Appendix 6: Outdoor and Adventure Pre-season Operations Checklist

November 2009

• Reliable and Safe Communication
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Training and checking
• Working safety reporting systems
• Culture and Leadership

Reliable and Safe Communication

"Nearly every potential hazard is known and identified by someone, but for whatever reason has not been communicated (or was communicated but not acted upon) to the individual capable of correcting it"

Extracted from the summary of a Flight Safety Foundation Report

We know great communication is critical to good operations, but do we spend enough time and effort making it all that it can be?

Questions:

• If each of my team was asked about the reliability and consistency of communication in our operation, how would they rate it (3/10 - 8/10)? What would make it 10/10?
• As we approach another busy summer, have I emphasised to my team the importance of free-flowing 'safe' communication and why it is so critical to our operation?

Comments directly from operators:

• No one must ever be afraid to ask...
• Everything is written down in our company, but deciphering it is a bit of a challenge!
• Don't sit on issues or concerns - deal with them directly and move on...
• Provide positive feedback when possible, not only is it fair to do so, it also gives greater credibility when you have to be a bit firmer...
• Don't feel under pressure to know all the answers - just to find them

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):

SOPs are a written summary of a day at work for your team. Great for induction training, they can be sent to a new employee weeks ahead of their employment date, allowing a much smoother and safer period of initial training.

An SOP manual is the 'bible' for all training and checking and helps ensure consistency amongst those undertaking the checking and training.

Well written SOPs that are understood by all team members and guide day to day operations are a cornerstone of every operation, they:

• Transfer rules & daily procedures into a practical form
• Are the bible for day-to-day operations
• Must be a controlled document showing where copies are held, which is the latest version and when a review is due
• Must be developed and reviewed with staff input
• Must be correctly written: clear, simple, direct and unambiguous
• Need to be reviewed regularly
• Are a great resource for training, bringing consistency

But

Judgement and initiative are still required by every individual though!

Questions:

• Have I ensured that every member of my team has read and understood our SOPs prior to summer and they accurately reflect our day to day operations?
• Does everyone in my team interpret the SOPs the same way i.e. what items have a zero tolerance for variation (strictly procedural) versus those to which initiative and judgement may be applied?
• Have I emphasised the importance of standard operating procedures to my team?

Comments directly from operators:

• Beware of the 'exception becoming the rule'
• It's the easiest thing in the world to develop a procedure, it's the hardest thing in the world to keep it working
• Lead by example - consistently & regularly
• Apply the 'margin for error' rule for decision making to support your SOPs

Training and checking:

At any moment, on any day, each of your team should be capable of meeting an acceptable standard i.e. while training is about building skill levels, checking sessions are not 'high moments', but rather confirmation of a standard being maintained through both self-checking (on a daily basis) and external checks.

Questions:

• Is my team's training and checking complete and recorded as I head into summer?
• Have I instilled in my team the need for daily self-checking and evaluation to ensure high standards are maintained between checks?

Comments directly from operators:

• Training - seek to provide more information than is strictly necessary
• Document everything you do, even if it's not formal checking or training
• Take every training opportunity - utilise senior staff when appropriate
• Seek 'real' situations to hone skills...
• Know what standard you require and don't on any account accept less

Working safety reporting systems:

Nil (or very low) reporting = A serious culture problem

It does not equal 'no problems'

Working safety reporting systems are not a seldom-used folder on a high shelf, but rather a prominent, active and well understood part of your operation. They are used for identifying and mitigating simple safety observations, 'but for the grace of God' events and finally - actual incidents. They:

• Are likely to be a combination of verbal and written reporting
• Help to ensure timely action...
• Must be owned/driven by someone
• Should preferably be one form - simple!
• Help to show positive or negative trends
• Are successful when action is taken, findings are reviewed with staff and open support is demonstrated to those who use the system - all of which helps ensure high reporting levels
• Assist with the update of company manuals

Questions:

• Is your safety reporting system a prominent, active and well understood part of your operation?
• Has the true value of your safety reporting system been fully explained to everyone in your team as you approach summer?
• Do you ensure that every concern raised by your team is addressed in a timely and appropriate manner?
• Do you actively use the system yourself and ensure that you or someone else in your company actively drives and promotes the system?
• Do your internal audits focus on things that really matter?

Comments directly from operators:

• Safety failures are a recognised risk of outdoor activity, it is reporting and rectification that counts...
• Developing good situational awareness is fundamental to good risk management
• Actively use and promote your safety systems, leading by example is crucial to their overall effectiveness

Integral to a working safety reporting system is a crisis plan. The process of developing an operational crisis plan is an opportunity to work through possible scenarios and identify areas to focus on.

A good crisis plan should:

• Be a controlled document, ie: of limited distribution, showing where copies are held, which is the latest version and when a review is due
• Be easily identifiable: coloured red, and positioned clear of other documents
• Show clear step-by-step procedures for the range of likely emergencies - the fewer words the better!
• Provide a column where, as each action is completed, the time is noted alongside
• Include a staff and next of kin contact list
• Include a key stakeholders contact list
• Include a reminder to cancel emergency services if they are not required
• List emergency equipment carried if applicable
• Document who will be responsible for talking to the media
• Be regularly reviewed - phone numbers, names, layout and the appropriateness of the actions themselves
• Be the basis for regular scenario training by all staff - including handling the media.

Culture and Leadership:

Ultimately you and your senior team members determine the strength of your risk management processes. Positive safety cultures trickle down, not up. Leading by example will establish a team who take personal responsibility for the welfare of their visitors, other team members and themselves - surely the ultimate goal of any operation.

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