Proactive interventions
“We work safely because we are motivated to do the right things naturally, not just because we are told to. We want to make interventions and actively participate in improvement activities”
Proactive interventions are formal and informal activities (workshops, training, appraisals, etc.) required to implement and sustain change.
Companies will generally have some formal activities in place to maintain competency, such as training, professional development programmes, yearly appraisals, quarterly meetings, etc. These are the basic mechanisms by which change can be implemented, and so should be developed to ensure they are effective and focused on developing the other 3 foundations for change – safety leadership, individual consequences, and responsibility and competence.
For example, appraisal systems should reflect the aspired goals of the organisation (e.g. zero harm), rewarding those who deliver, but also providing the appropriate mechanisms for when coaching is needed.
The Hearts and Minds toolkit can be used to form the basis for training, workshops, and other professional development activities. It provides a process and a set of tools to support most general HSE improvement programs as well as helping to solve specific problems commonly observed in organisations.
Each tool essentially provides a method to help people discuss and identify issues, and then find their own solutions. They are designed on a ‘by you, for you’ basis, without the need for consultants. Leaders at all levels can use these tools, and can act as facilitators for those they manage.
Further information
Some examples of proactive interventions include:
- Weekly toolbox talks
- Meetings
- Training sessions
- Continual professional development
- Performance reviews/contracts
- Staff appraisals