Learning by Training

By Arend van Campen

HSEQ & FISHING

Last week I went fishing in Ireland on one of the lakes near Monaghan. The pike were biting and I was wondering why, after many millions of years of evolution, pike had not learned the difference between a lure with sharp hooks and a real fish without them. Why, I asked, were they programmed to bite first and think later?

I had to look for an answer and found that awareness of danger is usually being superseded by an innate need for survival. Eat first! Of course when a pike gets hooked it tries everything to shake off the hook by diving, jumping and shaking its head. Sometimes he or she gets lucky and disappears into the deep without harm.

I usually use metaphors to visualise a story and this time I use pike to confirm the relationship with our human programming to survive. People, like pike, do not like to be caught. People do not like to be in danger. But when I look around in the hazardous cargo industries, I often notice that people too bite first and think later. Awareness of being in danger can sometimes be ignored when an operator looks at his watch and sees that he is late for lunch or coffee break. Thoughts about other matters than the job at hand perhaps roam his or her mind and before he or she realises it, danger lures.

People and Dolphins, I learned recently, are equipped with a similar size brain and these two brains have been evolved to include ‘self-awareness and self-reflection’, whilst other animals, such as pike, do not possess these abilities, which can mean the difference between being caught or not. These are therefore natural, biological capabilities used to warn oneself a bit earlier and prevent dependance on animalistic predatory behaviour. Our ‘reasoning’ capacity helps us to survive and stay at the top of the food chain. Ayn Rand, the Russian author, talked about the difference between people of character and predators by naming Reason, Purpose and Self-Esteem, as drivers for survival.

When we now apply this information in our daily HSEQ compliance struggle, we can easily conclude that it is our awareness and selfreflection that is guiding us safely through our daily routine in work or traffic. Human brain functioning gives us the edge. Therefore, I believe that HSEQ rules or regulations can only work as guidelines, but that people, through contemplation and thinking, are in charge of Health and Safety, because they are naturally inclined to do so.

According to the ISGOTT Marine Operator Program, the three levels of competency are: Awareness, Knowledge and Skill. I agree. Before I teach people how to operate a technical process, first I address so-called Human Factors and verify their thinking levels. Learning and developing HSEQ skills can only be achieved by understanding if a person is aware or not yet aware of this innately evolved survival mechanism. There, in short, I see the key to reducing HSEQ risk.

This is the latest in a series of articles by Arend van Campen, founder of TankTerminalTraining. More information on the company’s activities can be found at www.tankterminaltraining.com. Those interested in responding personally can contact him directly at arendvc@tankterminaltraining.com.