EXCERPTS FROM CSR NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2001

THE DICK KNOWLES APPROACH

In safety workshops being carried out across all areas of the CSR Group, we are using an approach that safety consultant Dick Knowles is sharing with us, which is based on some simple and effective, fundamental steps. 

Working from the principle that there should be zero injuries in the workplace, we are encouraging open and honest communication across all areas of business so that everyone is involved. We must also accept personal responsibility for working safely, and give top priority to improving safety and environmental standards. 

An important lesson is to 'take two' - take time to think through an action before starting it. By doing this we can identify what can go wrong, what needs to be done to do the job safely, and whether anyone else needs to be involved.

Stories of how Dick Knowles' workshops have improved safety performance can be found throughout this newsletter.

Improving safety the new way

Just what has Dick Knowles shown us to improve safety in CSR? Here is a brie/introduction by CSR safety practitioner Peter Belt.

The safety improvement process focuses on people - front line employees and their leaders -working together as teams, fixing safety problems, initiating improvements, and changing their behaviors to work more safely.

To spread this approach, two or three day site safety workshops are being held across CSR. Over 50 workshops have been run so far, with great initial success. Some 60 CSR safety facilitators have been trained by Dick Knowles and his associate Tim Dalmau to conduct workshops.

The workshop process involves employees, supervisors and managers from each site working together through a simple sequence of steps:

One of the secrets to the success of these workshops is that they encourage participation and give the participants time to think and talk about safety and how they should work together so people don't get hurt at work.

Who is Dick Knowles?

CSR people across Australia are benefiting from the knowledge of Dr Dick Knowles to improve safety leadership and performance.

Over a year ago, Dick started working with the people at the Invicta sugar mill in Queensland, to help reduce the number of people being injured at work by improving safety management skills. Since then, he has been running safety workshops and training people throughout CSR in better safety management.

A research chemist by background, Dick worked with the DuPont Corporation in the USA for 36 years prior to his current work with CSR. When Dick managed DuPont's Belle plant in West Virginia, it had a poor safety record, high costs and high environmental risks. However once Dick involved every plant member and they agreed on strong safety principles, all standards began to improve.

After six years, injury rates plunged 95%, emissions fell 87%, productivity increased 45% and earnings tripled. The Belle factory moved from having the worst safety record in DuPont to having the best.

Dick has already enabled many CSR operations to significantly reduce the number of people being hurt at work, which has also resulted in improvements in other areas of our business.

Pioneering an exciting safe way at Invicta

Where did Dick Knowles start working with CSR? Here are extracts from a report from Sugar Division safety manager Mike Boyle about the pioneer­ing safety achievements at CSR's Invicta raw sugar mill.

It all began at CSR's giant Invicta Mill, south of Townsville in tropical North Queensland in September 1999. Dick Knowles ran our first safety focus work­shop at Invicta, involving people

from all parts of the mill. The aim was to significantly reduce the number of people being hurt at work.

During the workshop, Invicta people developed a safety map for what they wanted safety to be like at the mill and agreed on the principles and standards that they would follow so that nobody would be injured. They started working together to solve the big safety issues, living out the safety principles and standards, and using safe acts audits to focus attention on working safely.

Since then, significantly less people have been injured at Invicta, with only two recordable injuries occurring in the past 12 months. People at the site have changed the way they manage safety - and on a deeper level how they work together. They have, for example, developed a best practice lock out approach in response to a recognized need. This change is driven by employees not managers.

Managers at the mill continue to support and further develop this positive change. At Invicta, the safety map is displayed and talked about regularly and people are living by their principles and standards. They share information, relationships are honest, conversations are two way and people are clear about their expectations and goals about safety.

Everybody is working together to stop people being hurt at Invicta.

Maintaining the safety thrust

Supporting and sustaining the process after a site safety focus workshop is critical to improving things. Some important practical points for site managers came out of a recent conversation between Ray Wimberley, who leads the team at CSR's Invicta raw sugar mill. North Queensland, and Dick Knowles:

  1. Work with safe acts audits, support the process, communicate the results and be prepared to respond to results from the safe acts audits, which is a leading indicator that an injury is going to happen.

  2. Display the safety map of what the people want safety at the site to be like - make it visible in meeting rooms, your office or wherever people will see it. Regularly review performance against the, map. Update it as required to keep it alive.

  3. Recognize good safety behaviors and performance.

  4. Support, recognize, publicize and renew projects for the safety teams process.

  5. Spend time with people, talk about safety and the business. Be seen on site, make clear your intentions, provide information, bring alive your expectations.

Use discipline where appropriate when people don't follow the safety rules.