In our industry there are many hazards employees face every day. Some of these are obvious, like working in confined spaces or when digging trenches. Yet, many not-so-obvious hazards spring up on us suddenly.
One of our greatest assets when it comes to identifying hazards is our observation skills. What we see and then process is key to not only identifying these hazards, but how well we adjust our mindset in dealing with hazards and understanding the dangers if we do nothing.
The acronym “SORT” might be a familiar one if you have been in our industry for a while or attended safety training sessions. It is designed to help us improve observation skills and establishes a proven process for hazard recognition on the job site. It is generally a short and easy-to-remember acronym that can help every employee be safer on their jobs.
How good are your observation skills? How much do you actively look around on your job site for hazards on a daily basis? It’s easy to become complacent when we do similar jobs day in and day out. One might even miss hazards on a regular basis because they are “just part of the job” now. That unused electrical cord, the 8-foot pipe that’s sitting by the trench, and the grinder that is missing its guard are all examples of what might be going unnoticed on job sites.
The SORT acronym stands for Stop, Observe, Recognize and Take ownership. This process can greatly help recognize and eliminate hazards that might go unnoticed or unaddressed in our daily work.
Stop
The key here is to actually stop working. Take the time at the beginning as well as throughout the day to momentarily stop and look around. Did job conditions change? Has weather entered the picture? Is there new equipment on the job site now? Take the time to focus on your work area and see if there is something that needs to be addressed. Give yourself and your team the time to properly complete the observation process.
I know to “stop” working can be seen as taboo in some workplaces, but this is not actually stopping work. This is a part of the job that needs to be done and can be done in a timely manner.
Observe
When looking at your work area or the task at hand observe the common issues and hazards that come with the task. Look for the small details that might be otherwise missed if you were rushing to get the job done without stopping. Take the time to walk around and look at the equipment, any tools that are being used, and make sure any job-related paperwork has been filled out properly (permits, SOPs, JSAs). Even take the time to look at the weather report to see if there will be changes in conditions over the next few hours.
Recognize
Now that you have stopped and observed your work area, did you identify hazards? Whether they are hazards that come with the job, new ones or even some that got little attention in the past, they can now be addressed properly. This is where safety training, company procedures and lessons learned from the past can come in handy as you work through the process of dealing with the hazards identified. You can even bring in other employees to see your work area with fresh eyes. They might have certain knowledge that can be valuable to working safely at the job site.
Take ownership
This is the most important step in this process. Stopping work to observe and recognize hazards is useless if you do nothing about the hazards. Taking ownership and either eliminating the hazard or protecting yourself from a hazard that is a part of the job that’s absolutely necessary. Don’t wait on someone else to speak up or deal with it. Each employee on the job is vulnerable to injury if the hazard is not properly addressed in a timely manner. Sometimes getting the right people involved in addressing the hazard is key to eliminating it. This may take some time, so some employees may be reluctant to speak up. Don’t be that person, the consequences could be severe.
SORT is a short, easy-to-remember acronym to help you go through the process of making your work area or job site safer every day. Not just now and then when it is convenient. This also helps eliminate complacency when you are taking the time each day to address hazards or potential hazards.