johnston-and-associates

What Is Safety?

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 23:10:25 GMT

During the course of my duties in working with different companies, one of the first questions I ask people is, "What actually is safety? And what does it mean?" Oftentimes, people will reply with a number of different answers. None of which are wrong, and usually include things like being careful, being cautious, or being aware.

Webster's dictionary defines the word safety as “freedom from harm or danger: the state of being safe.: the state of not being dangerous or harmful: a place that is free from harm or danger: a safe place”. How do we free ourselves from danger? Can we ever truly eliminate it? An easier way to define safety is to say that it is basically the reduction of risk.

I think we can all agree that we can’t eliminate risk. We face a certain amount of risk in everything we do in our lives. Think about walking around. It’s something most of us have done or been able to do since we were toddlers, but there is a certain amount of risk involved. People trip and fall all of the time. If we can’t eliminate risk, how do we reduce it? This is where human behaviors come into play.

We can use traditional safety approaches like administrative controls or engineering controls; which both work to a certain degree, but ultimately it comes down to the decisions we make. We have to decide how we want to accomplish a task. Hopefully we have been trained on the task and know how to perform it using the right method or procedure but it is up to us to choose to do it the right way. As a supervisor or manager, you can equip your employees with the best training and proper tools to complete the job but you cannot do the job for your employees or be there constantly to monitor how it’s done. It comes down to decisions and choices.

This is why behavioral safety works. We train people to use Method Oriented Safety Thinking®. When an employee uses M.O.S.T., they are oriented to always using the right method for the job. While doing so, they apply safety thinking, which is focus or awareness of the task at hand. Doing so will eliminate carelessness and not thinking (the two major causes of injury). M.O.S.T. is about habits and making the right way your habit no matter what. Since the right way is almost always the safe way, you get the job done right without getting hurt. Reduction of risk is then built into your work habits and safety is integrated into what you do and not separate.

It’s true we can never really 'free ourselves from danger,' but with the right approach, we can greatly reduce it!

Complacency Challenge

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 23:10:25 GMT

Many of us are waiting for the light to turn green with getting back to our lives during the pandemic. It’s likely to be yellow for a while, so “proceed with caution.” Yet, it may be that some things will not be as they were before. There will be ongoing challenges both publicly and privately.

Many of us are waiting for the light to turn green with getting back to our lives during the pandemic. It’s likely to be yellow for a while, so "proceed with caution.” Yet, it may be that some things will not be as they were before. There will be ongoing challenges both publicly and privately.

Justin Gray wrote about consistency and how important it is to maintain ongoing success. Yet, there is an enemy of consistency – complacency. By definition, self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.

It’s always a challenge, and many times a tendency, when things improve after a crisis lets up a bit. Perhaps with a sigh of relief?

As we get further along the journey of this pandemic, we may find ourselves slipping into some form or degree of complacency. Ron Johnston, Owner and President, says that complacency is a senior form of carelessness. So, what can we do about that?

First, we need to recognize what complacency is and that it is a factor in maintaining consistency. This includes being mindful of, and attentive to, the signs that we are entering, or are in, the zone of being complacent. For example:

Letting up or slacking off on consistently doing a task the right, safe way, e.g., not using safe lifting and handling methods.
Not wearing PPE consistently, including masks, when needed.
Overlooking something that could contribute to an incident and injury, e.g., not keeping work areas organized and clean.
Not consistently using a seat belt.

It seems to me that we have to remind ourselves every day to do things the right way. The world we live in will always present challenges to do that.

Method Oriented Safety Thinking® and Seeing Obeying Spacing® apply to meeting the complacency challenge and doing what’s right, which is a core concept. The more we make M.O.S.T. and S.O.S. a way of life, the more they become a part of our doing, thinking, and safety DNA. Then when presented with the challenge to let up, or wander in our thinking, we can “STOP”, defuse the complacency, and proceed safely.

President's Perspective: Just Don't Do It

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 23:10:25 GMT

Sometimes the most effective accident prevention isn’t wearing PPE, or being process oriented, or following a checklist. Many times, the best way to keep an accident from happening is to do nothing.

