OASIS

Coatings initiates OASIS:
First employee-driven behavioral safety process

On your next visit to Coatings, ask an employee about OASIS and how it is changing the safety culture at Coatings.

OASIS, short for Observation Aided Safety Improvement System, is a Coatings employee developed and driven process that was designed to proactively improve the safety performance within the Coatings Department.

With the help of a professional safety consultant Quality Safety Edge, the Coatings team, which consisted of diverse individuals nominated from across the manufacturing area and included B&R and PCS maintenance representatives, designed and implemented the entire observation-based behavioral safety process.

OASIS is a totally voluntary process in which an employee observes a peer, a subordinate, or a superior performing a specific work task. Although the observation is documented, the name of the person being observed is not recorded and is kept confidential. The observer provides feedback in a positive manner to the person being observed to reinforce safe behaviors and to encourage improvement in other behaviors.

The principle of OASIS is that whenever safe behaviors are thought about and practiced more frequently, a safer work place will be the natural result. And that is exactly what Coatings desires and hopes to eventually share with other departments at Bayer. The current program extends across all groups at Coatings from manufacturing to plant engineering to Brown & Root to PCS. Plus, it reaches all job levels from technician to administrative assistant to director. Over the first few months of implementation participation has been very good and continues to grow at a steady pace. Because it is more than mere task observation, OASIS is able to modify behaviors through coaching, open communication, and positive feedback. And through OASIS, employees are building trust in one another by removing fear and by showing genuine concern for more than just the statistics.

The Coatings OASIS team includes: Mike Miller, Chair, Kent Swart, Jerry Mongiello, Jim Chrise, Robbie Lau, Richard Abshire, Larry “Smitty” Smith, James Burns, Paul Doskocil, Tommy Hammond, Jerry Cain, Bob King, Charlie Clark and Butch Miller.

Mike Miller, chairman of the OASIS steering committee,
points out one of the inspection clipboards placed
throughout the areas to facilitate the use of OASIS.

Kent Swart, HDI/DesW shift supervisor, observes Mickey Sapp,
DesW production technician preparing a pump for maintenance.
Both Kent and Mickey are properly attired in full slicker
and air mask. The equipment is tagged out and locked out.

Adriana Tilley, Coatings process engineer, observes
Brown & Root millwright Don Weeks as he replaces a seal
on a Durco pump used in DesN. This observation
is being performed in the Coatings Maintenance Shop.

This article was originally published in Spring 1998 in the Bayer Tablet by Mike Miller, Coatings Department. It is reprinted with permission of Bayer.

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