Thinking Safety First MB's number-one goal is to have the safest workplace in the industry. But their efforts are paying off. Many divisions are instituting their own innovative safety practices, MIR numbers are down, and there's a new company-wide safety management system in the works. B.C. He has also been specially trained to do safety observations, a cornerstone of behaviour-based safety, which is changing the culture in many MB divisions. The process is simple but effective, and while it is customized for each operation, basics remain the same.
Observations are anonymous, non-disciplinary and voluntary.
Employees are chosen at random. The observer simply watches them work for 20 minutes, noting if they are safe or performing at-risk behaviour in any category, and then the two discuss what the observer saw. The observation data sheets showing safe and at-risk behaviours are given to a safety facilitator, in this case Hugh Scally. He enters the information into his computer to analyze trends, which indicate where employees are most at risk, and allows them to be proactive by indicating what preventative steps can be taken before an injury or accident occurs. The 24 observers at The Pine each do two observations a week.