This is because you have two eyes that observe the world from two different positions. It’s a matter of parallax. (If you do this with a little kid you’ll appear like a magician to them.)

The parallax aspect is useful in comparing points of view and one’s place in a given situation. Parallax arises due to change in viewpoint occurring due to motion of the observer, of the observed, or of both.

Long ago, an ancient Chinese sage expressed parallax this way:

You can’t talk about the ocean with a frog who lives in a well. He is bounded by the space he inhabits.

You can’t talk about ice with an insect who is born and dies in June. He is bounded by a single season.

You can’t talk about the meaning of life with a person who is certain he knows everything there is to know. He is bounded by his own beliefs.

I can understand another person’s point of view even though it differs from mine. Why? Each individual sees something from a different perspective.

I can understand another person’s point of view even though it differs from mine. Why? Each individual sees something from a different perspective.

Last month I wrote about finding a root cause for an incident or accident to prevent a possible recurrence with a potentially tragic outcome. This month I want to focus on the importance of interviewing witnesses to an incident or accident as part of thorough investigations.

Whenever I taught an accident investigation course I went through a very simple exercise with the class. Standing in front of the participants, I let a pencil fall to the floor. Then I asked one person to my right to describe what he/she saw. They may have said that they saw my hip hit the desk which caused the pencil to roll off. Then I asked a person to my left to describe what they saw. They may have said that my hand brushed the pencil causing it to fall to the floor. The person on the other side may not have seen this because my torso blocked their view. The person directly in front of me saw me throw the pencil to the floor. It’s all a matter of perspective.

The whole point of the exercise was to demonstrate that it is important to interview multiple witnesses with varying perspectives and information relevant to the incident.

“the facts ma’am, just the facts”

1. Interview witnesses separately, so that their recall is their own and not influenced by another person’s observation which may cause the first person to change their report.
2. Each witness saw the incident from a different viewpoint depending on where they were standing when the incident happened. Note – even though the witness report should strictly detail factual observation, individuals may “colour” their report based on personal experiences, knowledge, opinions and attitudes.
3. Interviews, to gather testimonial evidence, should be conducted as soon as possible after an incident to ensure accuracy of memory (memories fade over time).

Witnesses may be anyone with information relevant to the incident/accident including:

• People directly involved
• Supervisors
• Others at the workplace
• External people such as material experts

Effective witness interviews require patience to:

• Focus on preventing future accidents (not on blame),
• Ensure everyone involved is aware of the investigation and the need for confidentiality,
• Respect the needs of persons interviewed and preparation.

Written, testimonial witness evidence is generally admissible in court; whereas, oral testimony or hearsay, a statement about what a witness heard someone else say, is not admissible in court.

Witness evidence is critical to establishing a root cause for an incident or accident. It is up to the interviewer to direct the witnesses to stick to “the facts, ma’am, just the facts!”

While parallax may sound like the name of some prehistoric creature, it is in fact a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight. A trained investigative interviewer will want to gather witness evidence from all lines of sight.

While checking the location of my index finger against the twelve on the clock on the far wall, the big hand just jumped an hour. LUNCHTIME!

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of June.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post PARALLAX appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

As I begin this first blog for the new year, I’ll share a message that one of my grade school teachers wrote in an autograph book that I had all my teachers sign at the end of the school year.

“Your life lies before you like a path of new-fallen snow. Be careful how you tread it for every mark will show.”

It came to mind when I woke up on Christmas morning to a winter wonderland. After all, we had been singing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”. The dream came true.

I’d like to change my teacher’s phrase a little to: “The year lies before you like a path of new-fallen snow. Be careful how you tread it for every act will show.”

Since this month’s theme is ‘White’, I’ll begin with Robert Rauschenberg’s 3-panel White Paintings (1951).

Making Sense of White Paintings

Several years ago, I attended a live theatre production called “White”. The setting of the play was an art gallery where three friends were viewing a painting entitled “White”. One of the men, quite arrogantly wanting to impress, had nothing but praise for this piece of art that was all white. The second friend offered up the opinion that the artist must have had a specific reason for creating this “White” piece and tried to engage his friends in a discussion about its deeper meaning. The third friend simply laughed at the white panel and at his friends for their interpretations of “White”, more or less suggesting that they had been hoodwinked into believing there was value in the white piece.

The point of this preamble is to explain that whatever we read, hear or see is open to interpretation based on our past experiences. Those experiences are what shape our personal opinions and behaviours. So it also is in health and safety.

A person, fresh out of trade school or college, quite possibly embarks on their first job with an air of overconfidence, thinking that they know it all – the job, the hazards and the risks. They are the blank or ‘white’ canvas.

It is why it is so important to have supervisors oversee workers, to ensure that they are performing work safely. It is why the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills development (MLTSD) requires supervisors to have a level of competence that not only protects the workers they oversee, but to also understand how to keep the workplace/workspace safe. Without any form of supervisory training, supervisors are poorly equipped to do the job required of them by law. The definition of a Competent Supervisor is “to be knowledgeable about the work he/she is supervising, to receive training, and to understand the law as it pertains to their supervisory role”.

In the event of a workplace accident that prompts an MLTSD investigation, one of the first questions asked is “What training has the supervisor had?” It is part of the investigation process to get to the root cause of an accident. In the interest of due diligence, the employer better be able to provide proof that the supervisor had received competency training. Without fulfilling the definition of competency, the supervisor is nothing more that the “white” panel when, in reality, he/she should have deeper substance, that is – be knowledgeable, be trained and understand health and safety law. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the competency of anyone promoted to a supervisory position within one week of that person becoming a Supervisor.

In today’s workplaces, legally, there is no room for employers to overlook the importance of safety, for supervisors to oversee workers without having proper competency training, and for workers to work without proper supervision and training. There is an obligation for everyone, owners, managers, supervisors and workers to be ever vigilant and responsible when it comes to workplace safety. That is what is meant by the Internal Responsibility System.

These are the facts folks. So, I suggest to all that as we embark on 2021, it is a blank or ‘white’, unmarked path/canvas where every action (or inaction) will leave a mark. What it will look like at the end of the year, depends on the actions of all workplace parties.

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of February.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Past President, Workplace Safety Group

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post White appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.