AIHS National Conference Summary 2024
Emergency Planning: Aim for Capability not Documentation
Captain Richard de Crespigny presented an interesting discussion on building effective emergency response capabilities within your organisation. The main point is that as much as we plan and train for specific set of emergency scenarios the actual event is almost always going to be partially, or fully, unknown. As such we should actually ensure that we have trained our staff to have the skills to adapt to those unknown elements, making sure they can make the best decisions and respond appropriately rather than in a scripted manner. This involves training to skill and empower your staff to act according to the situation.
This adaptive capability is not just a benefit in emergencies, but also allows for work task adaption to changing work events. For example, pilots sometimes have to adapt their safe operating procedures in accordance with the company’s safety principles, as circumstances change. This requires not only your employees to have high levels of resilience and adaptability but also your organisation to have a just enough culture to allow this adaption to occur.
Psychosocial Risk Management: How do we do it?
Throughout the conference there were several presentations about how organisations approach engaging with psychological safety and risk management to not only manage their risk but improve their culture as well.
A representative from the Australian Army outlined their approach towards building a safe and proactive culture. They encourage their managers to be curious about their staff’s performance and well-being, it’s not enough to ask once or just one day a year. Their key areas for focus and action are:
Self-accountability and insightfulness
Understanding the warning signs
Understanding wellbeing and wellness
Destigmatising reporting
Enabling a positive workplace culture
An interesting point was that the data suggested there is a tendency for serious musculoskeletal injuries to lead to psychosocial risks and injuries due to the significant disruption to their usual routine and social activities. This shows that psychosocial risks are not a separate hazard but interlinked to other work activities and injuries.
It was pointed out that we’ve seen a 69% increase in psychosocial injuries over the last few years, with these types of injuries resulting in 7 times more time off work and cost.
These type of injuries challenge industry because most don’t yet have a risk management approach to psychosocial injuries. So, we default to the lower order elements on the hierarchy of controls, trying to buffer or fix the worker, rather than the system or the work itself. We need a more systemic approach and look more to engineering and elimination controls.
Interesting Technology
Passive Alcohol Sensor Technology
The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is currently demonstrating a new form of technology in motor vehicles. A spectrometer is installed in the vehicle and continuously monitors the air to determine if the driver is under the influence of alcohol. The system is designed to separate the driver from other passengers in the system and could be linked to ignition sequences or other security measures to prevent or respond to drunk driving.
This technology may appear in new cars in the near future. Something to look out for.
Visit TAC for more information.
Modular Information Flooring System
An interesting technology presented by versoflor, was a rubber module flooring system which allowed for the installation of a touch walkway, signage and communication process in the workplace. The resistance floor tiles can be installed on existing floor systems, and labelled to meet the organisation’s needs.
A led lighting system can also be installed to provide additional attention or communication such as directional lights to exits in event of emergency like on an aircraft.
