Hiring for Safety in Industrial Companies

Author: Ryne Landers

At long last, the recession is receding and the mining, construction, and utilities industries seem to be recovering and expanding again. At the same time, many of the experienced work force is entering retirement age and leaving a vacuum in their place as they begin to exit the workforce. This presents quite a human capital challenge that has left HR and staffing departments scrambling. Hiring the right employees, screening out bad employees, and properly coaching existing employees is not as easy as it once was.

It is now more critical than ever to find, retain and train the right employees to get the job done efficiently and effectively. Hiring and retaining top-notch staff saves companies much needed time and money. 

Many employers are asking themselves these questions:

♦ What is the best way to find and retain top talent and how do you measure the effectiveness of potential hires?

♦ How do you train new hires and employees effectively to maximize performance and develop a culture of success?

♦ How can you use the latest trends and strategies to guide your company’s development?

           

TalentClick, an employee assessment and talent coaching company based in Canada, believes in thoroughly understanding people in order to reduce risks, and just may have the answer to these questions, released in a new study. The new study, based on TalentClick’s Safety Quotient™ (SQ™) Personality Risk Assessment and data pulled from over 197 crew incident reports, was conducted at a large industrial mining company. The assessment is widely conducted on North American working adults in an industrial companies, including logging companies, mineral and metal mining companies, oil and natural gas drillers, long haul trucking companies, and nuclear power utilities.

The data analysis looked carefully at personality and safety incident data from 80 Supervisory/Management Employees and Front-Line Workers, and these were the results:

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The personality traits of “Impulsivity”, “Anxious” and “Distractibility” appear to be factors in elevated incident rates of crew members. The risk levels were significantly lower in “Resistance” and “Impulsivity”. Their workers were most likely to follow rules and guidelines without questioning or pushing back.

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The results allowed the mining company to gain the following:

♦ A clear view of the traits of a high performing worker to be used in external hiring and internal promotion.

♦ Knowing the “ideal profile” to help ensure the right fit between candidate and job type.

♦ A better understanding of how to train and develop workers and manager.

♦ A means to provide tailored coaching and training to compensate for performance gaps.

Impulsivity is just one personality characteristic that can affect a manager or front line employee’s job performance. Impulsivity refers to the degree to which a person seeks excitement and taking risks, versus carefully evaluating options before making decisions.

Studies show that the higher the impulsivity rate of a person, the greater the incidence of personal injury on the job. Avoiding hiring this type of employee can benefit your business tremendously:

Industrial industries like construction, mining, and electrical utilities are notorious for having hazardous environments, strict deadlines, limited training time and severe consequences for workplace incidents. By using data collected on potential hires, both managers and front-line workers, HR staff and hiring managers at these companies can determine which candidates would be more likely to cause incidents and injuries that cost both time and money.

Further analysis of personality traits of workers reveals these results:

Consider Personality Profiles

The takeaway from the information in this study for HR personnel is that it is time to consider using a personality or job compatibility analysis as an efficient predictor of the type of individual they are hiring. For example, if you need a superintendent who is organized and works well under pressure without snapping, these types of profiles can help you find people who are skilled at handling more stressful scenarios, thereby reducing the chances of injuries to crew members and damage to equipment.

Personality Profiles for Developing Effective Training

Understanding the personality traits of employees can also aid you in developing training programs based on these dimensions. You can implement programs that reduce Resistance, Anxiousness, Irritability and Impulsiveness.  You can also develop personas of high functioning, successful employee characteristics, or an “Ideal Profile” of High Performing Employees. Consider setting ranges for specific job roles within your company to help inform job placement and work assignments as well.

Use this information by analyzing it over a period of time to discover long-term trends within your company. Data sets determined over long-term can be used to inform holistic human resource policies and safety program that only benefit your business, saving you time, money and frustration.

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