What do I mean by that exactly? I mean that when we evaluate the task at hand and realize it’s beyond our grasp or our experience or our tools, we just shouldn’t do it. Simple as that. There is a special wisdom in knowing what you don’t know, whether that means calling in an expert for advice before you attempt a complex home repair, seeking additional training before jumping into a work project, or just not attempting a task that requires skills, stamina, or strength you might not have in the first place.

The average person would never attempt to perform a surgery or fly a plane without the proper equipment and training. Why, then, do so many smart people get hurt or even lose their lives attempting other “out of their league” tasks every year? Why is YouTube so full of videos that make us say, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he’s doing that!” and then cover our eyes or laugh hysterically (or both)?

You see, when stupidity kicks in, we think pretty highly of ourselves. We see someone perform a new task on the job and think, “Well, I could do that.” We see something that needs to be done around the house and we’d rather “get in there and figure it out” than spend money to hire a professional or simply admit we don’t know what we’re doing. Or the most dangerous of all, we take a puzzled look at the task at hand, turn to the person standing next to us, toss the instructions in the garbage, and say, “How hard could it be?”

Knowing that you don’t have the skills or equipment to do a task and then doing it anyway is not thinking and carelessness in equal parts. From operating power tools without prior instruction to trying to lift a heavy piece of furniture with no help, sometimes it seems like people are just asking for accidents to happen – and in a way, they are. One of my favorite accident investigation quotes came from a man I interviewed after he’d lost his finger on the job. When I asked him what he’d learned from the accident, he simply said, “I learned I shoulda done what I already knew.” When we jump into a task knowing we’re not ready to take it on, we’re building a strong and fast accident chain. My Granddaddy Pierce used to call it “playing the wild.”

In the early 1990’s, I worked on a case that took place in a food manufacturing plant. Two workers were in charge of cleaning the facility on weekends and were expected to clean the machines inside and out for the upcoming week. They were paid a flat rate for the job, no matter how long it took; naturally, they started looking for ways to make the work go faster.

The chemical compound they used to clean the insides of the machines was a liquid they poured in and then flushed out. The outsides were scrubbed by hand, which took much longer. On this particular day, they decided to save time and use the interior solution to do the entire job – it seemed like a stronger chemical, and they hoped it would cut down on the elbow grease required to get the machines spotless. They wore gloves and were extra careful with the chemical. Sure enough, they were finished in half the time.

As they stood back admiring their work, one of the men felt something strange on his leg. They both looked down at the places where the chemicals had splashed on their pants and shoes. They saw big holes where the cleaner had burnt through the fabric and even the leather of their boots. They soon realized the solution had also caused third-degree burns on their legs, faces, and hands.

As they rushed to the hospital, they grabbed the SDS (Safety Data Sheets) for the chemical they’d used. The sheets detailed all of the precautions for using the solution, including hazmat-grade full-body protection, as the chemical destroys skin and tissue without any sensation of pain. They not only lacked the proper equipment to be handling the chemical; they lacked the knowledge and understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

Small Changes Make a Difference

Thu, 28 May 2020 14:52:28 GMT

Stay at home orders are beginning to lift, and many states are slowly beginning to modify restrictions in phases. And while we are celebrating these first steps towards a return to some semblance of normalcy, many of us are also feeling a little uneasy. Many are wondering, after being tucked away snug in our homes, is it ‘safe’ to go out? Below are a few recommendations of small things you can do to protect yourself. And…if you aren’t worried about your own health…please consider taking these actions to protect others, including those you love.

Continue to wash your hands with soap and water. This is one of the most effective ways to remove any germs you may come in contact with, and to prevent the spread of germs to others. Wash your hands often, scrub vigorously, and for at least 20 seconds. Try singing to yourself the ‘happy birthday’ song twice through each time you wash to ensure you are hitting that mark. Now more than ever it is important to think about high touch surfaces in public places (door handles, gas pumps, shopping carts), and remembering to wash after coming in contact with these areas.

If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is not as effective as good old fashioned hand washing, but it can quickly reduce many types of germs. Check your product to be sure it contains at least 60% alcohol. It should be applied liberally over all surfaces of your hands until they are dry. This process should also take about 20 seconds.

Most germs enter our bodies through our eyes, nose, or mouth. Hence, it goes without saying…don’t touch your face. Equally important to remember is the fact that each time you use your cell phone you are potentially bringing germs to your face. So after touching surfaces in a public place, remember to wash your hands before picking up that phone for a quick call or text.

