The Zero Harm Safety Coach
A Case Study in Applying and Refining
Cross-industry Practices
Leading the Way to Safer Operations
A2SEA is the world leader in the offshore wind transportation and
installation business with more than 1,200 turbines and 400
foundations installed. Along with our cabling arm, CT Offshore, we
believe we not only carry responsibility for the health and safety of
our employees and sub-contractors, but we also feel a moral
obligation to support higher standards of safety in the industry in
general.
The Offshore Safety Coach
To increase HSE awareness and behavior during operations on
our vessels and to strengthen team co-operation and
development, A2SEA has borrowed and heavily tailored a proven
concept from the oil and gas industry: the role of the offshore
safety coach.
The concept of offshore safety coaches is well known in the oil and
gas industry, both in construction and operations. In the offshore
wind industry, however, this role is a new phenomenon – and one
which A2SEA had to closely tailor to fit the needs of its installation
and O&M tasks.
In A2SEA’s world, the concept of safety coaching connects directly
to one of our core assets: our Zero Harm safety policy. Naturally
then, the title of Zero Harm Coach is conferred on our coaches –
the first two of whom were recruited from within our own ranks
during 2014.
An A2SEA Zero Harm Coach acts as a safety ambassador for our
safety principles and values, providing a direct and visible link
between the HSE organization and the vessels. In co-operation
with crew and ship management, their overall role is to increase
workplace safety by:
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Identifying hazardous conditions or work practices
Improving safety conditions
Increasing HSE awareness and behavior
Ensuring safety compliance
Undertaking safety duties and providing support
on a day-to-day basis.
Carrying out safety inductions for new personnel
The addition of Zero Harm Coaches strengthens the company’s
ability to roll out short and long-term safety initiatives, forming a
constant task force that ensures the full benefit is extracted from
each of these initiatives.
Zero Harm Coaches are our eyes and ears at sea, gathering and
relaying suggestions for improvements to the HSE organisation.
At the same time, they ensure learnings and good practices are
shared on and between vessels. And they play a crucial role in
supporting the widespread use of tools such as ISM, SMS, ISO
and OHSAS management systems including Sea Health, Sertica,
Synergi and more.
Strengthening Teamwork
Recognising that workplace safety goes hand-in-hand
with teamwork, Zero Harm Coaches are also responsible
for strengthening the A2SEA Teambuilt™ culture
programme on board our vessels. In this respect,
they coach ship management and crew in communication,
conflict management and similar, and arrange various
teambuilding activities. In the wider context of safety,
Zero Harm Coaches facilitate relevant workshops,
often taking on a train-the-trainer role in relation to
safety culture, high-risk operations, transfer of safety
observations, work stop intervention and so on.
Early intervention
The introduction of safety coaching to A2SEA began with a tour of
the Anholt Wind, Djurs Wind and Kattegat Wind projects. The
coaching schedule tcalled for Zero Harm Coaches to spend
sufficient time aboard each vessel twice a year as a minimum, also
allowing for vessels to request for extra assistance whenever
needed.
Key Performance Indicators were also set up, including quantified
measurements that would enable reporting of items such as:
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Improvements in meeting participation
Improvements in leadership initiatives in operations
Participation in Stop Card and Scorecard initiatives
Workforce atmosphere and optimisim
Readiness to intervene
Personal profile
Going forward
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In parallel with the Zero Harm Coach initiative itself, attention is
being paid to the profile best suited for safety coaches in the
offshore wind industry – and to A2SEA’s place in the value chain.
Specific learnings in this area include the need for:
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Technical experience of operations and issues likely to arise
Well developed problem-solving skills
A high level of emotional intelligence
Strong interpersonal skills to gain the trust tofmanagement and
crew
The ability to create a safe and supportive environment
Skills in organising practical resources
A flair for designing safe procedures and safety training drills
Channelling Excellence
While Zero Harm Coaches are only a recent introduction, a
number of potential benefits are already making themselves
apparent. For example
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The crew become more aware of the importance of the value
of reporting systems.
The quality of the work done on board (reporting, daily
routines) gets better, because a formal and informal coaching
is conducted.
The general safety awareness is increase through live schene
coaching.
The crew members are more open to come up with concerns
and suggestions when the positive relation has been
established.
In the long term perspective it is possible to get an easier and
faster implementation of new systems and programs.
Lessons learned are transferred from one vessel to another
During 2015, the role of the Zero Harm Coach will be monitored
and refined, with the aim of determining and documenting good
practice in the area to be formally communicated to the broader
industry. Communication tools to be developed for this purpose
include speaking engagements, articles in A2SEA News, and a
general-release white paper.