Fair warning

The following article is part one of a two-part
series on combatting B.C.’s serious
occupational injury rate. It examines the
importance of a strong reporting culture in
preventing “accidents waiting to happen.”
By Helena Bryan
In the early 1970s, Ray Roch was a university student working at
a local mine in summertime. At the end of a long day, he, his
buddies, and many of the full-time mine workers would head out
on the highway to meet at the local bar. He and his friends would
discuss one of the workers, who always put ‘pedal to the metal’ to
get to the bar before everyone else. “He’d pass on double lines,
drive on the shoulder, and go way over the speed limit to be the
first one in the door,” Roch recalls.
Roch, director of the Fire Inspection and Prevention Iniative
(formerly WorkSafeBC director of emerging prevention issues),
realizes this scenario provided the classic warning signs no
workplace can afford to overlook. “The rest of us used to say, ‘one
day he’s gonna kill himself, or he’s going to kill someone else.’”
Sadly, Roch and his workmates were proven right. En route to the
bar one night, the speeding worker crashed head-on with another
driver. He survived, but a young, pregnant woman died, all in the
rush for that first after-work drink. It’s a lesson that’s stayed with
Roch to this day. And one he’s at great pains to communicate to
employers and their workers — especially if it saves a life.
“Close calls, minor incidents, and reckless behaviours are
precursors to more serious events,” he says. “So if we see these
warning signs, we need to report them.”
Roch points to recent research suggesting the most serious
workplace injuries arise from problems that often go unreported —
near-misses or mishaps that don’t cause injury the first time
around. And, in B.C., those injuries are on the rise (see What do we
mean by “serious injuries?” on page 11). While the overall injury
rate has either declined or remained steady, in the past four years,
the serious injury rate has shown a slight increase. In an effort to
combat that serious injury rate, Roch says employers need to train
their employees to watch for the signs of dangers that could lead to
serious injuries, and then encourage their employees to report them.
“If you find yourself saying, ‘it’s only a matter of time before
somebody gets hurt,’ it’s a strong indication that something needs
to be done,” he says. “If not, someone is likely going to get hurt —
seriously hurt.”
While the incident from Roch’s past involved extreme behaviour, he
says its lessons apply to worksites everywhere, including those that
appear to have successful health and safety programs.
The story behind the injury stats
WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer Mark Phifer, who has
recently conducted research into serious injury and fatality
prevention, says the persistence of serious workplace injuries
challenges a basic premise of health and safety management. “That
premise assumes that if minor injuries are managed well, more
serious incidents will also be averted,” he says.
“Well, the numbers are telling us that there’s something we’re
missing; they’re telling us that reducing serious injuries and
fatalities requires a different focus in safety management.”
This focus, Phifer says, begins with more effective reporting. While
reporting is just one aspect of occupational health and safety, he
says, it’s a starting point for preventing the serious injuries and
fatalities that tear people’s lives apart.
A strong reporting culture means more
than paperwork
The reporting Phifer is referring to goes well beyond filling out
forms. “It goes right to mindset and culture,” he says. Typically, a
number of smaller, less significant incidents precede a major injury
or fatality. The workplaces with a good safety culture encourage
their employees to report, track, and respond to these smaller
incidents. “Strong reporting is about everyone being alert to those
warning signs. It’s about getting workers to ask themselves, ‘what
was the potential for this minor incident to be a major incident?’”
Phifer points to a recent, real-life example: while employees in a
shop were repairing a four-tonne screw auger conveyor, the stands
used to support that conveyor collapsed. Thankfully, no one was
hurt; a crane was used to lift the auger, and employees completed
the repair without further incident. However, the absence of injury
meant the collapse wasn’t reported or investigated, Phifer says.
“This was a near-miss that could have been a serious incident, if
someone happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It
was an indicator the worksite had certain hazards that weren’t
properly identified and under control.”
WorkSafe Magazine March / April 2013 9