Consider wearing a cloth face covering while in public areas where social distancing is difficult. Yes, they can be hot and uncomfortable and you may not fall into a high risk category. But evidence is showing that people with COVID-19 can spread the disease even when they don’t have symptoms. Wearing a face covering can protect you. But equally as important, it can protect someone else. At times like this it is really important to also consider others when making the decision whether or not to wear a mask. (Remember: Medical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers. Also, cloth face coverings should not be placed on anyone under two or who is unable to safely remove it without assistance).

If we all do our part, we’ll get through this…together. Stay safe out there, and be well!

Safety Shouldn't Be a Priority

Mon, 18 May 2020 23:33:06 GMT

I would imagine right now you have read the title and probably already have questions about where I’m going with this, which is good. That means the title has done its job and caught your attention. I would also imagine you are probably surprised to hear someone in the safety field say that safety shouldn’t be a priority, but please bear with me, as I will explain to you why it shouldn’t.

In the course of my duties, in working with different companies, I often notice posters and signs on the wall that say something along the lines of “Safety First”, or “Safety is Our Number One Priority”. I have even heard supervisors say during their pre-shift safety meetings, “Alright guys, remember safety first. Now let’s go to work." Most of us would agree that safety most certainly should be the number one thing we think about during the course of our day, at work or at home. The unfortunate reality is that it is not. It’s unrealistic to think that an employee will maintain this thinking throughout their day or even an hour after that pre-shift discussion. This is the inherent problem with making anything a priority because you are already admitting that it is subject to change.

Let’s first define the word priority. The definition of priority is the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important. It basically means to make something more important than something else. Based on this information, you may be asking yourself, why would we not want to make safety a priority? I’ll answer that with another question. What typically happens with priorities? As I mentioned above, priorities change. This is the problem with making safety a priority because usually it’s the first thing that goes out the window when there is a change in routine or environment. When the pressure gets intense, priorities shift, and safety is no longer the big focus it was at the beginning of the shift. So how do we get our people to focus on safety all the time? The answer to that question is, we have to make safety a part of what we do. It shouldn’t be something extra.

In training people on Method Oriented Safety Thinking®, one of the first things they notice about the system is that it’s about doing the right thing all the time. Being Method-Oriented means to use the right method for the job the first time, every time. This, coupled with the use of Safety Thinking, means to maintain proper awareness while performing a task to keep you from getting injured; and also allowing you to get the job done right, the first time. The right method is usually also the safe method, so in doing so, you are incorporating safety into what you do or how you work. It’s not something extra. Once it is a habit, you almost don’t have to think about it. It becomes automatic. It becomes who you are. It becomes a value!

The definition of a value is a person's principles or standards of behavior or one's judgment of what is important in life. Think about your values. I would imagine they are important to you and something that you don’t waiver from. This is what I mean by saying, safety shouldn’t be a priority. We should make safety a value. Doing so, will make safety a part of what we do. Safety should be on the same plane as production, quality, and service. If we can do this, we will prevent our people from getting hurt and also help them to be more successful on the job and at home.

Remember Method Oriented Safety Thinking® and make safety who you are and not just a priority. Make it your value!

President's Perspective: Keeping Safety Fresh

Fri, 01 May 2020 23:35:17 GMT

In my book, How Smart People Can Stop Doing Stupid Things, there is a section that deals with keeping safety fresh by applying MOST, which stands for Method Oriented Safety Thinking®. It starts with the observation that safety, beer, vegetables, and milk all have one thing in common: they have to be kept fresh.

When you apply Method Oriented Safety Thinking®, safety is always on your mind. I like the way John Curley, General Manager at DET Distributing, puts it: “To work, safety always has to be kept top of mind.”

The value of MOST is that it is a simple safety system that starts with what people already know…that carelessness and not thinking cause accidents and injuries. The elimination of carelessness happens when one becomes method oriented in doing the job the right way. And not thinking is simply solved by constant safety thinking that is kept fresh and vibrant by practicing MOST.

This means that you become immune to the ups and downs of hit and miss safety awareness where stupid things are allowed to happen. In practicing MOST you are constantly taking self-responsibility and applying Method Oriented Safety Thinking® as a way of life. In this environment stupidity and carelessness have no place to grow.

