FEATURE TACKLING COMPLACENCY
How can we effectively predict and anticipate times when human error is likely to occur? Larry Wilson, Author and Vice President of SafeStart, discusses.
Thinking about the errors you make in life and when or where you are most likely to make them, is a fascinating process. If you had a clear understanding of the pattern that increases the chance of you making errors, eventually you might start to predict the times of the day, or tasks, that needed reviewing. However, the very nature of human error does not always allow this. The prospect of never understanding the pattern that leads to critical errors is daunting.
STATES OF MIND States like rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency lead to unintentional, critical errors such as: eyes not on task, mind not on task, being in/moving to line of fire, loss of balance/traction/grip.
Predicting and anticipating such errors is not impossible. Most people know when they are likely to be in a rush by taking into account what they need to do over a particular period of time. This is the same with fatigue and frustration – most of the times we all know how we feel in different situations, so the real key is to learn how to self- trigger on these states so it won’t cause critical errors.
FIGHTING COMPLACENCY DOESN’T REQUIRE EXPENSIVE
EQUIPMENT BUT TAKES PERSONAL EFFORT FROM WORKERS
Understanding the state-to-error risk pattern will enable you to think about the risks in advance and be aware that you are in a potentially dangerous situation. In turn, this will increase your awareness to the situation and if it occurs, it will help you to reduce the chance of making a critical error that may lead to an injury.
Even though all mistakes are unexpected, if you really consider when and where you are likely to be rushing, frustrated or fatigued, anticipating error isn’t a difficult process. If you use the right techniques, such as look at others for the patterns that increase the risk of injury, for example, it will help you to prevent slip-ups.
COMPLACENCY Complacency is much harder to recognise within yourself than the other three states, and operating on auto-pilot happens naturally over time. It can also impact decision making, as people trust something important, such as a job process to memory, potentially resulting in accidents. It makes it harder to recognise changes in familiar situations, when the danger and risk is perceived as low, causing overconfidence. In these situations health and safety checklists and processes, risk losing their value.
Even though managers can try different initiatives to prevent this happening by changing posters every 12-15 weeks, posting regular safety alerts, and discussing close calls/near-misses at group meetings, for example, it’s also important to engage individuals with questions such as:
• What states are involved when driving to or from work? For example, rushing, frustration or fatigue?
• What’s worse for you: getting to work in the morning or going home - being frustrated going to work vs. fatigue and complacency going home?
• What’s the most likely way someone doing your job could get hurt?
The idea with this exercise is to get people thinking. Fighting complacency doesn’t require expensive equipment but takes personal effort from workers and an appreciation towards the risks.
Although changing old habits and developing new ones takes real effort, once it does become a habit, it will be done automatically. This helps to compensate for complacency and mind not on task. Thinking about the different safety-related habits that need to be worked on is vital, ensuring all activity is safer. Looking at others will also help to fight complacency because if you see somebody making an error, it will make you more aware and focused. Such understanding will benefit all areas of an individual’s life, ensuring safety at both work and home.
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