Building a
Coast Guard Auxiliary Safety Culture
�District Leadership Strategies
Strategic Plan Priority -
“Embrace an enhanced Safety Culture Auxiliary-wide”
“Implement a national safety management system (SMS) to reduce mishaps across all program areas. Improve readiness and availability of Auxiliary members through mishap prevention by insuring the four components of safety management systems are in place: 1) policy, 2) risk management, 3) safety assurance and 4) safety promotion.”
Why?
Better Mission Performance and Effectiveness!
2
Overview
What is Safety?
Safety (noun) [ seyf-tee ]
Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.
Safety is a “moving target”, our perception of safety is dependent on our environment, the hazards that may affect us.
When we put learning, people, relationships, respect and living first, then we might get to the heart of safety.
6
Other considerations about Safety
Sensitivity to Operations
Asking Open Questions
Finding the best in others
Entertaining doubt
Thinking Critically
Yeast in the dough (pervasive unseen influence)
7
Other considerations about Safety
“Safety” - resists a simple definition
“Safety” - is inherently complex
Focus on the role of people and their -
We must look beyond systems and compliance.
Safety - Not something that is done to the organization, but comes out of it, that allows it to achieve its objectives.
- Dr. Robert Long
8
The Perception Of Safety
9
Is this an example of a good Safety Culture?
Safety Culture within the SMS
Pathological:
“Who cares as long as we’re not caught”
Reactive:
“We do a lot, everytime we have an accident”
Calculative:
“We have a system in place to manage all hazards”
Proactive:
“We work on the problems that we still find”
Generative:
“Safety is how we do
business around here”
The “Culture Ladder”
Increased Trust and Accountability
The cultural shift
Reactive organizations
11
Proactive organizations
SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
SAFETY CULTURE
RISK MANAGEMENT
POLICY
ASSURANCE
PROMOTION
SAFETY ALWAYS
SAFETY ALWAYS
SAFETY ALWAYS
SAFETY ALWAYS
13
USCG SEH Manual COMDTINST M5100.47C
14
How Safety Initiatives too often appear:
The Boss says, “Do as I say, because I say so!”
Here comes the Boss….
Put on your safety gear!
16
A “knee-jerk” approach to safety is not an effective strategy.
The ineffectiveness of safety enforcement
What happens when you have a safety enforcement environment rather than a safety culture?
People may talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk!
Our Goal:
We want people to think though through the risks and consequences of the hazards.
18
"This hazard could expose my eyes to injury. I'll put on my safety glasses.”
19
So, what is Safety Culture and change?
Let's examine how we should respond to change and new programs.
This requires understanding change….
20
Culture is a direct result of shared experiences.
This can viewed from the perspective of nations, organizations, professions or other groups of people.
21
The destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia upon atmospheric re-entry on February 1, 2003 was rooted in large part to cultural issues.
NASA’s Culture - At the time of the Columbia mishap
3:00
23
DeAnne Aguirre, senior partner with Strategy & Business
District Safety Specialists
Be conscious of Safety, Always!
25
The Auxiliary is a Safety Organization.
It’s in our DNA.
Why?
To make us better,
To make us safer,
To improve mission accomplishment
To keep us from harm.
But we already have TCT and CRM!
Those don’t go away!
They are important tools of our Safety Management System.
We want to apply safety consciousness to everything we do.
But we’ve never done this before!
As a Safety Organization, it’s right that we have a Safety Management System.
We’re developing it with input from Auxiliary Leaders & Members and with Active Duty input.
We will learn as we go and continuously improve the system over time.
Defining Organizational Culture
Culture is:
Norms of behavior – reflecting the organization's practiced values
Organizational culture is comprised of all the stories told intentionally or incidentally by a collection of corporate storytellers.
“There we were . . . “
“Did you hear about . . .“
“Oh, you know how things go around here . . ..”
The origins of culture
The origins of culture
Defining Organizational Culture
Simply stated, culture is:
“The way we do things around here”
Safety Culture
How then do we create an enduring, positive safety culture?
�Safety Culture begins with: �
Just Culture
35
1:20
A Just Culture makes possible
a Reporting Culture
36
Learning Culture
38
2:00
Near Miss
Why talk about near misses?
2:00 Reporting Culture (sharing information)
40
Informed Culture
Leaders have accurate and current knowledge about the safety system, including human, technical, organizational, and environmental factors.
Operationally, people know where they have been, where they are and where they are going.
Flexible Culture
“A culture in which an organization is able to reconfigure themselves in the face of changing technologies often shifting from a conventional hierarchical mode to newer ideas”.
A Just Culture, an atmosphere of trust where people share safety related information.
A Reporting or sharing Culture, where people are comfortable discussing errors and near-misses.
An Informed Culture, where we share knowledge of human, technical, environmental and organizational issues that affect us.
A Learning Culture, where we can share Lessons Learned, and implement reforms as needed.
A Flexible Culture, where we can adapt as necessary to emerging hazards.
A Safety Culture, everyone embracing a business-like approach to developing safety policy, managing risks, and assuring and promoting safety.
Strategies and Tools
Developing effective leadership begins with….
Strategies and Tools
The District Chief of Staff (DCOS) has responsibility for the Safety Program in their District.
The DCOS may appoint members to specialize in Safety, including District Safety Specalists(s), to promote, monitor, report and advise on safety matters.
Those members will inform the DCOS on the status of the Auxiliary’s Safety Program and develop Safety communications for the District the Division and Flotilla levels.
Strategies and Tools - Communications
Coordinate with the National Safety program on all aspects of the District Safety program’s status.
Distribute safety literature and information, including articles for local newsletters.
Appropriately communicate “near miss”, hazard and mishap information.
Review Auxiliary mishap information with attention to “lessons to be learned”.
Strategies and Tools - Communications
Communicate the importance of:
���
3:50 Communications�
Strategies and Tools
Think and talk about safety.
49
Share Stories & Lessons Learned
50
“When people are highly motivated, it’s easy to accomplish the impossible.
And when they are not, it’s impossible to accomplish the easy”
Questions?
End
Presentation
53
End
Presentation
54