In making the MOST system work, every employee should know that it stands for: Method Oriented Safety Thinking®. The word MOST then becomes a fresh ongoing reminder to do the job the right way and the safe way. When MOST is used to keep safety fresh, it acts like a mantra that becomes repeated over and over to reinforce doing the right thing and thinking the right way.

When I was a Boy Scout, we received a coin like token with the words inscribed: “Transfer from left to right pocket daily after doing a good deed.” The token served as a reminder to look for good things that you could do for other people.

A good day became a better day when the token ended up in the right side pocket!

In a similar way, when the word “MOST” becomes ingrained as an established way of thinking it helps promote self-responsibility in employees and supervisors can reward safe and productive work habits and not have to spend time repeatedly correcting carelessness and stupidity.

I admire the safety tag line, that some companies follow, which is “Nobody Gets Hurt”. The only way that ‘Nobody Gets Hurt” can become a reality is that every single person believes that they can work injury free by doing the job the right way and applying safety thinking.

I’ve often wondered why it is that some employees can work for an entire career of say 40 years for a company as a truck driver or machinist in a relatively high risk environment and they retire with a perfect safety record….they never got injured. You never see them taking shortcuts. They obey safety rules and always wear required PPE. If you ask them, what’s the secret to working without ever getting hurt? Typically, these safety champions answer: ‘By always being aware of your surroundings’. When safety is kept fresh, you are always aware of your surroundings that may change and present a variety of risks.

After experiencing a bumpy ride from Nashville to Houston ending with a hard landing, a Delta pilot sitting next to me laughed and made the observation about his own pilot performance: “Well, for me if I haven’t flown in a month my passengers can tell. If I haven’t flown in a week my co-pilot can tell. And if I haven’t flown in the past couple days, I can tell.” To achieve top performance we must stay on top of our game and keep our skill level fresh.

Safety in the workplace or at home is not like riding a bicycle where once you have learned then years later you have no problem picking it back up without a thought. If you are not fresh and current on managing risks, the chances of having an accident skyrocket.

How Important is the “H” in Your Environmental Health and Safety Program?

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 23:37:31 GMT

It is not uncommon for Environmental Health and Safety Managers to concentrate their resources to Safety and Environmental Concerns, while Health in the workplace is relegated to a lesser effort. Health efforts at the workplace may consist of “general” training or methods around personal hygiene. Some companies have health promotions such as weight loss, tobacco cessation, and/or blood drives. With the recent developments of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19; EHS Managers would be wise to place the Health aspect of their systems on the same level of importance as Environmental and Safety programs.

An evaluation of your current systems and methods for employee health is a logical place to start. Do you have specific methods in place addressing worker health? Are their adequate resources such as supplies and time for training? Are awareness materials such as brochures, posters, or a health information board, in the facility? Are your methods specific? A non-specific method would be “Wash Your Hands”. A specific method would involve showing how to wash your hands, when to wash and what supplies to use.

Method Oriented Safety Thinking® teaches us the importance of consistent use of proper methods and procedures. It addresses the behaviors we use every day to be safe. M.O.S.T certainly applies during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods such as social distancing, washing hands, self-quarantining, etc. are critical habits to develop and use consistently to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

The ultimate goal for EHS is to protect our employees from injuries and sickness. Now is an opportune time to put the Health aspect of your EHS program on equal footing with Environmental and Safety issues. Additional resources, specifically addressing COVID-19, can be found on the OSHA and CDC websites at osha.gov and cdc.gov.

M.O.S.T. is an effective tool to help combat the spread of COVID-19!

The Little Things

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 23:39:38 GMT

We are going through a very unique and trying time, not only in the history of our country, but in the history of our entire world. It can be overwhelming to think about the magnitude of the current situation, and its effects on society. Three weeks ago, we didn’t think anything about heading to the grocery store, or out to dinner and movie on a Friday evening. There was no thought of unusual risks involved in doing these things.

Fast forward to the present, and most everyone in the country is under some type of “shelter in place” directive. We have been instructed to stay at home in order to help flatten the curve. Now when we go to the grocery store, we don’t leave the house without hand sanitizer and wet wipes. We are constantly cleaning everything we touch and our hands. We maintain a distance of 6ft between ourselves and others, all because of a tiny submicroscopic infectious agent that we cannot see. It’s amazing to think that something so tiny can cause so much pain and disruption to our way of life.

