ASSOCIATIONS: WPC 59
US government agencies at all levels: federal, state, and local.
As outlined in an excellent article contributed by Ray Valek, of the PMI’ s communications team, the PMI has an increasingly important role to play in fostering and driving a‘ safety culture’ for plumbing products and systems. This is especially true in light of the Flint Michigan water crisis, where, like in virtually all post-industrial societies, access to safe drinking water had been taken for granted.
A member of the PMI communications team for about three years, Valek has come to realise the tremendous potential the plumbing industry has to be a leading voice on the topic of‘ safety culture’— which represents everything the industry does to assure safe plumbing systems.
The idea of‘ Safe, responsible plumbing— always’ is nothing new to PMI: this phrase serves as PMI’ s mission statement. However, this phrase— and PMI’ s mission— has taken on new meaning in the aftermath of the Flint water crisis and similar situations in which unsafe water was discovered throughout the world. In virtually all post-industrial societies, clean drinkable water had been taken for granted. But now that premise has begun to be questioned.
PMI did a Google survey a little over a year ago, which showed that about two-thirds of Americans are now concerned about drinking water safety. On top of that, we live in a time when distrust in general is running rampant. According to the 2017 Trust Barometer published by the Edelman public relations firm, most people distrust business, government, and media. The report states that most people feel that“ the system is rigged” against regular people in favour of the rich and powerful.
As stewards of plumbing systems, the plumbing industry must do whatever is necessary to assure a safety culture throughout the entire water supply system, from water source to the end-point devices— toilets, faucets, showerheads and more— that PMI members manufacture. To be successful in this endeavour, the industry must build relationships with organisations representing each part of the system and work together to solve challenges affecting them all.
The safety culture concept was originally developed in the nuclear energy and aviation industries, which have successfully implemented strategies to mitigate risk and avoid accidents. In a safety culture, making systems as safe as possible is job number one for everyone at every level of an organisation. When errors or mistakes happen, fixing the system is emphasised, rather than blaming an individual. Proponents of safety culture understand that flaws exist within every system and all processes can fail simply because humans make mistakes.
Organisational culture author James Reason compared these flaws— latent hazards and weaknesses— to holes in Swiss cheese. To prevent errors causing harm, these vulnerabilities must be identified, and solutions found. These hazards and weaknesses can include poor design, inadequate supervision, and manufacturing or maintenance defects. Safety culture has been adopted by many other industries, including manufacturing and health care. Valek became knowledgeable about the safety culture concept through his work for The Joint Commission, a health care accreditation organisation that has been promoting the benefits of safety culture within the health care industry.
If you begin to explore how safety culture is implemented— or not— within various industries, you will find horrible examples of failure, such as the Flint, Chernobyl, Deepwater Horizon, and Space Shuttle incidents, as well as inspiring examples of success. On the inspiring side, think about the potential perils of launching and landing aircraft on a carrier moving within a turbulent sea during an active military operation. The landing area on the carrier’ s deck is near bombs, bullets, and fuel. Adherence to safety culture has enabled the military to achieve an exemplary safety record within this high-risk environment.
The principles and traits of safety culture will ring true with many of you as reflective of what is currently happening in your facilities. The questions are, however, number one: do regulators, industry allies and potential allies, and consumers realise and appreciate the emphasis and value we place on safety? And, two, should safety culture be a more prominent aspect of our story?
Valek says that maintaining and developing safety culture within the plumbing industry is essential to maintain and develop trust. To push back against that general feeling of distrust, we must clearly prove ourselves as trustworthy; meaning, that we care for employees, shareholders, customers, and communities. Or better yet, that we care for all stakeholders.
Public health experts have acknowledged that modern sanitation and plumbing have protected more lives and extended life expectancy more than any medical advancement. That is an outstanding track record that is under threat right now. What better way to mitigate that threat than to adhere to safety culture and communicate its benefits? Because when you think about it, safety is the one thread that runs through just about everything the plumbing industry does. Let us demonstrate that as clearly and as often as we can. PA
www. plumbingafrica. co. za April 2018 Volume 24 I Number 2