Dan Petersen Principles
Petersen mentions ten basic principles of safety. They are:
1. An unsafe act, an unsafe condition, and an accident are all symptoms of
something wrong in the management system.
2. We can predict that certain sets of circumstances will produce severe injuries.
These circumstances can be identified and controlled.
3. Safety should be managed like any other company function. Management should direct the safety effort by setting achievable goals and by planning, organizing, and controlling to achieve them.
4. The key to effective line safety performance is management procedures that
fix accountability.
5. The function of safety is to locate and define the operational errors that allow accidents to occur. This function can be carried out in two ways:
a. by asking why accidents happen - searching for their root causes
b. by asking whether certain known effective controls are being utilized.
6. The causes of unsafe behaviour can be identified and classified. Some of the classifications are Overload (the improper matching of a person's capacity with the load); Traps, and the worker's decision to error. Each cause is one which can be controlled.
7. In most cases, unsafe behaviour is normal human behaviour; it is the result of normal people reacting to their environment. Management's job is to change the environment that leads to unsafe behaviour.
8. There are three major subsystems that must be dealt with in building an effective safety system:
a) the physical.
b) the managerial.
c) the behavioural.
9. The safety system should fit the culture of the organization.
10. There is no one right way to achieve safety in an organization; however, for a safety system to be effective, it must meet certain criterions. The system must: - Force supervisory performance.
- Involve middle management.
- Have top management visibly showing their commitment. - Have employee participation.
- Be flexible.
- Be perceived as positive.
Many of these principles are just principles without tested techniques available while others have well-tested methods available. (Petersen 1989)
1. An unsafe act, an unsafe condition, and an accident are all symptoms of
something wrong in the management system.
2. We can predict that certain sets of circumstances will produce severe injuries.
These circumstances can be identified and controlled.
3. Safety should be managed like any other company function. Management should direct the safety effort by setting achievable goals and by planning, organizing, and controlling to achieve them.
4. The key to effective line safety performance is management procedures that
fix accountability.
5. The function of safety is to locate and define the operational errors that allow accidents to occur. This function can be carried out in two ways:
a. by asking why accidents happen - searching for their root causes
b. by asking whether certain known effective controls are being utilized.
6. The causes of unsafe behaviour can be identified and classified. Some of the classifications are Overload (the improper matching of a person's capacity with the load); Traps, and the worker's decision to error. Each cause is one which can be controlled.
7. In most cases, unsafe behaviour is normal human behaviour; it is the result of normal people reacting to their environment. Management's job is to change the environment that leads to unsafe behaviour.
8. There are three major subsystems that must be dealt with in building an effective safety system:
a) the physical.
b) the managerial.
c) the behavioural.
9. The safety system should fit the culture of the organization.
10. There is no one right way to achieve safety in an organization; however, for a safety system to be effective, it must meet certain criterions. The system must: - Force supervisory performance.
- Involve middle management.
- Have top management visibly showing their commitment. - Have employee participation.
- Be flexible.
- Be perceived as positive.
Many of these principles are just principles without tested techniques available while others have well-tested methods available. (Petersen 1989)
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