S04 HSSRME 2 2021 HSE OMAN 1_Layout 1 30/06/2021 11:14 Page 11
HSE Oman Forum
The benefits of
behaviour-based safety
“The basic principle of IHTIMAM is that all injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented.”
ABOVE: Yousra Kindi, senior behavioural safety adviser, PDO.
ISSUE 2 2021 | www.hssreview.me
Can you outline PDO’s behaviour-based safety programme, and its role in improving safety culture? What do you think are its main achievements? Behaviour-based safety, when implemented correctly and sustained, can improve safety performance by raising awareness and the ability to recognise hazards among the workforce, reinforce positive safe behaviour, promote intervention, encourage proactiveness to eliminate hazards in the workplace, improve communication and ultimately improve the safety culture. IHTIMAM (Care), is a highly targeted behaviourbased safety system to cater for the safety requirements of the oil and gas sector and other industries. Launched in 2018, IHTIMAM has already led to a step change in safety culture at the company, exemplified by significant improvements in safety metrics including Lost Time Injury and Total Recordable Case Frequencies. It assists in the identification of the root causes of unsafe behaviour, enabling the system’s users to develop targeted solutions before an incident occurs. The basic principle of IHTIMAM is that all injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented. The main objective of the IHTIMAM programme is to train each member of the line organisation to eliminate incidents and injuries by skillfully observing people as they work, talking with them to correct their unsafe acts, and encouraging them to follow safe work practices. There has been a major business impact of implementing IHTIMAM, both in terms of cost, and in safety performance. Its impact on safety leadership and safety performance can be confirmed from the companies that have piloted IHTIMAM since January 2017. One particular company which had a Lost Time Injury Frequency (LTIF) of six per
Image Credit: Yousra Kindi
Yousra Kindi, senior behavioural safety adviser, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), discusses PDO’s IHTIMAM programme, which has had a major impact on safety performance throughout PDO and its contractor companies.
million man hours recorded a massive drop in LTIF to zero after implementing IHTIMAM. As the programme is developed in-house, it has resulted in total cost savings of over US$2,189,332 per annum, when compared to the costs of using BBS consulting services. The implementation of IHTIMAM has been completed in 74 companies, with the training of around 34,000 employees. We are currently working to increase the BBS maturity level of enrolled contractors.
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