The pandemic has changed the way we live, what we do, how we work and helped many of us prioritize what is and isn’t important. I believe we’ve all heard this statement and its many variations ad nauseum by now.

My priorities have been to purge, clear out unneeded, useless, irrelevant, redundant, immaterial, extra and extraneous “stuff”. In other words, a lot of my things have come out of the closet. Clothes that were once important and perceived to be needed in the business world are no longer relevant in my retirement.

In life there are many different closets that need to be purged. Our personal closets can be the obvious clothes closets or our private closets, including our mental and our physical states. But we also have fun closets, recreational closets, relationship closets and work closets because our lives are compartmentalized into these different areas. How you relate to your personal closets, how you use them and how you purge yourself of unneeded “stuff” in those closets is as individual as you.

Let’s look at our work closet, that part of our lives that takes up 90,000 hours for the average person over their lifetime. Because we spend so much of our time at work, we need to ensure that that time is well-spent, productive and rewarding. And, because our work responsibilities are diverse, whether as an employer, manager, supervisor or worker everybody approaches their work closet from their own perspective and according to their own needs.

What is common to everyone who works at any level is the need to return home safely. This means purging those things that put them at risk of illness, injury or death. It’s obvious that some jobs carry more risk of injury or illness by the very nature of the work and the equipment needed to carry out that work. In this case there must be a purge of broken equipment and/or processes that endanger workers as well as attitudes and beliefs that are no longer relevant in today’s workplaces.

Equipment and processes improvement are obvious fixes; however, they are dependent on the attitudes and beliefs of those in a position to facilitate those fixes, the employer or supervisor. They are also dependent on the conviction and actions of workers to refuse to work if they feel themselves endangered. It is every worker’s right to know about any dangers related to their jobs, to receive training relevant to doing their jobs safely and to refuse to work under dangerous conditions or when asked to use faulty, poorly maintained equipment. If these three worker rights are not upheld, then health and safety law (the Occupational Health and Safety Act – OHSA) is being broken.

Protecting yourselves from unhealthy and dangerous work is everyone’s responsibility and right! Allow yourself to purge your work closet of anything that might endanger you!

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

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post Cleaning Out the Closet appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

I came across the words “productive conflict” which caught my attention. Isn’t all of life really about productive conflict? Just in choosing this topic I thought that I had mastered productive conflict for this month by selecting it over the many other topics.

When people organize to challenge and change their lives for the better both personally, or in the workplace, it can only be beneficial. Enter “productive conflict”.

At this time of year, this may be in the form of New Year’s resolutions which, if we’re honest, are short-lived and notoriously unsuccessful. We know that making changes to our lifestyle “would” be productive but are conflicted because it would mean making changes that are uncomfortable and require hard work. While we know that the long-term benefits will be positive, we are reluctant because our bad habits conflict with the productivity aspect.

It is no different in the workplace. All change is difficult and requires participation by everyone to be effective. When employers and employees alike challenge themselves to make changes then, because of and in spite of “productive conflict”, positive changes can occur to everyone’s benefit. I believe that productive conflict is a powerful tool that supports the Internal Responsibility System.

Every idea that is put forward must be challenged for its value and merit. If an employer makes a suggestion for changing the way something is done this may very well conflict with the way workers have done things in the past and they may be reluctant to change. At this point, it is only at the conflict stage. It is up to the employer to turn this negative into a productive outcome through creativity and sometimes incentive for making the suggested change.

When employees suggest changes for more efficient work processes, the need for better equipment, or improved safety protocols these may conflict with an employer’s view that everything is just fine. Here we are at the conflict stage. The employees are challenged to demonstrate that the suggested improvements will result in improved efficiency. This turns the conflict into productivity.

Remember the Staples commercials from years ago where the red EASY button was available and when pressed, it solved everyone’s problems? Well, I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy; I’m telling you productive conflict will be worth it.

How we challenge each other and ourselves and how those challenges are met in every aspect of our lives hinge upon productive conflict.

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

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

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

How do you describe pain? I’ve done a little reading online to establish what kind of pain this is and have come to the conclusion that it is Somatic. Somatic pain results from stimulation of the pain receptors in your tissues, rather than your internal organs. This includes your skin, muscles, joints, connective tissues, and bones. It’s often easier to pinpoint the location of somatic pain rather than visceral pain (damage to your internal organs).

Somatic pain usually feels like a constant aching or gnawing sensation. I can attest to this.

However, I don’t want to dwell on my pain as there is a lesson in this that I would like to share. Once again I must thank Robert Fulghum for his inspiration and insights.

His latest composition is entitled MAINTENANCE. There is a great deal of wisdom in what he shares in this piece. Synonyms for the word maintenance include preservation, conservation, continuation, carrying on, prolongation, perpetuation, extension, protection. This list is almost infinite.

In Roberts words (with some editing on my part):

Wanting

“We grow up wanting.
Wanting stuff. A bike. A cell phone. Computer. Clothes. Money. And then a job, a car, a love relationship, a spouse, a house, a child, and on and on and on.”

Having

“Next comes Having.
And nobody ever tells you during your education that the consequence of Having is Maintenance. Having requires responsibility. Because you must actively take care of what you have or else. Maintenance is necessary.”

“Most of what we have comes with a manual.
A set of instructions on how to assemble, use, and take care of.
And most of the sorrow Having brings, comes from not reading and studying the manual.”

