Reflections... SWAT Pulls It All Together

As we are ramping into fall outage season, we are emphasizing the SWAT (Start Work Assessment Tool). Following the spring outage season, we’ve shared key learnings, addressed frequently asked questions, and our leaders have visited many sites to coach on SWAT usage.

 

Today, I share a couple of reflections regarding SWAT.

  1. We start every task with a SWAT. SWAT is the keystone tool in our safety toolbag. This is our standard – the APM Way for every person, every job, every task. 

  2. SWAT unites our safety programs, policies, and practices. For example, the SWAT Card guides us to:

  •  Consider which Life Saving Rules apply to our task.

  • Use the What-How-What-How method to identify and mitigate hazards.

  • Reinforce STOP work authority when something is unsafe or has changed.

 

When done well, SWAT activates other tools in our toolbag, including:

  • APM Leadership (Balmert) Tools: SWAT is an opportunity to coach – to praise good hazard recognition and mitigation (Sorry +) and to correct things that may be missed (Sorry -).

  • Pre Task Brief: SWAT sets the stage for briefing the team on what the task is, how it will be performed, and what guiding documents will be used. 

  • Mentorship & Peer Check: SWAT enables mentor / mentee pairing and is an opportunity to reinforce peer checks during tasks.

  • 2 Minute Drill & Take 5: SWAT includes a Refocus section for when things change, when the task is not going as planned, or when we come off break.

  • Well Better How: SWAT requires a closeout before the task is completed, a good time to reflect using the Well-Better-How method we learned from Mr. Sorenson.

  • What about CBS (Commitment Based Safety)? SWAT leads us to write down our control measures / mitigations = our commitments to complete the task safely and well.

  • Is SWAT our 14:24? Think about it.

 

Let me hear from you.

What other tools in our safety toolbag does SWAT enable? How do you use SWAT to lead your crews to perform tasks safely and well?

Share your best practices for good SWAT – I am confident it brings it all together.

R. Jake Locklear

Communications TeamReflections Blog, SWAT, Start Work Assessment Tool, Safety, WHWH, STOP, Life Saving RulesComment