Safex Newsletter No.81 November 2024

The year has sped past and in a months’ time we will be entering the year end Festive Season. For SAFEX International it was a busy year with a large number of initiatives worked on – some completed and some ongoing.

I attach a presentation given recently which provides a good overview of the work. If you want to part of these working Groups, please let me know and I will forward your details to the relevant leader.

License to supervise: a way to work SHES Responsibilities of Company Leaders

As part of the SHES Strategy for the Austin Powder LATAM Group, the development of SHES Leadership was defined as one of the pillars identified. A tool developed to work on this issue was the License to Supervise Program.

The objective of the program is to implement a license to supervise (LTS), mainly oriented to the SHES responsibilities (but not limited to it) to establish an authorization and control system that guarantees that only qualified and competent people can assume supervisory roles in the different plants and operations.

The program applies to middle management (supervision, chief, coordinators) of the different areas of the company.

The implementation was divided in different stages that are explained below

1) Develop Eligibility Criteria:

Internally establish the requirements that candidates must meet to participate in the program. Define a list of leaders to participate, including alternates or deputies.
At a minimum, candidates should have the following skillset or previous training in:

  • Act as a role model through your personal attitude and behavior.
  • Demonstrate high working standards and attitude toward safety.
  • BOS Knowledge for the relevant plant/operation/area
  • Production Operational Process
  • Emergency Procedures
  • PTW (Permit to Work)

2) Identify supervision requirements:

Each line management, in cooperation with SHES and HR, define the competencies corresponding to the individual supervisor, and their competency matrix.
It should consider the chapter of the SHES manual that applies to his/her operation, SHES (legal) requirements, as well as the SOP (standard operating procedure) of the operation(s) and the development of soft/supervision skills.
At a minimum, from the SHES aspect, it should comprise:

Operating procedures: compliance and updating

  • BOS
  • Work permit
  • MOC (Change Management)
  • Risk analysis
  • Incident Reporting and Investigation
  • Emergency plan
  • Maintenance
  • Control of loose articles and securing
  • Training
  • Waste management

3) Create Training Program:

A training program was be developed to help participants acquire the skills and knowledge they have not yet acquired and that are necessary to be effective supervisors.
Training should focus on developing the SHES capabilities/responsibilities of leaders, as well as emphasize their role in each of the processes described above.

4) Design a Competency Exam:

An exam was developed to evaluates the candidates' skills and knowledge in relation to the defined supervisory responsibilities. It should be completed annually to validate their License to Supervise.
Complementary to this, and as part of the competency evaluation process, the individual defines, in cooperation with SHES and Line Management, his/her monthly and annual SHES goals and objectives, which comprise, as examples:

  • Number of talks at the beginning of shift/5 minutes given per month by him or his team (planned vs. scheduled)
  • Number of near miss reports received and managed.
  • Number of SOP reviewed (planned vs carried out)
  • Number of Risk Analysis executed/reviewed (planned vs performed)
  • % participation of operating staff in planned training
  • Number of preventive inspections carried out in the area by him/her or the team.
  • Number of working cycle observations made
  • Number of behavioral observations made

5) Issue Supervision Licenses:

Those candidates who obtain a result equal to or greater than 80% in their Competency exam receive the Supervision License with an annual renewal. If they do not pass, they can undergo retraining and repeat the exam once.
Complementary to this, an evaluation and review of the performance of goals and objectives should be carried out by line management.

6) Keep Records:

A record is kept of all licensed leaders and their expiration dates.

7) Review and Continuous Improvement:

Periodically, this supervisory license program should be reviewed to ensure that it remains current and effective.
During 2024, more than 150 leading supervisors participated in the program and received their License to Supervise in LATAM.


SHES LATAM Strategy

Benefits of having a License to Supervise

Screenshot of LTS training package

Screenshot of LTS training package

Competency Exam

Training Sessions IACR

Training Sessions APA