Embracing Human Fallibility: Building a Safer Future in Clean Energy

In the dynamic world of clean energy, where innovation meets sustainability, the importance of safety cannot be overstated. The American Clean Power Association (ACP)’s 2023 “Fail Safe, Improve Safety” Workforce Safety Campaign is progress in this realm, highlighting the crucial role human performance plays in ensuring the well-being of clean energy workers. By providing workers with effective tools and strategies to enhance their performance, the campaign seeks to reduce serious injuries or fatalities (SIFs), prevent incidents, and promote a safer and more productive industry. Let’s remove the academic terms and make this more relatable to the workforce around working hazards each day in the field. 

Safety Campaign Objectives: 

1. Empower Workers: Equip clean energy workers with a comprehensive toolkit to enhance their human performance and make informed decisions when facing challenges on the job.
2. Prioritize Safety: Reinforce the importance of safety as an integral part of every task and encourage workers to proactively identify potential hazards.
3. Promote Continuous Improvement: Instill a culture of learning and growth, encouraging workers to share lessons learned and innovative ideas to improve overall safety standards.
4. Reduce Incidents: Lower the rate of accidents and incidents within the clean energy sector through the application of effective human performance tools.
5. Raise Awareness: Increase awareness about the significance of human performance in maintaining a secure workplace, fostering a sense of responsibility among all stakeholders.

The annual safety campaign is a reminder that people are fallible; even the most experienced and qualified individuals can make mistakes. But what truly matters is how we respond to these mistakes and the lessons we learn from them.

1. Acknowledging Human Fallibility (We all will mess up or make mistakes):
In every industry, even with the best training and experience, errors can occur. In clean energy, where precision is vital, acknowledging that no one is immune to making mistakes is a significant step towards improving safety. The campaign recognizes that accidents are often not a result of personal inadequacy, but rather inherent aspects of complex operations.

2. The Power of Reaction and Response (How we respond matters):
How we react to failure or potential failure can define the trajectory of future performance. Viewing failures as learning opportunities rather than sources of blame fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Renewable energy workers, regardless of their expertise, can thrive in an environment that values openness about mistakes and seeks solutions rather than assigning blame.

3. Predictable Errors and Preventable Conditions:
Error-likely situations and conditions are not random occurrences; they are predictable, manageable, and preventable. By studying patterns in incidents and near-misses, the clean energy sector can proactively identify potential hazards and implement safeguards. This approach transforms mistakes into a roadmap for safety enhancement.

4. The Organizational Influence on Individual Performance:
Individual performance is profoundly shaped by the values, systems, and engagement of the organization. The “Fail Safe, Improve Safety” safety campaign recognizes that the top-down commitment to safety from management, the provision of adequate resources, and fostering a sense of ownership among workers are vital ingredients for reducing incidents.

5. The Crucial Role of Psychologically Safe Workplaces:
A psychologically safe workplace culture is the cornerstone of learning, growth, and improvement. Workers must feel comfortable admitting errors, voicing concerns, and suggesting improvements without fear of retribution. This environment encourages knowledge-sharing and allows the industry to collectively evolve towards safer practices. This is commonly mentioned by leaders, but developing a culture of comfortability with admitting errors or voicing safety concerns is still being widely adopted.  

Join ACP in the 2023 “Fail Safe, Improve Safety” safety campaign that is representative of a paradigm shift in the renewable energy sector.  As the renewable energy industry marches forward towards a sustainable future, it’s the commitment to safety that will truly make this journey fail-safe. 

ACP members can download and access the 2023 Safety Campaign materials, which include daily Toolbox Talks in both English and Spanish, videos, and a PowerPoint, here.