Safety Officer for

Dummies V 2.0

Or… so you want to stop your friends

and co-workers from breaking things,
falling, tripping, slipping, hurting,
crashing…etc?
Are YOU “Safe”?

NTSB photos
 EMS Accidents: 1990 - 2005
20
18
16
14
12
10 All EMS Accidents
8 Fatal Accidents

6
4
2
0
1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005
 What is “SAFE”?

• NO accidents or serious incidents?

• Freedom from danger or risks?
• Error avoidance?
• Compliance with policy or
regulations—OSHA, FAA, CAMTS?
• ???
 What is a business first priority?
• Identified in Mission Statement?
SAMPLE:

“To make incredible amounts of money for a poorly conceived and badly
managed and non-responsive service by selling defective widgits without
adequate planning and organization, cutting corners at all times and taking
any and all unnecessary risks without regard to the health, morale, and
welfare of company Employees…”

MORE LIKELY:

“Our mission is to provide customer oriented, high quality patient care in a safe
and efficient manner. In every situation, to do what is right for the patient.”
How well do we all
Avoiding Over-Committing...
Manage our Delegating...
personal Goals, Eating Well in a Hurry...
Vision, and Getting Enough Sleep...
Getting to the Gym Consistently...
Objectives? Keeping Meetings Brief...
Leaving Time for Exercise...
Leaving Time for Reading...
Leaving Time for Yourself...
Remembering Anniversaries...
Remembering Commitments...
Remembering Events...
Showing up on Time...
Spending More Time with Friends...
Spending More Time with Kids...
Spending More Time with Spouse...
Turning off the TV...
Using an Organizer...
Waking up on Time...
 Every Business has “Safety First”
as the number one priority???
• “Boilerplate Safety”
• Business must balance safety vs.
production (or profit or survival)
• Mixed Messages?
• “Safety” is in the eye of the beholder?
• Safety must be management like any
other core business value/entity.
 Errors ...

… are like mosquitoes …

Courtesy ICAO Safety Management Systems (SMS) Course
 To fight them …

... drain their breeding swamps.

Courtesy ICAO Safety Management Systems (SMS) Course
 Helicopter EMS hazards
Limited Visibility Communications Overload

LZ Hazards
Weather

Maintenance Darkness

Competition Pressure
Time pressure

Terrain

Mission Pressure
Heavy traffic

Poor Landing zones Rescuer Mentality

 A Program Safety Officer
• The conscience of an organization?
• Pipeline to Management?
• Lightning Rod for issues?
• Eyes and ears?
• Problem solver?
• Another line of defense?
• Statistics gatherer and Trend charter?
• Substitute for good management?
• ???
Accident to Unpreventable Ratio
• Heinrich’s 88:10:2
• Dr. Robert Heinrich, Ratio
a past director of the
– Analyzed 75,000
NTSB of the United
Accidents and found
States, promoted
that
the ratio of close
• 88% caused by
calls to fatal injuries. unsafe acts - 66,000
• 10% caused by
unsafe conditions -
7,500
• 2% resulted from
unpreventable
causes - 1,500
NTSB
Mishap Ratio Serious Accidents
1

Major Accidents
15

NearAccidents
300

Incidents
1500
 Key Indicators may be invisible
to the untrained or naïve eye…
Number of occurrences

1–5 Accidents

30 – 100 Serious incidents

100 – 1000 Incidents

Latent conditions
1000 – 4000

Courtesy ICAO Safety Management Systems (SMS) Course

Can Accidents be Prevented ?
• Effective Management & Supervision
• Commitment to Accident Prevention
• Effective Policy & Procedures
• Effective Reporting & Recording
• Regular Consultation & “Toolbox”
Meetings
• Risk Assessments
• Specific Training
• Literature & Culture
• Incentives
 Behaviors / Conditions

All accidents are the result of either;

¾ at-risk behaviors and/or hazardous conditions

 At-Risk Behaviors
™Can you name any At-Risk Behaviors?
– Flight
– Clinical
– Maintenance
– Personal
 At-Risk Behaviors

– Flight
¾Inadequate Pre-Flight, no walk-around, wx below
minimums (MVFR), white knight, fatigue,
– Maintenance
¾Taking shortcuts, improper tool usage, smoking
near flammable materials, distractions, failure to
use protective equipment or techniques
– Clinical
¾Not wearing seat belt in ambulance, not using
gloves or masks, improper lifting techniques, not
checking equipment
Complacency
CRM 101—the good ole days
 The ‘Swiss cheese’ model of
event causation (all events)
Barriers or
Safety Nets
Some holes due
to active failures
Hazards

Other holes due to

Losses latent conditions
(resident ‘pathogens’)