“We have a body – we are the occupying user.
But we don’t pay much attention to a user’s manual until our body is wearing out or broken or damaged. Then we turn ourselves into a medical repair shop, when reading a manual in advance would have kept us healthy.

Mostly we Get and Have and then wing-it from there until the consequences of poor maintenance intervene. Only then do we look for the user’s manuals – but what’s required by then may be damaged beyond repair.

Active Maintenance along the way would make a difference. Preventive Maintenance. Attention is required.”

“There are lots of manuals – almost everything you Want and Get and Have comes with user’s instructions. [sic]Sooner or later, we’ll wish we had paid attention to the manuals and user instructions. If we don’t the next step is “Damage Control.”

Personally, the lesson is to exercise more to build muscle strength and eat better for better overall health.

And here – you knew it was coming – I will relate this to health and safety. Whether better-written health and safety policies, better-trained employees or an improved workplace safety culture, all fall under active, preventive maintenance. These remove the need for “damage control”.

At the beginning of this Blog, I listed synonyms for the word maintenance including preservation, conservation, continuation, carrying on, prolongation, perpetuation, extension, protection.

Each of these words describes our ultimate goal: to preserve our own life so that we may enjoy time with our family and friends and continue to do the things that bring us enjoyment.

I’m off to find the hot water bottle now and take the rest of the day to nurse my back.

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

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

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

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.

Happy April, the harbinger of Spring. I love using uncommon words, reading catchy phrases and spinning them into meaningful thoughts and messages. While I have personal and unique reflections, I come across many thought-provoking quotes that make me pause and think about what they really mean.

This morning I read this: The Invisible Obvious. Credit goes to Robert Fulgham, one of my favourite writers.

What could I possibly make of this statement? How could I relate the invisible obvious to health and safety?

But, before I begin my rumination, here is how Mr. Fulgham explained what he was thinking in his own words. “Imagine that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are far out in the English countryside in pursuit of a unique case involving an agricultural mystery. They have settled down in their sleeping bags in a small tent for the night. Just before dawn, Sherlock nudges Dr. Watson awake, and says, “Watson – look up and tell me what you notice.” Dr. Watson tells him that he sees the stars – that the clear sky means the weather will be good in the coming day – that the very faint light in the east says it is almost dawn. “What do you notice, Holmes?”
Holmes sits up. “I notice that someone has stolen our tent during the night.”

When I read this for the first time, I saw only what Watson saw when looking up, the sky, the stars and signs of good weather to come. It took the good detective Holmes to see the invisible obvious first, that the tent was gone making it possible for Watson to see the sky and the stars.

And that brings me to the importance of thorough and detail-rich investigations of accidents and incidents.

It is obvious that accidents must be investigated for several reasons; firstly, to discover the cause and secondly, to report to the Ministry of Labour and the WSIB as required by law.

Why should we investigate incidents, after all, nothing happened; but isn’t an incident an “almost accident”, something that could have had a totally different and catastrophic outcome? And that is why we also investigate incidents thoroughly!

Let’s investigate a plausible accident scenario.

Because there is an injury, a full and thorough investigation is required.

The investigation reveals the following details:

• Employee had worked seven, 12-hour shifts in a row.
• Accident happened at end of shift.
• Employee was standing on the top step of the ladder (an unsafe action).
• The employee was approximately 10 feet above floor level.
• No fall arrest or restraint system was used.
• A ladder inspection policy is in place, but there is no evidence that the ladder hds ever been inspected.
• Investigation reveals the ladder was damaged and did not provide a stable working platform in any environment.
• Interview with facility manager reveals that he did not inspect the ladder when it was due for inspection. He was aware that ladder needed to be inspected.

Factors and Possible Causes Affecting Incident

• Extended work hours may have caused employee to be tired and not clear-headed.
• Employee violated safety rule (standing on top step).
• No fall arrest system in place (required at 6 feet above floor level).
• Ladder was defective and unusable.
• Ladder had not been inspected.
• Facility manager was aware that ladder needed to be inspected but did not adhere to the existing policies and procedures for ladder inspections.

What is the Root Cause?

Which factor, if not present, could have prevented the accident?

If the facility manager had inspected the ladder and discovered the defect, the ladder would not have been used, and this accident would have been prevented.
Failure to follow established ladder inspection procedures is the root cause.

What about the Other Factors?

• Extended work hours might contribute, but there is no statistical evidence available that indicates extended work hours increase the risk of accidents.
• The safety rule violation could be a contributory cause in this accident, but not the root cause. However, if the ladder had been used properly, it is possible that the incident might have been prevented.
• The existence of a fall arrest system may have prevented or reduced injury. This could be a contributory cause.
• The fact that the ladder was defective is certainly a contributory cause. But if the facility manager had followed procedures and removed the ladder from service, the accident would have been prevented.

The root cause of this accident could even be tracked deeper than just finding the facility manager’s failure to inspect the ladder. With more in-depth analysis, it might be found that the real cause (invisible obvious) was a failure in the system itself. Perhaps the safety system in place had no means of ensuring the facility manager actually carried out these inspections.

It is for reasons like this that accident investigations are best conducted by a team. This can ensure that as many possibilities are explored until all causes are discovered.

When an accident or even an incident occurs, we cannot depend on obvious causes, it is the invisible root causes that must be uncovered so that future tragic events can be prevented.

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

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post THE INVISIBLE OBVIOUS appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.