Question

If you were a safety management system manager who was given an extra $500,000 to invest, would you choose to invest it in hazard identification and analysis or training competencies? What is your rationale for deciding to invest where you did? How do you think this will affect the overall safety management system?

Answer 1

I would choose to invest in training competencies since training is the key to behaviour and if behaviour is controlled, then hazards itself will be controlled. Hazards are created in the system due to people not following proper procedures or processes most of the time or not taking timely actions. However, Investing and training people in behaviours leads to the prevention of hazards in systems since people follow the procedures. Therefore, addressing behaviours is the key to hazard elimination. This will affect the overall safety of the management system by increasing compliance to systems, setting of examples by management staff and providing motivation for staff to take timely actions.The training will also sensitize the staff with the perils of hazards and its costs to the company and personnel.