Successive layers of defenses, barriers, & safeguards

 Reason’s “Swiss Cheese” Metaphor

Your organization
Defences and holes

Organizational
Influences
Management Hierarchy Line Management
Organization Culture Deficiencies
Organization Climate Instructional Technology
Organizational Processes
Resources Front-
Front-end System Users
Human Resource User’s Knowledge, Experience, Training, &
Institutional Policies
Constraints Workload
Institutional Procedures
Budget Constraints Team Work
Rewards Structure
Business Rules Task demands
Nature of Inter-departmental
Business Practices
Cooperation
Work Environment
Pilot / Clinical / Mechanic

Corporate

Latent Factors Active Triggers

@ Blunt End @ Sharp End
The management dilemma

Management levels
Resources Resources

Protection Production
 Safety Is Good Business
CAST goals
• The 73 percent risk reduction is predicted to save the
airline industry more than $620 million each year. These
savings are in cost avoidance (not profit), including loss
of life, aircraft,
• devaluation of stock prices, insurance fees, and other
indirect legal costs. The cost of these safety
enhancements is projected to be only $500 million,
spread out over 10 years (1998 through 2007). The
current accident cost per flight is approximately $76.
• Implementation of the 47 safety enhancements is
expected to reduce this cost by $56 to
• $20 per flight.
 The BUCK stops at the TOP!
• Start with strong management
commitment from the most senior
executive to the supervisor
• Require clear identification of
responsibilities and accountabilities at
all levels
• Fully integrate Safety with existing
management systems
 Responsibilities for managing
safety
They fall into four basic areas:
n Definition of policies and procedures
regarding safety.
o Allocation of resources for safety
management activities.
p Adoption of best industry practices.
q Updating regulations governing civil
aviation safety.
 Responsibilities to Management
ƒ Champion Safety efforts among coworkers
ƒ Relay employee safety concerns
ƒ Provide feedback
ƒ Report Hazards
ƒ Maintain a thorough understanding of a
Program’s total Safety Process
ƒ Report injuries and incidents immediately
ƒ Expert on Safety polices/procedures
“Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility”
Responsibility
Our Responsibilities to
Coworkers:
•Explain company safety
policies and procedures
•Promote and Maintain a
Positive-Safety Attitude
•Recognize and Report
unacceptable hazards
•Set the example as a safety
conscious employee
 A Basic Safety Program—The
AMSAC Recommended Practice
– Accountable Executive
– Written Plan
– Trained Director/Manager of Safety
– Director should have direct line to CEO
– Non-punitive reporting system
– Accident/Incident reporting
– Analysis/trending of reports
– Method of disseminating information
– Feedback loop to reporting person
– Initial and Recurrent Safety Training program
– Root Cause Analysis process
– CQI and TQM process
– Internal/external audit process
– Risk Management/assessment Process
The Nuts and Bolts
 Safety Officer Responsibilities
• - Your specific duty is designed to help establish a strong safety
culture within work teams. Specific duties and expectations are
assigned by management but may include:
¾ Conducting periodic inspections of work location/base. At a
minimum quarterly inspections shall be conducted annually
(Base/Program Safety Surveys).
• Conducting safety briefing within 30 days for all newly assigned
personnel to communicate base/shop specific hazards and/or
procedures. Minimum items discussed should include the
following:
¾ Local evacuation plans
¾ Emergency response information
¾ Location of emergency equipment (fire ext., rescue tools,
first-aid kits, etc...)
¾ Job specific safety training requirements
¾ Scheduled base safety meetings
¾ Risk Reporting system
 Safety Representative Responsibilities
• Maintaining a record of required safety training for base personnel. (
i.e. bloodborne pathogens, hearing tests, First-Aid, etc…)

• Ensuring some system of documenting required safety meetings and

other associated pro-active efforts. Safety meeting topics may include
any of the following:
¾ Safety related topics developed from many sources:
¾ Concern network
¾ NTSB reports
¾ OSHA reports
¾ Direct Job related—weather, preflight, aerodynamics, emergency
procedures, hazmat, protective equipment, AMRM, communications,
LZ safety, IIMC procedures…
¾ Safety related items provided Management.
¾ Safety Manual topics, policies and procedures.
¾ Safety related items of a local nature.
¾ Personal observations.
 Accidents/Incidents - Common
Elements

• 8 out of 10 incidents, someone,

somewhere, had some piece of
information which could have
prevented the incident from happening,
but failed to share it!

• Why?
• What do you know TODAY?
You have to “sell”, confront, and lead
By example…

Do not compromise on safety

NEVER walk by a hazard

You sometimes don’t get a second

Chance…
Ask them…

NTSB photos
Thank you!