Considerations and Rationale for Procedure Development (3) Part Series

Part 1

As awareness of violence as a health and safety issue at work has increased, the importance of clear and practical procedures has increased.

Written procedures are essentially a series of steps that guide the worker through a particular work process. It is important that the steps are written in such a way that:

a) They are easy to understand.
b) Can be followed consistently when used.
c) They can be monitored and evaluated for their effectiveness.

The examples below give an idea of ​​the logic behind developing procedures that will increase employee safety and more effectively help achieve regulatory compliance. Minimize and be aware of using:

(a) ‘Safety Tips’
(b) Procedural steps that require specialized training (unless workers have the training)

Examples:
1. Safety tip: “Focus on emotions first, try to stay calm, and try to calm the other person down.”

The above tip is found in the WCB Take Care Guide and refers to dealing with angry customers. These are good points, but not very tangible steps to ‘demand’ employees to follow.

2. Procedural steps that require specialized training: “Try verbal de-escalation skills to deal with the angry person. If not effective, use safe disengagement strategies.”

The above written procedure can be effective, provided workers are trained in verbal de-escalation skills and safe disengagement strategies. If staff do not have this training, these steps will not be very meaningful or useful to them.

The less clear the procedures, the more difficult it is for workers to follow them and the more difficult it becomes to monitor and control their effectiveness.