Safety is a critical concern in any workplace, and employers should take all necessary measures to ensure the well-being of their employees. One such measure is the implementation of a safety pre-task plan, which is designed to identify and mitigate potential hazards associated with a particular job or task. While safety pre-task plans can be effective in reducing the risk of accidents and injuries, there are several complications associated with this process that must be considered.
The safety pre-task plan can be extremely inflexible.
A pre-task plan for safety is a crucial first step to any operations that may involve hazards. Without it, work activities may be carried out without the necessary precautions to protect workers and minimize risks. However, when individuals lack experience in the specific work being performed, the safety pre-task plan can be brittle and sometimes not applicable. This is due to the following:
- Incomplete hazard identification: Inexperienced workers may overlook certain hazards or underestimate their potential risks. They may not be familiar with the specific dangers associated with the task at hand, leading to an incomplete assessment of potential hazards. This can result in a pre-task plan that fails to address all the necessary safety measures.
- Inadequate risk assessment: Without sufficient knowledge and experience, it becomes challenging to accurately assess the level of risk associated with different tasks. Inexperienced individuals may underestimate or overestimate the severity of potential hazards, which can lead to inappropriate safety measures being implemented or essential precautions being overlooked.
- Lack of familiarity with best practices: Experienced workers often have a deep understanding of industry best practices and the safety standards related to specific tasks. Inexperienced individuals may not be aware of these practices, guidelines, or regulatory requirements. Consequently, their safety pre-task plan may not incorporate the necessary procedures for the job, making the work more susceptible to the hazards present.
- Ineffective contingency planning: An experienced worker may anticipate potential issues or complications that could arise during a task and develop contingency plans to address them. Inexperienced workers may lack the foresight to consider such scenarios and, therefore, fail to enact a plan that will support business continuity if something goes wrong. The safety pre-task plan in this scenario would be inflexible and ill-equipped to handle unforeseen challenges, potentially leading to compromised safety.
- Inability to adapt to changing circumstances: Inexperienced individuals may struggle to adapt their safety pre-task plan when circumstances change, or unexpected factors arise. They may lack the knowledge or experience necessary to quickly reassess risks, modify safety measures, or make informed decisions on the spot. This rigidity can make the safety pre-task plan less effective in dynamic work environments.
The scope of use for the safety pre-task plan can be too broad.
A safety pre-task plan is intended to identify hazards associated with a specific task and establish appropriate control measures to mitigate those hazards. However, in some cases, the plan may not effectively couple the hazard with the control, leading to potential safety issues. The following factors can all contribute to this issue:
- Lack of hazard-specific controls: A safety pre-task plan may outline general measures or controls that are not specifically tailored to address specific hazards. Each hazard requires a targeted control measure that directly addresses the associated risk. If the plan fails to couple the hazard with the corresponding control, the risk mitigation efforts may be inadequate, leaving workers exposed to potential harm.
- Inappropriate or ineffective controls: Safety pre-task plans should include controls that are suitable for the identified hazards. Therefore, closely related to the issue of not introducing controls that are specific to the existing hazards is the introduction of controls that are not appropriate for these hazards. For example, they might rely on administrative controls (e.g., training or signage) when engineering controls (e.g., physical barriers or ventilation) would be more effective. This mismatch between the hazard and the control can compromise safety.
- Failure to address all hazards: A comprehensive safety pre-task plan should identify and address all the hazards that have the potential to occur when performing a given task. However, if the plan overlooks certain hazards or only focuses on a subset of risks, it is incomplete. This can occur because there has been insufficient hazard analysis, a lack of experience, or an ignorance towards certain aspects of the task. This type of negligence can result in unmitigated risks.
- Planning per shift: A safety pre-task plan could be introduced at the start of a shift with the expectation that it will address everything to be completed throughout the entire shift. If the work is static, this may not be a problem. However, if many tasks are being performed and the work environment changes as the shift goes on (e.g., it gets hotter throughout the day), a single safety pre-task plan cannot address all these dynamics of the work from a risk standpoint.
- Inadequate control implementation: Even if a safety pre-task plan specifies appropriate controls, it is essential to ensure their proper implementation. If the plan does not provide clear instructions, guidance, or supervision regarding the implementation of controls, workers may not fully understand how to utilize them correctly. This can lead to inconsistent or improper application, rendering the controls ineffective in mitigating hazards.
When a safety pre-task plan is completed on paper as a means of “checking the box” and not coached and practiced as a part of an overall risk mitigation process, it will not be effective in contributing to the operational continuity of an organization. The success of a safety pre-task plan relies on it appropriately addressing specific hazards per task. For this to come to fruition, there must be communication and cooperation between those designing the plan, those performing the task, and those supervising. Otherwise, workers may misunderstand or misinterpret the instructions, or simply forget to follow the plan altogether. Therefore, workers must be engaged in the pre-task plan discussion and allowed to contribute and ask questions to promote understanding.
Safety pre-task plans can be an essential element of workplace safety, but there are several risks, limitations, and problems associated with this process that must be properly considered. Overcoming these obstacles will entail ensuring that workers are trained and informed about the importance of following pre-task plans consistently, providing accurate and complete information for the pre-task plan, and accounting for new or emerging hazards (including human error).
AUTHOR BIO:-
Cary comes to the SafetyStratus team as the Vice President of Operations with almost 30 years of experience in several different industries. He began his career in the United States Navy’s nuclear power program. From there he transitioned into the public sector as an Environmental, Health & Safety Manager in the utility industry. After almost thirteen years, he transitioned into the construction sector as a Safety Director at a large, international construction company. Most recently he held the position of Manager of Professional Services at a safety software company, overseeing the customer success, implementation, and process consulting aspects of the services team.
At SafetyStratus, he is focused on helping achieve the company’s vision of “Saving lives and the environment by successfully integrating knowledgeable people, sustainable processes, and unparalleled technology”.
