Human Performance

Overview

All safety records are documented and reported to the Safety & Human Performance Manager who ensures each employee meets Qualus' minimum safety training requirements. We also conduct regular on-site safety observations and ensure proper adherence to procedures.

Each year the Safety & Human Performance Manager evaluates safety objectives and creates an annual safety improvement plan based on safety observations.

Additionally, we conduct ongoing power plant safety training and competency checks with all employees and address individual specific safety concerns. Based on an individual’s evaluation, the Safety & Human Performance manager may require additional power plant safety training for any employee found to be in violation of Qualus' safety standards.

Human Performance Behavioral Focus Areas

Qualus promotes a culture where people are encouraged to do the right thing, share lessons learned when unexpected results occur and thrive in an environment with opportunities for improvement. To assess the health and effectiveness of our human performance culture, we’ve established four core areas of focus, also known as pillars of our business. These pillars include leadership, management and accountability (LMA), employee training and qualifications, systems and tools, and core processes.

Think It

  • Initial On-boarding Training
    • Comprehensive HP overview
    • HP tools used in the field
  • Understanding the three performance modes and recognizing that even the strongest veterans can make a mistake:
    • Knowledge base
    • Rule base
    • Skill base
  • HP Leadership Summit
    • Provide training on understanding human nature
    • Provide performance modes trainings to employees
  • Human Performance Tip of the Month

See It, Believe It

  • Leadership leads by example
  • Field observations and coaching conducted at all levels of leadership
  • Consistent use of HP tool kits by employees
  • In depth investigations of events and incidents to drive continuous improvement:
    • Stakeholder, safety, HP, quality and client engagement
    • “SMART” corrective actions
    • Outcomes communicated throughout the organization
    • Trend and data analyzation, focus on issue, realize benefits

Embrace It

  • Employee-led discussions/suggestions to improve practical application of critical HP tools
  • Increased good catch and near miss reporting
  • Employee recognition when sharing good catches and near misses
  • HP campaigns and incentive programs to boost employee engagement
  • Partnership with clients to share best practices

Human Performance Principles and Pillars of Business

Leadership, Management and Accountability

Through operational ownership, management leadership and accountability, our employees can thrive in a human performance environment. In our efforts to achieve and sustain success, we model our operations according to the following guiding principles: vision, people, data, issues, process and traction/progress.

Employee Training and Qualifications

All of our employees (new and existing) are required to complete our risk-based technical, safety, quality and human performance training which focuses on the expectations, procedures and tactics for delivering human performance excellence.

Systems and Tools

Systems and tools provide the facts for making sound, data-driven decisions and drives continuous process improvement. A significant investment has been made in this area to ensure work is performed in a consistent manner to prevent human error and mistakes.

Core Processes

A focus on quality, we’ve developed core processes to guide and improve our standard of business:

  • Our Business Practices
  • The Client Reference Manual
  • The Project Reference Manual

Human Performance Principles

  • People are fallible - even the best people make mistakes
  • Errors are predictable, manageable and preventable
  • Individual behavior is influenced by organizational processes and values
  • Encouragement and reinforcement received from leaders, peers and subordinates lead to higher performance
  • Blameless culture - events can be avoided by understanding mistakes occur and applying the lessons learned from the past events (errors)

Human Performance Modes

Information processing operates in one or more of the three performance modes:

  • Skill-based – Routine actions in a familiar situation (without conscious attention or control)
  • Rule-based – Task performed by using existing rules from procedures, training or experience.
  • Knowledge-based – Unfamiliar situation exists requiring employees to apply analytical skills and judgment (i.e. trouble shooting or fault diagnosis)

These modes are based on the level of familiarity an individual has with a specific task and the level of attention (degree of information processing) a person applies to the activity