How Do We Practically Apply the "New View" to Our Existing Operations?

This article explains how to apply the New View of safety to existing operations through steps such as observing work as done, engaging workers, focusing on systems, and fostering a learning culture.

The New View of Safety represents a progressive shift in how we approach workplace safety, moving away from assigning blame to individuals and adhering strictly to compliance. Instead, it invites a deeper exploration of systems, behaviours, and the intricate nature of work itself. This approach acknowledges that safety transcends mere rule-following; it is fundamentally linked to the actual processes and interactions that take place within the workplace. By embracing a comprehensive understanding of how work is performed, organisations can more effectively pinpoint potential hazards and craft tailored safety strategies.

Central to the New View is the idea of learning from all experiences, whether they are positive or negative, and fostering collaboration at every level of the organisation. This teamwork-driven mindset cultivates an environment where employees feel empowered to share their insights and experiences, enriching the collective understanding of the challenges they encounter daily. Additionally, it underscores the necessity of building resilience within the organisation—strengthening its capacity to foresee, adapt to, and recover from unforeseen events, which in turn minimises the risk of incidents.

To successfully integrate the New View into existing operations, organisations must take tangible steps to align safety practices with systemic thinking and embed this mindset within their culture. This involves not only reassessing current safety protocols but also actively engaging with employees to grasp the realities of their work environments. By concentrating on how work is truly accomplished, organisations can effectively connect theoretical safety measures with practical applications, resulting in more impactful and sustainable safety outcomes.

Key Principles of the New View

1. Work as Done vs. Work as Imagined:
   • Recognise the gap between how work is planned and how it is performed in real-life situations.
2. Learning from Normal Work:
   • Understand daily operations to identify how safety is maintained or compromised in practice.
3. Focus on Systems, Not Individuals:
   • Address systemic factors contributing to errors rather than blaming workers.
4. Build Resilience:
   • Enhance the organisation’s ability to anticipate, adapt, and recover from unexpected events.

Practical Steps to Apply the New View

1. Observe and Understand Work

   • Conduct everyday work explorations to observe how tasks are performed on the ground.
   • Talk to workers to understand their challenges, adaptations, and strategies for managing risks.
   • Use tools like process mapping or ethnographic studies to document "work as done."

2. Shift Focus from Compliance to Context

   • Reassess safety audits and inspections to focus on the context of work rather than just checking for compliance.
   • Look at how workers adjust to constraints and manage variability to keep operations running safely.

3. Engage Workers in Safety Discussions

   • Hold learning teams or group discussions to analyze incidents and near-misses collaboratively.
   • Encourage open dialogue to uncover systemic issues and learn from the people closest to the work.

4. Rethink Incident Investigations

   • Investigate incidents using the New View lens by asking:
     • What factors influenced decisions or actions?
     • How did the system create conditions for errors to occur?
     • What can we learn about system design and resilience?
   • Focus on identifying improvements to processes and systems, not assigning blame.

5. Adapt Training and Procedures

   • Simplify procedures to reflect "work as done" and ensure they are practical for workers.
   • Provide training that focuses on building skills and decision-making rather than rote compliance.

6. Build Safety into Systems

   • Use design thinking to incorporate safety considerations into equipment, workflows, and processes.
   • Ensure systems are flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions without compromising safety.

7. Develop Leading Indicators

   • Shift from lagging indicators (e.g., injury rates) to leading indicators that reflect proactive safety efforts, such as:
     • Worker participation in safety discussions.
     • Identification of improvement opportunities.
     • Frequency of near-miss reporting.

8. Create a Learning Culture

   • Celebrate learning opportunities from both successes and failures.
   • Promote psychological safety where workers feel comfortable sharing insights without fear of blame.

9. Test and Iterate Changes

   • Pilot new approaches on a small scale, gather feedback, and refine before wider implementation.
   • Continuously evaluate the impact of changes and adapt based on findings.

10. Foster Leadership Engagement

    • Ensure leaders model the principles of the New View by focusing on learning, support, and system improvements.
    • Encourage leaders to engage directly with workers and operations to stay connected to "work as done."

Challenges in Applying the New View

• Cultural Resistance: Workers and managers may be accustomed to traditional safety approaches.
  • Solution: Use clear communication and involve stakeholders early to gain buy-in.
• Balancing Compliance and New View: Regulatory requirements may still emphasise compliance.
  • Solution: Align compliance activities with systemic improvements and learning.

Summary

This article explains how to apply the New View of safety to existing operations through a series of practical and actionable steps. One key approach is to observe work as done, which involves directly witnessing how tasks are performed in real time rather than relying solely on theoretical plans or procedures. This first hand observation helps organisations to understand the complexities and nuances of daily operations, allowing them to identify potential safety issues that may not be evident in traditional compliance checks.

Engaging workers is another vital step in this process. By fostering open communication and collaboration, organisations can tap into the valuable insights and experiences of their employees. This engagement not only empowers workers but also cultivates a sense of ownership over safety practices, leading to more innovative and effective solutions to safety challenges.

Focusing on systems rather than individuals is essential for addressing the root causes of safety incidents. This systemic perspective encourages organisations to analyse how various elements—such as workflows, equipment, and environmental factors interact and contribute to safety outcomes. By understanding these relationships, organisations can implement more effective safety interventions that reduce the likelihood of errors and incidents.

Fostering a learning culture is critical for sustaining improvements over time. Organisations should celebrate learning opportunities derived from both successes and failures, promoting psychological safety where workers feel comfortable sharing insights without fear of blame. This cultural shift not only enhances trust among team members but also supports continuous improvement in safety practices.

By shifting from compliance based to context based safety management, organisations can enhance resilience, build trust, and improve safety outcomes. This transition allows for a more adaptive and responsive safety approach, where organisations are better equipped to anticipate and respond to the ever evolving challenges of the workplace. Ultimately, embracing the New View of safety leads to a more robust safety culture that prioritises the wellbeing of all employees while achieving operational excellence.