Asociado con alta distinción del colegio comunitario Gateway en Tecnología de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional. Completé el programa de Oficial Certificado en Seguridad y Salud (CSHO) del Centro de Educación de OSHA en la Universidad de Texas en Arlington. Soy un instructor autorizado por el Concilio Nacional de Seguridad (NSC), el Instituto de Seguridad y Salud (HSI), la Asociación Nacional de Contratista en Techado (NRCA), y la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (OSHA).

Sin embargo, cuando comencé en esta carrera, mi única calificación era ser bilingüe y de confianza. Independiente de dónde usted se encuentre en su carrera profesional, quiero animarle a seguir aprendiendo y seguir creciendo. Usted es parte de una industria que paga por invertir en si mismo. Esta carrera no sólo cambiará su vida, pero más importante, usted podrá cambiar las vidas de muchas más personas. Mi visión personal es capacitar a otros con métodos prácticos que les ayudarán a comprender, mejorar y disfrutar de sus vidas. Mi misión es ser un líder al dar un buen ejemplo, tener una actitud positiva de servidor, y ser responsable. Hago todo lo posible para dejar un legado de nunca darme por vencido al ayudar una persona o empresa. La seguridad no se trata de cuanto usted sabe; pero se trata de llevarse bien con la gente. La manera en que manejas tu programa de seguridad y salud es un reflejo de la manera en que manejas la vida. ¡Felicidades en aceptar este reto!

Hoy, vamos identificar cuatro elementos necesarios en un programa de seguridad. También discutiremos sobre técnicas de cómo aplicar estos elementos. Estos métodos transformaran la seguridad de ser solo un programa a ser una cultura. ¿Tomará el camino más fácil y ignorar la cultura de su empresa o aceptará este reto?

Paper Scope and Focus

This paper will attempt to address and focus on four areas:

• The fall hazards present when using an aerial lift.
• A discussion of the improper methods of fall protection used in industry today.
• A review of the OSHA standards in force that guide us in selecting the proper fall protection methods for the different hazards that we encounter.
• Identify the proper method to use for fall protection when operating an aerial lift.

Basic Questions that Need to Be Answered before We Get Started

• What is “Fall Protection” by definition?
• Answer: “Fall” is the act of falling, or to drop. “Protect” is to shield from injury.
• How do we “protect from falls” in Construction Operations?
• Answer: There are many options that need to be applied…the key is selecting the correct method for each situation that places us in an exposure to a fall.

Introduction

Ali A. Kshawe and Narayanan Vasudevan have worked in field of HS&E for past 25 years. During their course of work in petroleum refining the authors have been actively involved in developing HSSE requirements for contractors in refinery and implementing the same.

Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is a major oil refining company in the world. Like of most of oil and gas production facilities KNPC outsources their maintenance and project construction activities. Oil refining industries have inherent hazards and risks which need to be mitigated during maintenance and project execution. Certain activities of contractors have potential to place either contract personnel or operating personnel or facility at risk.

A sound contractor safety management will mitigate potential risk by having a proper system of contractor selection and monitoring their activities on day to day basis.

KNPC has developed a sound management system for all KPC subsidiaries. It begins with planning which include communication of risks of contract to potential bidders and the company HSSE management system which part of scope of contract. Each potential contractor has to undergo an HSSE prequalification. The objective of the HSE Pre-qualification is to screen potential contractors to establish that they have the necessary experience and capability to undertake the scope of work in an HSE responsible manner, and to effectively deal with the associated risks. The contractors who pass the prequalification are included in list of bidders.

The Definition and the Issue

The United States Department of Homeland Security defines active shooter as, “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Most incidents occur at locations in which the killers find little impediment in pressing their attack. Locations are generally described as soft targets, that is, they carry limited security measures to protect members of the public. In most instances, shooters commit suicide, are shot by police, or surrender when confrontation with responding law enforcement becomes unavoidable.” According to New York City Police Department (NYPD) statistics, 46 percent of active shooter incidents are ended by the application of force by police or security, 40 percent end in the shooter's suicide, and in only 14 percent of the time the shooter surrenders.

An active shooter incident is a slightly narrower definition of a mass shooting in which an individual begins shooting at people “in a confined and populated area,” according to the FBI and in which law enforcement or a citizen response can intervene.

There is a considerable amount of overlap between mass shootings and active shooter incidents. The number of people killed or injured generally defines mass shootings. Active shooter incidents, on the other hand, are defined only by attempts to kill or wound people.

The FBI has recently released data that shows active shooter incidents are on the rise and have actually reported, “We now live in the age of public shootings.” As shown in the graph in Figure 1, the annual number of “active shooter” incidents has continued to rise since 2000, when there was only one incident listed in the FBI database. However, active shooter incidents date back as far back as August 1, 1966, when ex-Marine sniper Charles Whitman killed his wife and mother, then climbed a 27-story tower at the University of Texas and killed 16 more people before police shot him to death.