Influencing the Human Factor: Case Studies

Forum Interactive is a learning and development consultancy specialising in behavioural safety and safety leadership. We design and deliver tailor-made events of any size as well as learning resources (e.g. interactive training films) all of which can be incorporated into your training programme.

We create stories about how human behaviour affects the implementation of safety management systems. The stories are based on evidence from industry research, incident reports and experiences from inside your own organisation.

Told through plays, interactive drama or film, these stories are used as the basis for refreshing, challenging learning events that support your people to learn, develop skills and improve performance.

What we do

www.foruminteractive.co.uk 2

Objective To design and deliver mobilisation workshops that would reinforce commitment to health & safety among marine and seismic crews. These workshops had to appeal to a diverse audience in terms of rank, role, culture and language.

Method A high potential incident involving a failure to comply with electrical safety systems was used as the basis for “Nils’ Story”. This play explores the impact of a man’s death on his friend Nils (who was with him at the time of the fatal incident), his wife and manager.

“Nils Story” was performed live in a series of scenes. Each scene provided a context in which a critical question was raised and discussed by crews in small mixed groups. These questions were based on Shell’s behavioural safety principles: compliance, intervention and respect.

Crews recorded key points and ideas as they went using words and pictures. These recordings were then used as the basis for further reinforcement following mobilisation.

Impact

www.foruminteractive.co.uk 3

Shell CGG

Veritas

Past mobilisation workshops involved endless power point slides and blank faces. These sessions were designed around our needs and the type of operations we do. Our crew at all levels were able to make clear connections and, as a result, people were engaged and discussions were lively.

Russell Endersby, HSE Manager, EAME Marine Acquisition, CGG Veritas.

Objective To improve the quality of interventions among office based staff by developing their skills and confidence.

Method We created a series of situations (or scenes) from incidents people had reported on the organisation’s ‘Safe Card’ system. These scenes allowed two different perspectives to be explored:

• The witness has an opportunity to reinforce the health and safety message but to do that they must first challenge a colleague.

• The person acting unsafely has the opportunity to adopt a safe habit but to do that they have to face being challenged by a colleague.

Each scene was presented by actors to the group. With the help of the facilitator, the group worked with the scene - by offering suggestions, trying out different strategies, challenging the characters - until they had resolved it to their satisfaction.

The interactive drama enabled them to raise, discuss and address those concerns that had previously discouraged them from intervening.

Impact

www.foruminteractive.co.uk 4

Petroleum Geo-Services

This method gave staff a highly practical way to learn as a group how to manage the process of intervention. The fact that they were learning both how to intervene and how to respond to an intervention was important. The format has really helped us to create a work environment in which people feel encouraged and confident to intervene.

Jon Turner, Vice President HSEQ, PGS

Objective To support the organisation to bring HSE into the heart of leadership practice and operations.

Method Since our work began in 2006 we have created different stories and methods to suit the needs of the business and of the individuals and groups involved. We have used plays, interactive drama and film to engage, stimulate discussion, plan action and develop skills in the following areas:

• designing and delivering conferences for strategic leaders that educate, engage and develop commitment to their role in promoting HSE

• designing and delivering conferences for operational managers that engage, raise awareness and develop commitment to HSE

• developing strategy within different sectors of the organisation (specifically engineering and operations) with the involvement of unions

• developing communication links in all directions (but particularly between leaders and frontline workers) to enhance understanding and joined up thinking

We have also used 1:1 and group coaching to develop presentation and storytelling skills among leaders at all levels. This has been particularly useful in improving communication about safety leadership across different parts of the organisation.

Impact

www.foruminteractive.co.uk 5

Drama-based learning has had a significant effect on First Group’s safety record. Since January 2007 we’ve had a 47% reduction in time lost through injury and a 30% drop in collision and red signal mistakes. Further, our database shows over 500K injury prevention contacts have been made between employees and managers.

Naveed Qamar, Group Safety Director, First Group

First Group

Objective • To build on the values and practices of the past and the present to develop

opportunities for safety improvement.

• To ensure attitudes and values aligned towards a continuous focus on excellent safety performance.

• To inspire people to take ownership and action for change.

Method The past and present were told in the form of a play in two parts. The future was left open for the eighty members of the workforce, including representative managers and directors, to create using the characters. No-one knew what was going to happen.

Delegates responded with great excitement and enthusiasm. As one person remarked, “We are visual, hands-on people. We want to get involved and do it, not just sit and listen!”

Impact

www.foruminteractive.co.uk 6

Forum Interactive (FI) played a fundamental role in Maersk Oil’s recent safety improvement workshop. They worked with us to develop scenarios that were bespoke to our operations and thus presented very “real” situations to the audience. From the first scene the FI team established a strong bond with the audience, and as the process developed, the audience became actively involved in shaping our future.

The emotive and interactive nature of the approach created significantly higher levels of true engagement and enthusiasm than would have been likely from less innovative approaches.

Glenn Corr, Director HSSEQ, Maersk Oil

Maersk Oil

Our people

Contact usForum Interactive Ltd. 4b Howe Street Edinburgh EH3 6TD Scotland, UK

info@foruminteractive.co.uk www.foruminteractive.co.uk

+44 (0)131 478 2368