Five steps to more efficiency

during shift handover

The process is to go quickly, routinely and as smoothly as possible:

How to optimise handover processes without compromising safety?

Drgerwerk AG & Co. KGaA 1


Flawed shift handovers: This can become
expensive
Every second accident or incident in the industry
is due to communication errors during shift change.1
Analysing accident reports, scientists discovered the
following: In four of five cases studied, written notes
were in part at the root of the accident because they
were either misunderstood during the shift handover
or simply not passed along at all.2
In one study, researchers recorded sixteen shift
handover conversations in a British refinery. Subse-
quently they identified six cases of obvious technical
misunderstandings.3
The British industrial psychologist Ronny Lardner
ascertained that handover processes in a refinery
were conducted very differently in spite of uniform
rules their duration alone varied between one and
eleven minutes. Also, the necessary steps were
often performed incompletely. 4
Shift handovers in the petrochemical industry are everyday routi-
ne processes with proven workflows, instructions and safety rules.
Your goal: The reliable and complete transmission of all relevant
information needed by the subsequent team to continue the work
safely. Efficiency here means effective communication and: zero
accidents. Because every misunderstanding takes time and costs
money and in the worst case scenario even human lives. What
levers are available for further optimising shift handovers?
Drgerwerk AG & Co. KGaA
Five steps to more efficiency during shift handover
1. Shift handovers are top priority:
Handovers are not to be taken lightly!
In one refinery, handover meetings are considered a standard proce-
dure that is supposed to work simply and easily in another, howe-
ver, communication during shift change is considered an important
tool for quality assurance. The extent of dedication and care staff
invest into carrying out shift handovers depends decisively on the
signals of management concerning this issue and how this attitude
is reflected in the instructions for operational implementation:
- Is sufficient time allowed for the shift handover, do the shifts
overlap?
- Are the work steps well structured, are there clearly defined
minimum requirements?
- Can meetings be held without interruptions?
- Does management use effective training and regular booster
workshops to show how important they think the quality of
handover communication is?
2. As short as possible, as long as necessary:
defining meaningful standards
Handover meetings are usually formal and structured. Many experts
recommend
discussing the various topics in order of relevance to take into
account the (falling) attention span of the staff involved
especially when working 12-hour shifts
identifying the criteria for simple and high-risk handovers and
defining suitable sequences for both types.
Some shift handovers take more effort and therefore require more
time, for example, when maintenance takes place during operation
and is not finished at the end of the shift, with new or inexperienced
employees, after a long absence (e.g. vacation) and in exceptional
situations such as during a standstill especially if contractors staff
are involved.
2

3. Efficiency check: Critical review of
the communication processes
Is all of the relevant information communicated during the shift han-
dover at your plant? Even a small, informal survey of your employees
can provide the answer as well as a look at your safety statistics.
The basic rules for reliable communication:
Redundancy and diversity in the exchange media: It is ideal if both
written as well as verbal communication channels are used.
Personal conversations are the richest information channel:
Active face-to-face dialogues are the easiest and most effective
way to avoid or clear up ambiguities and misunderstanding.
Direct feedback is the most effective method to check mutual
understanding and correct any possible misunderstandings.
4. Help or challenge? Establish practical
means of communication
A logbook can be a conglomeration of any collated data or a stra-
tegic tool. The quality of the collected information is determined by
the ergonomic work design, among others:
The content structure should be logical, self-explanatory and easy
to understand. Unclear, unnecessary or excessively general
categories cost time. The decoding of entries made by the
replacement crew takes longer as well.
User-friendliness: a mixture of open and closed questions with
multiple-choice options. Important: Allow space for observations
and comments.
Make design and functionalities intuitive and with a clear
structure this facilitates navigation and makes the filling out of
forms easier.
Experts suggest not to determine the structure of the logbook
without input of the employees and to consult with employees to
optimise the logbook layout.
Drgerwerk AG & Co. KGaA
Five steps to more efficiency during shift handover
5. Hard training for soft factors:
Train employees to become
communicatively fit
When a refinery hires new employees, professional qualifications
are one of the key factors for the selection of candidates their
communication skills are usually less of a focus. It is therefore too
much to expect that they are able to create well-formulated entries
in logbooks and records on the fly or give perfect feedback and
master sophisticated questioning techniques during the shift hando-
ver process. But: communication skills can be trained!
Suitable training concepts are those that motivate and involve em-
ployees e.g. through film and text material that is jointly analysed
and discussed. With best practice, as well as worst-case scenarios,
causes and strategies can be worked out to avoid errors.
Motivating forms of training may seem more expensive and time-
consuming than conventional training sessions based on the tradi-
tional lecture principle. However, their lasting effect compensates
for the investment. However: Newly acquired behaviours associated
with soft skills become more blunted over time due to the daily rou-
tines; a periodic refresher course especially in light of striving for
zero accidents is therefore essential.
Your safety is our passion.
3
 Five steps to more efficiency during shift handover

Sources (e xcerpt ):

Brazier, Andy, Pacitti, Brian, Sedgwick, Martin: The Link Between Safety And Shift Handover, Aberdeen, 2013

Lardner, Ronny: Safe Communication At Shift Handover: Setting and Implementing Standards, Edinburgh, 1999

Novatsis, Emily, McCormick, Paul, Lardner, Ronny: Beyond Bulletins And Presentations: Use of Scenarios To Learn From Incidents, Paper

for SPE/APPEA International Conference on Health, Safety, and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, Perth, 2012

Wilkinson, John, Lardner, Ronny: Shift Handover After Buncefield, Chemical Engineering Transactions Vol. 31, 2013, www.aidic.it

1
Keil Centre Ltd., Edinburgh
2
Lardner, Ronny: Effective Shift Handover, Edinburgh 1996
3
Lardner, Ronny: Effective Shift Handover, Edinburgh 1996
4
Lardner, Ronny: Safe Communication At Shift Handover: Setting and Implementing Standards, Edinburgh, 1999

Imprint / Contact
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Drger Safety AG & Co. KGaA
Branch Office
P.O. Box 505108
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel +971 4 4294 600
Fax +971 4 4294 699
contactuae@draeger.com
www.draeger.com

Drgerwerk AG & Co. KGaA 4