This new section will focus on leading indicators. Indicators are actions that will have a positive impact on safety in the days, months and years ahead. They include things like training, audits, and equipment upgrades. Leading indicators are a widely recognised measure of safety performance. They are the counterpart to lagging indicators, which focus on past performance.
COVID-19 It has been a significant year for safety management at Anakiwa. The world-wide spread of COVID-19 led to the first ever activation of Outward Bound's pandemic plan. The plan, originally developed in response to the 2009 swine flu outbreak, had to evolve rapidly to keep pace with global developments and industry guidelines. Outward Bound collaborated with the wider outdoor sector in New Zealand and the international Outward Bound community to help navigate these new challenges.
Time to Reflect Outward Bound made good use of four months of closure as a time to review our practices and systems. We are refreshing our safety processes to support new programmes being developed in new locations, such as the Kora Programme. We recognised that our existing systems had become highly refined over decades to meet the specific needs of our Anakiwa operations. It is important that our systems now evolve as our delivery model evolves, allowing us to safely deliver amazing course outcomes in new ways and new places.
Fatigue Management Fatigue management, especially for driving, is an area that we have long identified as a safety priority. Through 2019-2020 we have been transitioning from our old New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Worktime Variation, to a new Alternative Fatigue Management System (AFMS) for driving. This has involved the introduction of pre-drive fatigue assessments and changes to staff work scheduling. It is resulting in fewer hours worked and fewer kilometres driven by our staff. These changes reduce fatigue risk and, as an added benefit, reduce our environmental impact.
Kayak Audit Each year Outward Bound seeks a critical external perspective on a different part of our operation. This year we contracted Daan Jimmink of the New Zealand Kayak School to observe and review our kayak programme. Daan and the Kayak School are renowned as leaders in the New Zealand outdoor industry and in whitewater safety. The audit provided us with key steps we can take to make paddling at Outward Bound safer.
Safety Culture Survey Culture helps to make Outward Bound the organisation that it is. There is nowhere where this is more important than safety. Our staff culture drives everyday safety. It underpins key practices like the following of Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs), and the open and honest reporting of incidents. In November 2019 we surveyed delivery staff to better understand our safety culture and what we can do to maintain it. The results of this survey confirmed that our safety culture is in good health and provided fantastic input from staff to help us make it even better.
New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association (NZOIA) Symposium Outward Bound hosted the 2019 NZOIA Symposium at Anakiwa. The Symposium brought together more than 150 outdoor professionals from around Aotearoa to network and share the latest developments in outdoor education. This was a fantastic opportunity for Outward Bound instructors to connect with other outdoor educators. Staying connected to the rest of the outdoor sector is important to ensure our practice remains state of the art.
Training Training is key to delivering safe and effective courses. This year 362 staff days were spent on collective training and 71 staff days were spent on personalised training, making a total of 433 staff days* spent training.
The following graph illustrates the spread of topics or skill areas covered by staff training. Some of the topics are not safety related but are shown here to provide a balanced picture of all training undertaken.
* Staff days are calculated by multiplying the number of attendees by the duration of the training. For example, 10 staff attending a two day course equals 20 staff days.
Staff Training Days
Safe Work Observations Every course, managers or experienced instructors take opportunities to get into the field and spend time with instructors and students. This can take the form of quietly shadowing a group from a distance, providing professional coaching for an instructor, or co-delivering an activity alongside an instructor. These activities share experience, knowledge, and professional practice throughout the organisation. They also help to detect safety issues early before they result in an incident.
We have been working to broaden this practice to other parts of our workplace, such as driving, maintenance or administration. This year we undertook 44 Safe Work Observations. Because Safe Work Observations are a priority for us, we are setting a target of 60 for the coming year.
Safe Work Observations & Coaching Days
Hamish Reid Health & Safety Manager
