Elements of practical loss control leadership and the incident

triangle
Incident triangle

Figure 1. Incident triangle

It is human mature to perceive to perceive the accident with the greater loss of life as the
greater tragedy. However, property damage and loss of production must also be
considered in loss prevention. These losses can be substantial. Accidents of this type are
much more common than fatalities. This is demonstrated in the accident pyramid shown
in Figure 1. The numbers provided are only approximate. The exact numbers vary by
industry, location, and time. Near misses provide a good opportunity for companies to
determine that a problem exists and to correct it before a more serious accident occurs. It
is frequently said that the cause of an accident is visible the day before it occurs.
Inspections, safety reviews and careful evaluation of near misses will identify hazardous
conditions that can be corrected before real accidents occur.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reference for the above part
Crowl, D. A.; Louvar, J. F., Chemical process safety: fundamentals with applications.
Prentice Hall PTR Upper Saddle River, NJ: 2002.

Management loss control

Loss control is a vital part of every managers job, at every organizational level. To be
done effectively, it requires a professional management approach. Three major reasons
for this are:
a. Managers are responsible for the safety and health of others.
b. Managing safety provides significant opportunities for managing costs,
c. Safety/loss control management provides an operational strategy to improve
overall management
The general goals of loss control management are listed below. If these goals are properly
achieved, the change of a major or catastrophic loss for any organization with high risk
will be minimized.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Identify all loss exposures

Evaluate the risk in each exposure
Develop a plan
Implement the plan
Monitor

Elements of practical loss control leadership

1. Accident/incident investigation
Accident investigation is a part of almost every safety program. Effective
investigation can describe what happened; determine the real causes; decide the risks;
develop controls; define trends and demonstrate concern.
Designating the investigator or investigating team is a critical first step. The
investigation board should include supervisors, middle manager and staff personnel.
Steps in investigation should include:
a. Respond to the emergency promptly and positively.
b. Collect pertinent information about the incident.
c. Analyze all significant causes.
d. Develop and take remedial actions
e. Review findings and recommendations
f. Follow through on the effectiveness of the actions.

The guidance for supervisors to get incidents/accidents reported:

a. React in a positive way: if information can be utilized to prevent or control future
incidents that could be of major or even catastrophic dimension, let the worker
know the contribution his information is making.
b. Give more attention to loss control performance: think about things like good
housekeeping, following safety rules and practices and use of personal protective
equipment regularly with the work group.
c. Recognize individual performance promptly: learn to pay more attention to
peoples actions and practices that contribute to accident prevention.
d. Develop awareness of the value of incident information: using group meetings
and personal contacts to give feedback. Tell people how incidents reported were
used to improve safety for everyone.
e. Show personal belief by action: make sure that problems are followed up.
f. Make mountains out of molehills: emphasize near-accidents and minor accidents,
especially those with high potential.
Peoples memories as well as their willingness to take can be affected by the way
they are questioned. The following tips can be used in incident investigation to
improve the interview effect:
a. Interview separately.
b. Interview in an appropriate place.
c. Put the person at ease.
d. Get the individuals version: let the person tell things as he or she or she
remembers them. Dont interrupt unless the comments get off the subject.
e. Ask necessary questions at the right time: these can be used to prompt more
detail in comments, or to seek answers to questions that came to mind while
looking at the site or listening to the witness.
f. Give the witness some feedback.
g. Record critical information quickly.
h. Use visual aids: if you are not interviewing on-site, use sketches, blueprints,
models or instant-print photographs. Theses help witnesses sort out relevant
facts in their minds.
i. End on a positive note.
j. Keep the line open: tell the witness to take to you if he or she thinks of
anything else.
2. Planned inspection

Inspection is one of the best tools available to find problems and assess their risks before
accidents and other losses occur. A well-managed inspection program can meet goals
such as these:
a. Identify potential problems that were not anticipated during design or task
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

analysis.
Identify equipment deficiencies.
Identify improper employee actions.
Identify effects of changes in processes or materials.
Identify inadequacies in remedial actions.
Provide management self appraisal information.
Demonstrate management commitment through visible activity for safety and
health.

