DEKRA Insight Introduces A New Approach For Assessing High Reliability Organization (HRO) Performance

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Jul 19, 2016, 09:15 ET

OXNARD, Calif., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DEKRA Insight, a global leader in safety at work, today announced the release of a set of measurable disciplines, the AIER scales, which address the historically ambiguous approach to evaluating high-reliability organization (HRO) performance. The scales measure cultural and leadership characteristics linked to consistently safe and reliable performance; the absence of which have been complicit in historical catastrophic events.

What are High-Reliability Organizations (HRO) in the area of safety at work? DEKRA Insight has released of a set of measurable disciplines, the AIER scales, which address the historically ambiguous approach to evaluating HRO performance.

Since the 1980s, academics have worked to define the characteristics of the High-Reliability Organization (HRO): those organizations that stay safe despite operating in complex, high-risk environments, such as U.S. submarine groups, wildfire incident management teams, and nuclear plant operations.

"Defining HRO performance has largely been an academic exercise rather than a practical one. Leaders have struggled to translate esoteric 'habits' into practices that can be applied predictably and proactively to today's work environment," commented Mike Snyder, Vice President Organizational Process Safety.

The AIER scales consist of four operational disciplines that define a continuous system of behaviors focused on rigorous identification of deviations from normal operation, rapid resolution of these deviations at an early stage, while ensuring that organizational learning occurs.

Snyder continues, "The AIER scales support the technical and operational aspects of process safety, operational reliability, serious injury and fatality prevention, product quality and online time."

The DEKRA Insight AIER scale model focuses on:

Anticipation – fostering systems and behaviors sensitive to "weak signals" indicating increased risk.
Inquiry – effective use of information to analyze and plan mitigation of risks.
Execution – monitoring, reinforcing and verifying program execution.
Resilience – developing and exercising the ability to react in ways that prevent upset conditions from becoming catastrophic events.

To learn more about this model and execution details download "Building the High-Reliability Organization". DEKRA Insight released a companion eBook, "Organizational Process Safety: Taking Process Safety to the Next Level," available for download.

About DEKRA Insight

As the global leader in safety at work, DEKRA Insight is a consultant and partner with a passionate, scientific approach to transforming safety. Our clients mitigate risk to their employees, assets, and reputation in a quantifiable manner—and in the process, enhance business performance.

DEKRA Insight has over 500 employees in 22 offices and 16 countries. We are a service unit of DEKRA S.E., a global leader in safety since 1925 with over 37,000 employees.

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SOURCE DEKRA Insight