Introduction
Distractions in the workplace pose a significant challenge to risk managers focused on preventing accidents and ensuring safety. Distractions can be visual, manual, or cognitive, each type posing unique risks to individuals and organizations. This paper explores the nature of these distractions, provides real-world examples, and offers practical solutions to mitigate their impact.
Types of Distractions
- Visual Distraction: Involves taking one’s eyes off the task at hand.
- Manual Distraction: Taking away one’s hands, feet, or body parts from the task.
- Cognitive Distraction: Occurs when an individual’s mind wanders, not focusing directly on the task.
The challenge for risk managers is to address all three distractions effectively to prevent accidents and injuries.
Case Study: Medical Organization Process Test Site
During a tour of a large medical provider organization’s process test site, teams of doctors, nurses, janitors, pharmacists, and administrators reviewed current processes and identified their key challenges. One critical focus for the organization was eliminating distractions to enhance patient care.
Success Story: Reducing Pharmacy Misfills
Pharmacy misfills are potentially life-threatening events with significant economic and reputational risks. To combat this, the organization introduced a sash for pharmacists to wear while filling prescriptions, signaling to others that interruptions should be minimized. This simple yet effective measure reduced distractions and improved pharmacists’ focus, leading to a 93% drop in misfills.
Balancing Customer Service and Safety in Retail Pharmacies
As a Risk Manager for a large retail grocery chain with embedded pharmacies, I had to create and implement safety programs that maintained high customer service standards. The front-end retail management wanted a high level of customer service, where the Pharmacist was supposed to greet every customer when they came to the pharmacy. Yet this expectation was not aligned with accurately filling the proper drugs into the correct bottle or dispenser.
Centralized Filling Process
One solution was that we centralized much of the prescription filling process in a centralized “remote” location without distractions from customers. However, it created issues with the timely transportation of the products to the stores. It also created problems with those drugs requiring maintaining the medications in a specific temperature environment. Our calculations of expenses and savings were that the increased transportation costs were offset by the increased efficiency of the pharmacists working in remote locations and the reduced exposure to misfills.
Tall Letter Labels
We implemented a “Tall Letter” process on pharmacy labels, using capital letters to distinguish drugs with similar names, such as Librium vs. laBium. This visual aid helped pharmacists quickly verify the correct medication.
Single-Task Focus
Pharmacists were trained to stop filling prescriptions when interacting with customers. Studies have shown that humans cannot effectively multitask, and this practice ensured full attention was given to each task sequentially.
Addressing Cognitive Distractions and Fatigue
Cognitive distractions, particularly those caused by fatigue, are challenging to diagnose and address. New wearable technology can monitor fatigue, circadian rhythms, and cognitive function, providing valuable data to prevent accidents. The trucking industry, for example, has begun adopting such technologies to enhance safety. This technology can be expanded well beyond the transportation industry.
Every work environment has its unique safety challenges
The service, transportation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail environments have unique distraction exposures and risks. Successful safety programs, however, have processes which, if followed, can result in lowering the claim’s frequency and severity
Implementing Solutions: A Step-by-Step Approach
- Define the Challenge or Risk: Identify the specific risks distractions pose.
- Collaborate with Experts and Front-Line Workers: Involve finance experts and experienced staff to define risks and develop practical solutions accurately.
- Quantify the Impact: Include financial and reputational risks in your analysis to build a compelling case for change.
- Develop Elegant Solutions: Ensure solutions are practical and easily implemented by front-line workers.
- Sell the Solution: Gain buy-in from senior management and front-line staff through clear communication and demonstration of benefits.
- Measure Success: Regularly track the effectiveness of implemented solutions and make adjustments as needed.
- Learn and Adapt: Continuously improve processes based on lessons learned from successes and failures.
- Celebrate Success: Recognize and celebrate the teams’ achievements in successful implementations.
Conclusion
Addressing distractions in the workplace is crucial for preventing injuries and ensuring safety. Organizations can significantly reduce the impact of distractions by identifying risks, implementing practical solutions, and continuously improving processes. Collaboration, risk quantification, and effective communication are key to success in risk management.
Skip to content