While there are many types of inspections, the procedure for each is similar. The steps
are: prepare, inspect, develop remedial actions and take follow-up actions.
Adequate preparation includes emphasis on a positive approach, pre-inspection planning,
application of checklists, review of previous inspection reports and gathering of
inspections tools and materials.
Some key points can help us make inspection more effective:
a. Refer to the map an checklist
b. Accent the positive: make brief notes or tallies of what you have looked at and
found satisfactory.
c. Look for off-the floor and out-of the-way items.
d. Take immediate temporary actions: when any serious risk or danger is found, do
something right away.
e. Describe and locate each item clearly
f. Classify hazards

3. Task analysis and procedures

Task analysis is the systematic examination of a task to identify all loss exposures
associated with the task. This approach involves seven stages:
a. Inventory occupations
b. Inventory all tasks within each occupation

c. Identify the critical tasks

d. Analyze the critical tasks
Break tasks down into steps or activities
Pinpoint loss exposures
Make an efficiency check
Develop controls
e. Write procedures or practices
f. Put to work
g. Update and maintain records
4. Planned job/task observation
The best way to find out how well a person does a particular job or task is to observe
him or her doing it. It is a sure way to know whether or not critical jobs are being
performed according to standards, or whether there are better ways that everyone
should be using.
Planned observations are not done as a sideline to some other activity. They require
preparation, undivided concentration and adequate time to do a thorough job. Steps of
a planned observation include preparing, observing, discussing, recording, followingup.
5. Group meeting
Management principles which have stood the test of time emphasize the importance
of good communication. Some principles are listed as follows:
a. The distortion principle: the more levels a communication goes through, the more
distorted it becomes.
b. The psychological appeal principle: communication that appeals to feelings and
attitudes tends to be more motivational than that which appeals only to reason.
c. The utilization principle: the sooner the more often an idea or skill is put to work,
the better it is learned and remembered.
The following four-step discussion leading procedure is an effective one for group
communication.
a. Introduce the subject, topic, question, or concept for discussion
b. State the subject, topic, question or concept
c. Establish key points of explanation or answer
d. Summarize or conclude the discussion
There are four methods popularly used in group meeting.

a. Lecture and discussion method

In this method, the leader describes, explains, demonstrates and so on; while
the conferees listen, take notes and ask questions. This method is most
applicable when the topic to be covered involves matters that are new and
unfamiliar to the conferees, and the key points of the topic might not be
readily developed through free discussion.
b. Question and answer discussion method
In this method, the leader is merely the catalyst or facilitator who brings the
answers out of the group.
c. Pro and con discussion method
In this method, the role of the leader is to stimulate people to voice their
opinions for or against the issue posed by the topic question and to support
their opinions with reasoning.
d. Small group discussion method
The small group method permits the leader to remove yourself from the
discussion. In this method, the leader divides the large group into several
small groups. The Leader gives the discussion question to the groups and turn
them loose to develop the key points or answers on their own.
6. Employee training
Research and experience have shown the importance of these six-steps to successful
employee training.
a. Pinpoint training needs
b. Set training objectives
c. Decide how best to meet the training objectives
d. Secure and/or develop the training program,
e. Do the training
f. Evaluate and follow-up the training
7. Job pride development
Job prides is a feeling, an attitude, a mainspring that motivates people to do their best.
Job pride development is what we do to wind that motivational mainspring, to bring
out the best in people. it is lifting people up, turning them on, stimulating them to
peak performance.

Job pride can be development in the approach of

a. Effective leadership
b. Behavior reinforcement
It is the immediate recognition of desired acts. In practical terms, this means that
when a specific job behavior results in a negative consequence, that behavior will
tend not to be repeated.
c. Quality of work life
It aims to replace alienation and apathy with identification and enthusiasm. They
involve powerful dynamics such as participation, job enrichment, team building
and mutual problem solving. It helps to fulfill human needs for self-esteem, selfactualization, dignity and development.
d. Organization climate
It aims to improve the organizations climate. A positive climate provides:
Growth opportunity
Stimulation for improvement
Counsel on job objectives, standards, performance and improvement
Assistance by way of training, communication and career development
Recognition for desired performance
e. Work redesign
It holds great promise as an effective motivator, as an important impetus to job
pride development. It reverses the trend toward work simplification. It makes jobs
bigger and better through techniques such as job rotation, job enlargement and job
enrichment.
8. Problem solving
The following seven steps from a fundamental framework for effective problem
solving:
a. Recognize the problem
b. Analyze the problem
c. Identify possible causes
d. Develop possible solutions
e. Evaluate possible solutions
f. Reach a decision
g. Stimulate actions
9. Managing the troubled employee
Three common approaches to the troubled employee are: (1) the cover-up approach,
(2) the limited approach and (3) the comprehensive approach.

