Pit & Quarry, November 2011

BY CARL METZGAR My dumbest idea to date B ack around last Christmas while listening to an absolutely grotesque performance of Handels Hallelujah Chorus the idea came What was needed was a 10 year moratorium on the Messiah in general and the Hallelujah Chorus in particular About three days later the absurd crept in and exposed the fallacy As a 9 or 10 year old boy soprano at a distant Easter I was exposed to the music for the first time As good fortune would have it I was singing Performance grade is absolutely unknown but boy was I impressed I was hooked by a first impression and landed by consistent listening and performing follow up with many different groups since then Here I was suggesting that this music be silenced for a while On the proposed 10 year quiet period it would mean that 10 years of 10 yearolds would miss out on first hearing or performing experience at an impressionable time of their lives How many seeds might not get planted No seeds no follow up and no growth No second chances A similar first impression process impacts loss control at the moment of integrating a new hire You have heard it before There is no second chance to make a first impression An experienced miner shows up and wants a job He speaks well is clean passed the drug test but comes from a competitor that has given pause in the past The competitors business practices are edgy the equipment and plant dont look so good and housekeeping is generally bad What bad attitudes and habits have been implanted in the new hire Oddly enough questionable bad experience then is not a reason for despair now Clean alert well spoken and a passed drug test are a good start The noted failures belong to the other operator not the new hire Do we agree that just handing this new hire a new hard hat is not the same as positively introducing the injury prevention and loss control program The safety shoes requirement only helps reinforce the program THE FIRST LEG OF SUPPORT IS THE BEHAVIOR OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM IN PARTICULAR THAT MEANS SUPERVISORS DO NOT ACCEPT DEVIATIONS FROM PREESTABLISHED GOOD PRACTICE EVEN WHEN IT MIGHT BE CONVENIENT The plant tour guided by the plant superintendent a supervisor or senior miner should point out that the housekeeping is maintained at all times and that all hoses not in service are coiled in their prescribed places or hung on the bracket provided The zero energy state is explained Before repairs are started power is locked out by every miner on the job and pressures are relieved Those things that are capable of dropping are blocked A tidy substantial place to work from is created and maintained throughout the job Engaging training After this energetic orientation it is probably safe to begin the required training Dont put this new hire in SPONSORED BY Do we agree that just handing this new hire a new hard hat is not the same as positively introducing the injury prevention and loss control program The safety shoes requirement only helps reinforce the program front of a TV and waste four hours watching marginally relevant videos before he is given meaningful work If the plant can support the orientation tour above someone in the company has also developed engaging training to give to the new hire Continue the training to complete the legal mandate and extend that with the company loss control program that supports injury prevention and loss control The first leg of support is the behavior of the management team In particular that means supervisors do not accept deviations from pre established good practice even when it might be convenient Standards established to protect miners and enhance performance have to be maintained We have just defined follow up This is the point where you reach back to the interview the hiring and the orientation with zero energy state the housekeeping standard blended in with progressive training and consistent follow up This program will compensate for any subpar work experience at the competitors plant Capitalize on first impressions PQ Carl R Metzgar CSP has more than 30 years of safety and health experience in the aggregates industry He provides consulting services with a specialization in program evaluation training compliance and loss control and can be reached at 336 766 8264 cmetz46840@ aol com 42 PIT QUARRY November 2011 www pitandquarry com