TCs contributing to safer workplaces
September 2014
Dr. Nat Janke-Gilman, who is speaking at the TechCommNZ conference in October, is an expert in the psychology behind human error. He will be discussing the creation of effective safety checklists, drawing on lessons learned from workplace disasters both at home and abroad. This promises to be a vital session for anyone involved in documenting procedures where a false step can mean death or serious harm.
As a nation, we Kiwis think of ourselves as being 10 foot tall and bullet-proof. We’re capable of doing anything we set our minds to, and to the devil with the consequences. However, when you’re working in a tiny enclosed space in a wind turbine 70+ metres off the ground in high winds, the Kiwi “she’ll be right mate” attitude towards safety could get you or a colleague either badly injured or killed.
Wind farm maintenance and other hazardous industries are waking up to the need to find a better way to communicate best practice for safety. But what is best practice for these dangerous workplaces under the new Worksafe legislation being brought in after the Pike River disaster? In today’s world of “do more with less”, creating workplace policies that encourage safe work practices with a reporting culture that is non-punitive is becoming more and more important. The technical communicator has a key role in creating safety procedures that are in the Goldilocks zone: not too light on essential detail and safe technique, yet not encumbered with over explanation that may be dismissed as teaching technicians “to suck eggs”.
Understanding the psychology of human error and how to effectively communicate safety is key to creating documentation that will not only meet the new policy standards set by Worksafe New Zealand, but make good, practical sense to those who follow it. Old school incident investigation too often pointed the finger at “human error” as root cause because official procedures weren’t followed, but what is a well-meaning technician to do if the procedure is either impractical, or doesn’t make any sense? This needs to end.
Read more about Nat's presentation here, and don't forget to register for the conference if you haven't already.
Photo of wind turbine, Brooklyn, Wellington, by Nition1 at en.wikipedia [ GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0or CC-BY-2.5], from Wikimedia Commons .