The cover-up approach

The unwritten policy of the cover-up approach is: we will help you hide your
problems as long as possible, but when they can no longer be covered up we will fire
you. This approach is the most costly to both the organization and the employee.
The limited approach
The limited approach deals only with alcoholism or drug abuse. It has the advantage
of being more focused than a comprehensive approach.
The comprehensive approach
The comprehensive approach, also called the broadbrush approach, take into
account other job impairment factors such as emotional disturbance, family
disruption, illness in the family and financial and occupational stress.
The front-line supervisor is the point of management control for managing troubled
employees. There are six very practical guidelines for supervisors in doing this:
a. Recognize the importance of the supervisory role
b. Identify the symptoms of developing problems
c. Document the patterns of performance
d. Discuss performance with the employee
e. Learn to listen; listen to learn
f. Know when to refer an employee to a counselor
10. Property damage and waste control
Damage and waste are all around us, once we identify them we can evaluate and
control them. While there is no single source of comprehensive cost data for
accidental property damage, conservative estimates peg it at from five to fifty times
as much as the costs of injuries.
Three of the major reasons why damage control is a vital part of safety are:
a. The basic causes and controls are the same for injury accidents as for damage
accidents.
b. Many property damage accidents also injure people, and most of them have the
potential to do so.
c. Being concerned with all accidents, rather than a limited category, vastly
increases the base for effective control.
Control of property damage and waste involves:
a. Identification of the specific items being damaged by other than normal wear
and tear. This may be done by personal observation, by management directive

and/or by systematic audit of items repaired, replaced, salvaged or disposed

of.
b. Evaluation, i.e., determining the critical items of damage and setting priorities
for actions. The critical items are the relatively few that produce the bulk of
the dollar losses. Other evaluation considerations include the kinds of control
measures that are possible, the degree to which losses can be controlled and
how much the controls will cost.
c. Application of control techniques. For fast results, the problem-solving team
technique has proven successful. The appropriate executive sets up a team to
analyze a high-priority item, determine the basic causes, develop solution
alternatives and recommend the best solution. This approach can yield
significant, measureable loss reduction in just a few months.
Waste control is a vital part of loss control. Often, it is also an integral part of
safety. Here are five damage and waste control measures:
a. Investigation at the scene and upper management review meeting of major
losses.
b. Investigation at the scene and upper management review meeting of major
losses.
c. Identification of the critical few items of damage and waste, with project
team problem-solving.
d. Inclusion of damage and waste control thinking in every program activity.
e. Property damage measurements used in addition to injury measurements.
Effective control of property damage and waste brings enormous benefits, in
both economic and human terms-better profitability, better productivity, better
quality and better safety.
Other elements of practical loss control leadership include incident recall and
accident imaging, personal communications, occupational heath, fire loss
control.
------------------------------------------------------------------Reference for the above part

Bird, F. E.; Germain, G. L.; Clark, M. D.; Veritas, N., Practical loss control leadership. Det
Norske Veritas Loganville, GA: 2003.

Quiz:
1. Effective loss control requires a professional management approach. Which one
of the following options is NOT the reason for this?D
a. Managers are responsible for the safety and health of others.
b. Managing safety provides significant opportunities for managing costs
c. Safety/loss control management provides an operational strategy to improve
overall management.
d. Manages are more knowledgeable.
2. Which measure can make inspection more effective?D
a. Refer to the map an checklist
b. Accent the positive: make brief notes or tallies of what you have looked at and
found satisfactory.
c. Look for off-the floor and out-of the-way items.
d. All of the above
3. Control of property damage and waste involves__C__?
a. Identification of the specific items being damaged by other than normal wear
and tear.
b. Evaluation
c. A and B
d. None of the above