Managing human factors associated with return to work

Authored by QBE Risk Solutions Practice Leader David Dexter

Businesses are facing a huge return to work process as they look to restart operations, mobilise staff and comply with evolving government guidelines. For many sectors it will be a phased release from lockdown with differing release dates for categories of employees.

Companies will likely have to prioritise their workers’ return to work initially, which may result in reduced employee numbers for some critical operations. For many employees, the lockdown period will have meant a very different way of working or no work at all and these workers will need to relearn some of the workplace operations they performed pre-lockdown.

Human factors

Employers will need to be sensitive to the challenges faced by their workers and will need to plan and organise their start-up to take into account human factors, which may predicate the potential for increased accidents and incidents.

In some instances, employees may be returning to work with some degree of reluctance and caution.  These employees may also have faced physical and mental health challenges associated with lockdown, been ill themselves or may have had friends and family affected by the disease.

The HSE refers to human factors as “environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect health and safety”

Confinement will have affected people differently with some employees experiencing a heavier psychological burden during lockdown than others.  Employers will need to be aware of these challenges also.

Muscle memory

Employees required to carry out routine physical work activities may have lost muscle memory as a result of their long period away from work. Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition.

When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed with little to no conscious effort.

Long periods without repetition may result in loss of this muscle memory and employees may have to “memorise” certain activities again until they can be performed with no conscious effort.

The applying of conscious effort for these previously automatic operations, may impact on some employees in the short term, both physically and psychologically. The analogy is riding a bike. Although one never forgets how to ride a bike, the first bike ride after a long period of abstinence is always somewhat unstable.

When they return to work, employees will be socialising again for the first time in a long time and will have had varying experiences of lockdown.  Employees will have a lot to consider and a lot to talk about and risks associated with distraction and other behavioural safety root causes will be heightened.

Key Risk Management Controls

All of these human factors make businesses and their employees more vulnerable to accidents and incidents and require key planning and risk management arrangements.  Businesses must continue to fully implement current guidance provided by the Government and trade bodies regarding health, hygiene and self-distancing requirements.

Where to start:

• The key is risk assessment. Assessments must be suitable and sufficient and, most importantly, completed by competent person or persons.

• Significant assessment findings must be shared with employees, through documented safe working practices. Records of information, instruction and training must be kept.

• Employees return to work should be supported by key safety messages. Performance targets should be adjusted to take account of identified challenges associated with a prolonged period of work inactivity.

• Directors, managers and supervisors should be informed of these challenges and accommodate business and individual performance accordingly.

• Validate training and competence before putting employees back to safety critical tasks.

• Maintain open lines of communication so that employees can feel safe reporting any concerns, hazards and near misses during this critical time.

• Ensure the consistent, continuous and essential increased monitoring of conditions and working practices.

• Provide ongoing support for the physical and mental health of employees, with associated input from occupational health specialists where appropriate.

• Mental health support processes will be crucial; not just through the provision of mental health first aiders and Employee Assistance Programmes, which are important, but through additional specialist support as appropriate

• Free specialist advice and support can be accessed through Mind and Mental Health at Work

After a prolonged period of shut-down, businesses may feel tempted to get operations up and running as quickly as possible.  As well as ensuring that their plant and equipment is operationally safe to use, the impact on employees of fast-tracking operations should also be taken into account.  With well-planned and risk assessed start-up processes in place, businesses will return to full resilient operational effectiveness on a sustainable basis.

Read Getting up and running post-Covid lockdown for practical guidance on restarting operations.