This reminds me of the importance of the little things in life and how we often take them for granted. As a safety professional, much of my focus is on the little things, because these are what cause injury and accidents. I’ll use a quote from Matt Bevin that I often refer to when thinking about the little things: “While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things are extraordinary.”

The keystone of our company is our behavior-based safety system - Method Oriented Safety Thinking®. The central premise behind the system is the importance of performing a task using the right method and making it your habit. It’s about ensuring that the little things are accomplished without fail. When you look at major accidents, often you will find that it was a “little thing” or combination of little things that led to the accident.

Think of the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, that resulted in the loss of 7 astronauts, during a catastrophic explosion upon reentry. The cause of the explosion was traced back to a piece of debris that came off the nose of the shuttle during launch; which punctured a hole in the leading edge of the heat shield on the wing, about the size of a dinner plate. The hole allowed hot gases inside the wing and later, caused the explosion during re-entry.

We are in a time right now when our individual actions and behaviors add up to make a big difference. The “little things” that we do now, such as staying home and practicing social distancing, add up to flatten the curve of infection along with preventing our health care system from being overwhelmed. Vincent Van Gogh said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”. Our combined efforts can make a difference.

My suggestion during this unprecedented time, is take advantage of the “little things” that you don’t normally get to experience. Enjoy time with your family members. Learn something new. Pick up a new hobby. Read a good book or read several good books.

Most importantly, remember the “little things” and how important they are. Understand that when this over, we will only be stronger for it.

President's Perspective: Understanding “The Why” Behind Behavioral Changes

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 23:42:48 GMT

Today the world faces an invisible enemy called Covid-19. It has become a horrible killer. In the United States alone, there have been over 25,000 deaths to date. No known or proven medical cures exist. So far, there is no protective vaccine. As Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Task Force Covid-19 Coordinator, says, “Our only defense against this pandemic disease is behavioral.” In other words, our everyday behavior is the key to fighting this virus.

As human beings, we are naturally drawn to interact closely with other human beings. It is not natural for us to think about staying six feet apart when we’re in public or visiting family. Our upbringing has taught us to greet one another with a handshake and sometimes even a hug.

I miss terribly having my granddaughters run up to me and fly into their Papa’s waiting open arms. Unfortunately, not now! Air hugs and blown kisses will have to suffice during this temporary season. We must respect our mandated “social distancing” of staying six feet apart.

It helps to understand why this behavioral change is so important. We have learned that the virus spreads from an infected person when tiny droplets become airborne when a person speaks. For example, when the word “health” is spoken, the energy used to pronounce this word not only sends sounds from the throat, but also moisture, potentially filled with the virus, travels from the mouth. Then, when a nearby person breathes in this virus-filled air, the virus spreads.

When light shines just right in front of a person talking, one can sometimes see the thin mist cloud that is created when speaking. The droplets rather quickly fall to the ground, and so someone standing six feet away avoids contact with the moisture-filled air.

When we understand the “why” behind the need to maintain social distancing, the change becomes more manageable and imperative.

Another main source of catching the virus happens through hand to face touching. For example, after shaking hands with an infected person, one can catch the virus by then touching the nose, mouth or eyes.

Here again, it is natural to touch our faces. From birth, babies touch their faces with activities like thumb sucking, eating, and drinking. If we feel an itch, the natural tendency is to reach up and scratch. The only way to end this natural tendency is to make a conscious effort to stop touching our faces.

What seems like a simple solution in these two behavioral actions actually becomes challenging for us to change. We naturally want to be close to each other, and we naturally touch our faces out of pure habit.

The MOST system can help accomplish these two behavioral changes. In fighting this highly contagious virus, we need to practice the following two primary behaviors:

Keep our hands away from our faces.
Maintain six feet of distance between one another.

When we practice these behaviors repeatedly and think about “the why” involved behind the need to do so, we become “Method Oriented.” And as we continue to be aware of changing the behavior that leads to unsafe actions, we effectively protect ourselves through “Safety Thinking.”

And, yes, frequent hand washing, as well as other recommended measures are also important. However, the main two defenses that need to become Method Oriented and habitually maintained by Safety Thinking are: Social Distancing and Avoid Touching Your Face.