Last week, I shared my thoughts about safety clutter, after reading an excellent research piece that explained the term. Following on from that, I’ve read another article detailing the pros and cons of the Take-5 method. The research concludes that the method is ineffective, contributing to safety clutter - and we should reconsider using it.
Let’s explore the Take-5 checklist…
The Take-5 system is a checklist that is typically performed immediately before a task is undertaken, often used in industries that involve manual work (as opposed to desk jobs). This activity involves the worker checking off 5 itemised tasks to consider the safety implications of what they’re about to do.
In theory, this system has several applications where it should help improve an organisation's safety:
1. Helps to plan the safety of work
The most immediate function of the checklist where an individual is prompted to actively search for hazards. In doing so, the worker engages in the primary and active function of the Take-5 method by making direct changes to their task to mitigate any discovered hazards.
2. Increase attentiveness and thoughtfulness
As the Take-5 method prompts workers to consider the potential risks of their looming tasks, their brains are primed to be alert for such risks when they begin performing their task. In this way, the system implores frequency bias in individuals - the bias where upon reading or seeing something actively initially, we begin to see that very object far more often in everyday life. If we’re primed to look for hazards with a checklist, theoretically we’ll notice them with increasing frequency in our day-to-day tasks and be more vigilant towards a safer work environment.
3. Long-term education
As a long-term function, the Take-5 method can help to educate workers down the line about how to appropriately look for and mitigate risk in their roles, from a big-picture point of view.
However, researchers followed workers around their organisation and discovered that this classic safety system is not as effective as we might think, unveiling an important perspective that we should bear in mind as we strive to keep our workplaces safe.
Despite the above functions, they found that in practice, Take-5 did not achieve the desired effects, and rather, became a piece of safety clutter. Indeed, no evidence found of the Take-5 approach actually improves planning of work, increases worker heedfulness, improves education, or assists organisation-wide awareness and management of hazards.