ON THE PRACTICE OF SAFETY

THIRD EDITION

ON THE PRACTICE OF SAFETY

THIRD EDITION

Fred A. Manuele, CSP, PE

President Hazards, Limited

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

Copyright 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, e-mail: permreq@wiley.com. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of prot or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax 317-572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print, however, may not be available in electronic format. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: ISBN 0-471-27275-2 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Irene

CONTENTS

Preface to the Third Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Acknowledgments
Introduction 1 Superior Safety Performance: A Reection of an Organizations Culture 2 Transitions Affecting the Practice of Safety 3 Dening the Practice of Safety 4 Principles for the Practice of Safety: A Basis for Discussion 5 Academic and Skill Requirements for the Practice of Safety 6 On Becoming a Profession 7 Heinrich Revisited: Truisms or Myths 8 Addressing Severe Injury Potential 9 Observations on Causation Models for Hazards-Related Incidents 10 A Systemic Causation Model for Hazards-Related Incidents 11 Incident Investigation: Studies of Quality

ix xi xiii xv
1 9 36 56 72 88 106 122 147 169 189 199
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viii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

CONTENTS

Designer Incident Investigation Comments on Hazards and Risks Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment Acceptable Risk Safety Professionals and the Design Process Guidelines: Designing for Safety System Safety: The Concept Applied Ergonomics: Signicance and Opportunity On Quality Management and the Practice of Safety A Safety Management Standard: A Futuristic View On Safety, Health, And Environmental Audits Behavior-Based Safety Measurement of Safety Performance

211 236 251 272 288 305 324 339 369 389 401 413 437 469

Index

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

Commencing a third edition of On the Practice of Safety was prompted by comments independently made to me by three professors who are using the book in their baccalaureate and masters degree safety programs. This is a composite of their message: The book is great, but some of your chapters need updating. This third edition continues to address those subjects that the author believes must be mastered by those who strive to attain professional status in the practice of safety. In the essay form used, most of these subjects are not addressed elsewhere. Their purpose is to provide

A basis for introspection by those safety professionals who seek to improve their performance, to be perceived by management as providing value, and to achieve professional recognition A solid foundation with respect to the practice of safety for students in safety degree programs

The second edition of On the Practice of Safety was written in 1995 and 1996. Each chapter has been updated in this third edition and has also been extended or revised as needed. In several chapters, this work is extensive. Also, research I conducted on pertinent safety management subjects since 1996 provided new chapters, of which there are ve. They are

Chapter 7, Heinrich Revisited: Truisms or Myths Chapter 8, Addressing Severe Injury Potential Chapter 15, Acceptable Risk Chapter 21, A Safety Management Standard: A Futuristic View (This is a replacement for a chapter in the second edition which pertained to an expected safety and health standard to be issued by the
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PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], the possibility of which is remote, at least temporarily.) Chapter 23, Behavior-Based Safety

This book is unique in its style, purpose, and content. This is what one college professor said about it. Your book has made me think differently about safety management, and what I want my students to learn. I hope you keep the present format in which each chapter is a stand-alone essay. I know that requires some repetition but the reader benets by not having to refer to other chapters while reading the chapter at hand. With partial success, that format has been retained. Recognition has been given in several chapters to a transition that continues to move forward, and that is the bringing together under one management the staff responsibilities for safety, occupational health, and environmental affairs. Often in the book, safety is the only term used, but it connotes all of the foregoing responsibilities. As has been the case in previous editions, this third edition emphasizes the need to balance the design and engineering aspects, the management and operations aspects, and the task performance aspects of the practice of safety. FRED A. MANUELE

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

Four plus years have passed since the rst edition of this book was published. And transitions in the practice of safety have continued to take place, requiring some revisions in all of the essays originally written and the addition of new ones. These are the new or signicantly revised chapters. Transitions in the Practice of Safety is the rst chapter in this edition, and it replaces the rst chapter in the previous edition. It addressed the changes that have taken place in the business climate and their effect on career planning. It also discusses how those changes require having a practice that has a sound theoretical and practical base, and the opportunities they present. This new chapter also includes the substance of the last chapter in the rst edition, which was On Management Fads. The chapter on the Principles for the Practice of Safety: A Basis for Discussion should be of interest to those who think about the substance of what safety professionals do and want to move the state of the art forward. In recognition of the need to further our knowledge of hazards-related incident causation, a chapter offers A Systemic Causation Model for Hazards Related Occupational Incidents. Designer Incident Investigation is to help safety personnel craft practical and realistic incident investigation systems, after considering the resources available and organizational sophistication. The chapter Guidelines: Designing for Safety is a concept paper that is to assist those whose responsibilities are extended into the design processes. In the rst edition, there were separate chapters offering comments on hazards and risks. They have been combined into one chapter titled Comments on Hazards and Risks. The original chapter Anticipating OSHAs Standard for Safety and Health Program Management has been extended to include comments
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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

on the safety management audit system that OSHA is exploring. Having sound safety performance measurement systems has become more important: thus the new chapter Measurement of Safety Performance. This second edition emphasizes the need to keep in balance the design and engineering aspects and the management and task performance aspects of the practice of safety. FRED A. MANUELE

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

Throughout a rewarding career as a safety professional, I have observed with pride the achievements of the many who have contributed to the recognition of the practice of safety as a profession. Weve come a long way. It is my hope that through this book I can assist in furthering that progress. Ours is a profession in transition, with many additional opportunities for professional involvement, accomplishment, and recognition. In light of the transitions in progress, the essays in this book propose an extension of knowledge by those engaged in the practice of safety, through which they can enhance their careers, become more effective, and be perceived as greater contributors toward achieving organizational goals. This is also a book about fundamental principles and practices. It is addressed to students, educators, and practicing safety professionals. I hope that readers will welcome a review of our fundamentals, intended to improve the theoretical and practical base for our practice. I have attempted to argue systematically and consistently for hazards management ideas of substance in relation to our history, opportunities, and needs. I expect that these essays will be slightly controversial since some longaccepted concepts are put to question. Some practices that have become fashionable are not sound. I understand that what I propose will be perceived by some to be heresy. Some readers will presume that I have put their nest ideals under scrutiny and proposed signicantly different concepts. In an atmosphere of quiet deliberation, my best hope is that what I have written will be perceived as thought-provoking and will serve to further the professional practice of safety. FRED A. MANUELE
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To properly recognize all who have contributed to this book, I would have to cover a period of 78 years and the list of people deserving appreciation would be endless. Particularly, though, to the people who gave of their time in past years and critiqued individual essays, as well as to the people who made written contributions to individual chapters, I express my sincere thanks and gratitude. FRED A. MANUELE

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