This year, we made a change to our safety program. We introduced a new way of thinking to a program that, by most accounts, was working and working well.
Engineering and Design Decisions Guided by Safety
S&B is one of the safest EPC contractors in the industry, and we are consistently recognized by industry organizations for our best-in-class safety performance. With all the right metrics and the third-party validation, some may ask, “Why fix what isn’t broken?” My response would be that our safety performance has remained consistent year after year, which indicates a system that is operating in a steady state within its control limits. If the upper control limit is not zero, then there is the risk of harm to one of our team members, and that is unacceptable.
Projects Benefit from a New View of Safety
As an organization, we strive to continuously improve, especially regarding safety to ensure everyone goes home the way they came to work. That started our journey with Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), a science-based approach to looking at mistakes so we can address them more effectively. We started delving into the research of experts Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. James Reason, Dr. Todd Conklin, and Dr. Sidney Dekker, among others. The more we learned, the more excited we got about HOP. Conklin’s 5 Principles of Human and Organizational Performance include:
- Error is Normal
- Blame Fixes Nothing
- Context Drives Behavior
- Learning is Vital
- Response Matters
The principles became part of our leadership philosophy and fundamentally changed the way we think about and discuss safety. Safety is not the absence of accidents; it is the presence of capacity, and the freedom from unacceptable risk.
Our team members are problem identifiers and solvers. Rather than attempting to control their behavior by telling them what to do or not do, we ask them “What do you need?” The new view of safety recognizes that all human systems are complex adaptive systems, and all organizations are human systems. Because the interaction of elements within a complex adaptive system is unpredictable, relying on prescriptive strategies to control human behavior is futile and likely to create more opportunities for unexpected negative outcomes. That unpredictability should drive us to build additional capacity for safety and adaptability into these systems so that we can respond to the unforeseen and become more resilient.
Impacts Across the EPC Lifecycle
S&B integrates Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles into every phase of planning and execution to proactively build safety into work. This approach reduces operational risk, improves collaboration and enables safer project execution. Teams engage earlier, identify context-driven risk factors and apply human performance learnings throughout the delivery process to achieve more predictable outcomes and minimize disruptions.
Empower the Workforce
Our workforce embraces HOP principles to cultivate an environment that improves safety outcomes and simplifies the path to successful job completion. The goal is to make it easier for our team to achieve its objectives without encountering adverse outcomes. This shift resonates with our workforce, marking a significant change from our previous practices. For instance, after an incident involving pipe fitters at a job site, the organization engaged the employees in learning rather than resorting to traditional punitive measures. This approach led to practical solutions that improved safety and productivity, demonstrating the value of empowering workers to contribute to operational improvements.
From the earliest stages of a project, S&B field leaders participate in safety reviews and hazard identification to ensure that real-world perspectives shape our approach. In the field, this philosophy is brought to life through our People Observing People (POP) program, which promotes open communication and gives every team member the confidence and authority to stop work when conditions are not right.
Human Performance Factors Strenghtening Safety Culture
HOP strengthens S&B’s core safety programs, processes and procedures that have made us successful. HOP reinforces our strong safety culture and supports our deeply held core values, ensuring our S&B team members go home to their families at the end of each day. Read more about S&B’s safety culture.
