Remember this key points for become a Good Site Safety Observer

To improve health and safety performance, managers and supervisors must eliminate unsafe acts by observing them, taking immediate corrective action and following up to prevent recurrence. To become a good observer, they must improve their observation skills and must learn how to observe
effectively. Effective observation includes the following
key points:

• be selective
• know what to look for
• practice
• keep an open mind
• guard against habit and familiarity
• do not be satisfied with general impressions
• record observations systematically.

Observation techniques

In addition, to become a good observer, a person must:

•  stop for 10–30 seconds before entering a new area to ascertain where employees are working;
•  be alert for unsafe practices that are corrected as soon as you enter an area;
• observe activity – do not avoid the action;
•  remember ABBI – look above, below, behind, inside;
•  develop a questioning attitude to determine what injuries might occur if the unexpected happened and how the job might be accomplished more safely. Ask ‘why?’ and ‘what could happen if … ?’;
•  use all senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch;
• maintain a balanced approach. Observe all phases of the job;
•  be inquisitive;
•  observe for ideas – not just to determine problems;
•  recognise good performance. 

        

Some commonly observed poor work practices include:

•  using machinery or tools without authority
• operating at unsafe speeds or in other violation of safe work practice
•  removing guards or other safety devices, or rendering them ineffective
• using defective tools or equipment or using tools or equipment in unsafe ways
•  using hands or body instead of tools or push sticks
•  overloading, crowding, or failing to balance materials or handling materials in other unsafe ways, including improper lifting
•  repairing or adjusting equipment that is in motion, under pressure, or electrically charged
•  failing to use or maintain, or improperly using, personal protective equipment or safety devices
• creating unsafe, unsanitary, or unhealthy conditions by improper personal hygiene, by using compressed air for cleaning clothes, by poor housekeeping, or by smoking in unauthorised areas
•  standing or working under suspended loads, scaffolds, shafts, or open hatches.

Additional principles for conducting inspections:

•  Draw attention to the presence of any immediate danger – other items can await the final report.
• Shut down and ‘lock out’ any hazardous items that cannot be brought to a safe operating standard until repaired.
•  Do not operate equipment. Ask the operator for a demonstration. If the operator of any piece of equipment does not know what dangers may be present, this is cause for concern. Items should never be ignored because the observer did not have the knowledge to make an accurate assessment of safety.
• Clearly describe each hazard and its exact location in rough notes. Allow ‘on-the-spot’ recording of all findings before they are forgotten. Record what have or have not been examined in case the inspection is interrupted.
• Ask questions, but do not unnecessarily disrupt work activities. This may interfere with efficient assessment of the job function and may also create a potentially hazardous situation.
•  Consider the static (stop position) and dynamic (in motion) conditions of the item you are inspecting. If a machine is shut down, consider postponing the inspection until it is functioning again.
•  Discuss as a group, ‘Can any problem, hazard or accident generate from this situation when looking at the equipment, the process or the environment?’ Determine what corrections or controls are appropriate.
• Do not try to detect all hazards simply by relying on human senses or by looking at them during the inspection. Monitoring equipment may have to be used to measure the levels of exposure to chemicals, noise, radiation or biological agents.
• Take photographs to help with any description of a particular situation. Make sure it is safe to operate a camera in the workplace concerned.

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