2014 was a very busy and exciting
year for me. I have helped a number of people and
organizations this year in the control of hazardous energy (lockout tagout), lab
equipment design, safety review of equipment. Additionally, I have trained more than 300 people in basic electrical safety (including shock and arc flash hazards), arc flash hazard analysis, and electrical equipment design.
While I was putting together my
plan for blog postings this year, I ran across a LinkedIN posting on “WorkingIn Safety v. Working On Safety” [1] that I thought was very informative and
timely. When we work in
safety we are performing specific tasks.
Working IN Safety includes working on risk assessments, evaluating
equipment to safety standards, performing functional safety testing, etc.
In contrast, Working ON Safety requires
setting goals, establishing processes and procedures to ensure that the
organization has the capabilities to meet the established goals. This includes having the appropriate personnel
and resources are dedicated to meet the established goals.
Goals should be established using
the SMART system are:
- Specific
- Measureable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time bound
Organizations that design,
manufacturer, or sell equipment should have an organization goal of ensuring
that the equipment designed or sold in 2015, when used in accordance with the
defined operating conditions, does not create any hazards that would result in
more than minor first aid. The
establishment of the aforementioned goal is more than ensuring that their products
meet the defined safety requirements (National Electric Code or UL Standards).
For safety leaders, Working ON
Safety in meeting this goal can include:
- Obtaining and training the appropriate personnel
- Ensuring that sufficient financial resources are available
- Incorporation of equipment safety personnel into the design, development, manufacturing processes
- Defining the methodologies that will be used to determine the safety of the equipment
- Risk assessments
- Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Process FMEA
- Defining, developing, and establishment of an equipment validation and verification process
- Creation of Product Safety review process
Organizations that design,
manufacturer, or sell equipment play an important component in determining if
people are injured while working. Safety
leaders who spend time Working ON Safety will play a pivotal role ensuring that
ALL workplace injuries are reduced.
I hope everyone has a successful,
prosperous and SAFE year!
Reference:
- http://www.safetycultureexcellence.com/e/working-in-safety-vs-working-on-safety/