As we know, how we start a conversation inevitably dictates the quality and meaningfulness of the discussion and often, the outcome.  This is especially true in a safety conversation.  For example, if there is an undercurrent of fear, or blame, when having a post-incident review, the likelihood of getting quality lessons learned from the discussion is substantially decreased; and if the conversation is with a contractor by an operator this effect is even greater.

Background:

When it comes to safety, the outcome that we are driving towards is, obviously, one in which nobody gets hurt.  And although that outcome can be achieved in multiple different ways, the preferred way, and really the only correct and meaningful way, is through creating a safe culture.  The graphic below highlights that a safe culture is comprised of three mutually supporting components.  First, a safe culture is one that encourages reporting; reporting of hazards and incidents of all kinds in order that proper treatment can ensue, analysis can occur and corrective actions implemented.  If we don’t know about something, we cannot possibly correct it or learn from it.  The second element is the desire to become a Learning Organization.  Learning is critical to future accident prevention but it does not mean we have to have our own incidents first.  We can learn from other’s incidents, other locations and other industries to drive improvement into our business.  And when an incident does occur we need to ensure that we come to the investigation with a learning mindset, and not one looking to lay blame.  When we do this, everyone will be more willing to help identify where the system failed and what we can do differently.  And finally, the third aspect of building a safe culture is that our culture needs to be viewed as Just.  We need to be slow to blame individuals as we look for root causes in our incidents and recognize that the vast majority of incidents are a result of “system failures” and that when disciplinary action is necessary, it is proportionate and others view it as reasonable and justified.

When all three elements of this model are present, the likelihood of building a safe culture improves and the willingness of everyone in our workforce (i.e. employees and contractors) to assist in building better processes and reducing risk tolerance also improves.  Hazards get more easily identified and corrective actions get closed faster.  As we build a more psychologically safe work environment we also become a physically safer one as well.

So let me come back to the value of priming conversations for a quality safety discussion.  Imagine for a moment that you are about to have a safety related discussion with a contractor because of a recent safety incident.  Do you think spending 2 minutes talking about this slide with them before the start of the conversation may result in a better quality of discussion?  Do you think there might be a greater willingness of others to “help out” if they understood your position more clearly and what it is you are trying to achieve?  Do you think that this might help to enlist the contractor to be part of the solution rather than simply line up to defend their actions?  And do you think that we might hear more about how we might have helped the create the environment for failure in the first place?   Priming our safety-related conversations with these thoughts might get us better learnings, better insights, and therefore better results.  And this process can be applied to all our safety related discussions; regardless of whether it is a contractor conversation or a operator only conversation.

Stephen Covey was fond of saying that between a stimulus and a reaction there is a gap.  And within that gap there is the opportunity to insert thinking and evaluation in order to respond (and not react).  Priming our safety conversations with this 2 minute drill, might just provide the opportunity for a more measured response that our instinctual reactions.  And given it is the safe culture we are pursuing, it seems like a good way to get there.