External Operations Experience Update: Distracted Working

Department of EnergyOperating Experience Work Group

May 12, 2015Larry Stirling,

Office of Analysis (AU-23)

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Distracted Working

• Cellular phone and mobile device technology have advanced at an amazing pace in the past decade

• According to Pew Research Center, 61 percent of Americans have smartphones and 91 percent of Americans have some sort of cell phone

• approximately 3 billion texts per day, most of them during working hours

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Distracted Working

• Workplaces must catch up with technology and broaden their assessment of the risks associated with personal electronic mobile devices.

• Chances are, improper usage affects much more than driving safety.

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Distracted Working

• Instead of "Distracted Driving," broaden the distraction of electronic devices to encompass any unsafe task, referring to the action as "Distracted Working" instead.

• Distracted working, especially in operational environments, certainly poses a potential for increased workplace hazards.

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Distracted Working

• operation of heavy equipment• operation of motorized equipment• operation of power tools• maintenance activities associated with

energized equipment• permit-required confined space attendants• fire watch

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Distracted Working

• Defining a Scope of 'Distraction' As it Relates to Workplace Safety and Mobile Devices

• Who Should Be Involved in Creating Workplace Safety Documents?

• Creating Guidance for the Workplace Means Making it Practical

• Consider This: No Differentiation Between Work Use and Personal Use

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Distracted Working

• Consider This: No differentiation Between Management and Employees

• ConclusionElectronic devices such as cell phones are powerful tools for sending and receiving valuable information. When used appropriately they add value to our lives, but when used inappropriately they can create workplace hazards that may not otherwise exist.

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Distracted Working

• Create a set of policies, rules, procedures, or guidelines that really work for employees. Keep it simple. Consider how it will affect leadership; will my manager be able to follow these rules? Give an opportunity for employees to be accountable for their own safety by having ownership, buy-in, and opportunities to follow the rules that are set out.

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Distracted Working

• A simple document should include the following information:1. What. Define the action (use of electronic devices or other distractions) that will be prohibited in the following circumstances.2. Who. Define the group of people or positions who perform a certain task, regardless of location.3. When. Define the "while." This connects the action to the activity.4. Where. Define the environments where the action is prohibited, regardless of task, including walking or standing in the area.

• Source: Jennifer Hill, Occupational Safety Administrator, City of Tallahassee, Florida; http://ohsonline.com/blogs/the-ohs-wire/2014/10/distracted-working.aspx

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Resources

• OH&S: http://ohsonline.com/blogs/the-ohs-wire/2014/10/distracted-working.aspx

• Mindtools.com: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/distractions.htm

• Wall Street Journal: Workplace Distractions: Here’s Why You Won’t Finish This Article, Rachel Silverman,

• http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324339204578173252223022388

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Resources

• Fox Small Business: Survey: Distracted Workers Costing Companies Millions, Kate Rogers: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/technology-web/2011/05/20/distracted-employees-survey/

• Inc.com: Top 6 Office Distractions: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/technology-web/2011/05/20/distracted-employees-survey/

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Resources

• Forbes: How to Ignore Distractions in the Workplace, Jacquelyn Smith: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/06/22/how-to-ignore-distractions-at-work/

• New York Times: Distracted? It’s Time to Hit the Reset Button: Eilene Zimmerman, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/jobs/to-avoid-distractions-at-work-hit-the-reset-button.html?_r=2

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Resources

• Huffington Post: Distractions at Work: Employees Increasingly Losing Focus: Some Companies Combating the Problem, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/work-distractions-employees-lose-focus-companies-problem_n_2294054.html

• Safety and Health Magazine: Distracted on the Job, Kyle W. Morrison, http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/distracted-on-the-job

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Resources

• National Institute Occupational Medicine: Quick Sleep Tips for Truck Drivers, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2014-150/pdfs/2014-150.pdf

• EHSToday: Conquer Distracted Driving by Becoming an ACE, Terry L. Mathis, http://ehstoday.com/safety/conquer-distracted-driving-becoming-ace

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Resources

• Virginia Tech Transportation Institute: Reducing Driver Fatigue, https://www.vtti.vt.edu/featured/071013-reducingdriverfatigue.html

• North American Fatigue Management Program: http://www.nafmp.com/en/

• Workplace Safety and Health Law Blog: Distracted Workers… Not Just Distracted Drivers, Howard Mavity, http://www.workplacesafetyandhealthlaw.com/post/2013/07/09/Distracted-Workers-Not-Just-Distracted-Drivers.aspx

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Resources

• Safety Topics.com: Destructive Power of Distractions in the Workplace – Part 2, Carol Potter, http://safetytopics.com/the-destructive-power-of-distractions-in-the-workplace-part-2/

• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries: Distracted Walking – Pedestrian Safety, http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Topics/AToZ/DistractedWalking/default.asp

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Resources

• Science Direct: Interruptions in the Workplace: A case study to reduce their effects, Edward R. Sykes, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401210001568

• SCF Arizona: Eliminate Distractions to Reduce Workplace Injuries: http://www.arizonasign.org/SafteyArticles/july2011_distractions.pdf

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Resources

• Entrepreneur: Distracted and Overwhelmed Employees are Costing You Big. Try These 3 Fixes, Egan and Lahl, http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235968

• Michigan State University: Brief Interruptions Spawn Errors, http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/brief-interruptions-spawn-errors/

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• Contact Information:Larry StirlingOffice of Analysis (AU-23)202-586-2417john.stirling@hq.doe.gov