When the staff at ITS speak with our clients and colleagues in the pipeline industry, we regularly hear about the steps they’re taking to improve safety for their workforce and customers.
The release of a new Pipeline Safety Management System computer-based training series in the ITS LMS is the perfect time to share some of our favorite tips for improving your safety responses.
Choose the Right Words for a Pipeline Safety Culture
Building a safety culture requires developing a shared sense of success or failure. When a particular issue in a training program causes concerns, a word like “reviewing” can create a more positive and cooperative environment.
Set Up a Thorough Pipeline Safety Follow Up Process
Reporting on a safety incident or concern is only one step of a change management program. Seeing the problem with clarity is an essential first step, but teams also need to follow up by taking action to improve their processes.
Each safety response should move a company toward the long-term goal of safer work practices.
Calm Responses for Pipeline Safety
Gas companies are adopting a Pipeline Safety Management System (or PSMS) in larger numbers, ensuring that all levels of their organizations are invested in creating a safety culture.
At the heart of a PSMS is a professional and measured response to close calls, safety concerns, and incidents. By making safety a routine topic of conversation, companies are more likely to deal with incidents and challenges in a calm, careful manner.
Encourage Employees to Speak Up about Pipeline Safety
By disconnecting employee discipline from speaking up about safety, companies can foster a more open, constructive safety culture. In fact, we have observed that companies can dramatically improve their safety record by incorporating some of their employees’ safety recommendations.
By implementing a company-wide PSMS, each employee, from managers to pipeline workers, has a framework for addressing pipeline safety concerns at any level without fear of consequences.
Track and Classify Near Miss Pipeline Safety Incidents
A PSMS aims to learn from near-misses or close calls rather than only reviewing incidents. A near-miss today does not guarantee the same result in the years to come.
By identifying certain incidents as preventable/non-preventable or non-avoidable/ avoidable, gas companies can develop specific safety plans adapted to each potential risk. Developing a wider range of potential safety challenges will offer a more realistic view of where vigilance is required.
Super Charge Your Safety Culture
The new PSMS series, developed in collaboration between ITS and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), provides a ready-made, comprehensive safety program for the pipeline industry.
Learn how our PSMS program can help your company today.
About ITS
Industrial Training Services, Inc. is a woman-owned small business headquartered in Murray, Kentucky, that has provided innovative training products and best-in-class support to the energy industry for more than 30 years. ITS is dedicated to maintaining lasting customer relationships by providing groundbreaking and industry-proven compliance tools, training, and products to streamline complex operations and help meet safety, regulatory, and qualification standards.
ITS has been the first to market for a variety of digital products to support the pipeline industry, replacing cumbersome, outdated paper processes, and giving business leaders peace of mind that their employees are well-trained and their records are secure.