Sentis have been delivering the ZIP training program to Tomago Aluminium Company employees and supporting our leaders with the application of the learning in the workplace. It is well understood in our business that the accountability for leading positive safety culture change rests with us. However the Sentis team provide very tangible support through their professional and caring approach.

The ZIP training resonates loudly with participants as many comment that it is the best quality training that they have ever attended. It sets very clear context for why the choices we make regarding safety, at work and at home, are so very important. It also equips leaders to be able to provide true meaning to workplace health and safety systems in a way that fully engages team members in the application of sound safety practices and improvement.

JOHN LEMBERG (CEO)
Tomago Aluminium

Assessments

The Research and Assessments Team at Sentis includes registered psychologists, data analysts and business leaders who offer a depth of experience in research and analysis. This experience allows us to offer both standard and tailored assessment tools to suit a client's particular needs. We work closely with our clients to develop a genuine understanding of their organisational context so as to provide a research solution that is both practical and meaningful. At Sentis, ethical and confidential handling of data is a priority. Consequently, we abide by all relevant state and Federal laws relating to the collection, use, storage and access to confidential information and our psychologists comply with relevant Codes of Ethics.

Whether you are interested in a complete implementation of the ZIP Safety or ZIP Well-being programs or you are simply interested in gaining an increased understanding of the forces that influence beliefs, attitudes and behaviours within your organisation, Sentis adopts a consultative approach to design and implement an effective assessment solution.

We offer a range of assessments that target the individual, leader and organisational levels.

These include:

  • Sentis Safety Leadership Survey
  • The Safety Culture Survey
  • Onsite Safety Evaluation
  • The ZEROScale-Safety
  • The ZEROScale-Well-being
  • 360º Feedback and Assessment
  • Customised surveys
Sentis Safety Leadership Survey

Leadership is a key predictor of safety in the workplace. Frontline supervisors, department heads and the CEO all play a crucial role in shaping employees' attitudes and behaviours toward safety. Sentis has long recognised the importance of leadership in assisting organisations to reach their true safety potential. The Sentis Safety Leadership Survey (SSLS) has been designed by Sentis safety professionals and psychologists to measure the safety relevant behaviours of leaders that may influence an organisation's safety culture and the behaviours and attitudes of employees.

The SSLS is a short survey that measures perceptions of the safety behaviours and attitudes of frontline leaders across eight distinct Safety Leadership dimensions (detailed below). The SSLS is available either online or in hard copy and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Given that Safety Leadership is an emerging and pioneering research area, Sentis is seeking industry partners to further develop and refine this measure. Specifically, Sentis will work closely with your organisation to explore and describe the relationships that exist between Safety Leadership and Safety Performance.

The Eight Dimensions of Safety Leadership:

  • Supporting through active monitoring of employee performance and compliance with safety standards.
  • Recognising and rewarding employees based on the achievement of high safety performance.
  • Actively caring for the health, safety and general well-being of individuals within the team.
  • Collaborating with the team on safety issues and decisions through a consultative process.
  • Vision of the team's safety goals and communicating the 'roadmap' to achieve them.
  • Inspiring the team towards their vision with motivational and encouraging communications.
  • Role Modelling of safety-compliant behaviours thereby setting the benchmark that is expected.
  • Challenging people to examine work situations in new ways in relation to safety.
Safety Culture Survey
Sentis offers a Safety Culture Survey that is designed to assess shared perceptions of safety-relevant factors in operation within organisations. It is well established that psychological forces within an organisation can influence the beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of employees, and that the complex interplay of individuals, teams and departments can determine the extent to which an organisation realises its safety performance goals. The Safety Culture Survey accurately measures these variables, which are interpreted by our team of Safety Professionals to develop impactful recommendations. 
 
The framework of the Safety Culture Survey is based on the Sentis Safety Culture Model (SCM).  An effective safety culture represents excellence in the four areas of the SCM:
  • Environment: Firstly, a company invests in a “fit for purpose” environment. A marker of success in this area is that existing equipment and tools are well maintained and stored appropriately. 
  • Practices: Secondly, a company is committed to Standard Operating Procedures that are accessible and easy to understand. The goal is to have practices that assist with safe production, rather than get in its way. Involvement of people in the field, in the development and review of Standard Operating Procedures, is one sign of a mature safety culture. 
  • Person: In an effective SCM, the most overt symbols are the words and actions of the people who work in the business. Safe and professional people are those who take ownership for their results (e.g. housekeeping), who report and fix hazards, who manage stress effectively, who operate machinery and vehicles with careful attention, and who display an attitude of professionalism in their work efforts.
  • Leadership: Leadership within an effective SCM is exhibited by a commitment and belief in the goal of zero incidents. It is demonstrated by a focus on “safe production” rather than safety and production being viewed as two separate functions of the business. Under pressure, leadership displays integrity in its commitment to people working safely.

The Safety Culture Survey consists of a core set of items, which can be customised to address particular research questions. These items measure a range of variables that have been shown through research and experience to influence safety performance. These constructs include:

  • Safety Climate (team and organisation-level)
  • Safety Training Transfer Climate
  • Safety Communication
  • Safety Training Satisfaction
  • Quality of Safety Briefings/Meetings

Following analysis of the data, organisations are provided with a tailored report and feedback presentation to guide strategic planning and the development of specific interventions.

Also available is a condensed version of this instrument — the Safety Pulse Survey — which facilitates an efficient method of data collection in-between administrations of the Safety Culture Survey. The Safety Pulse Survey is designed to capture a 'snapshot' of current perceptions of safety, with the objective of providing useful progress and monitoring data. Again, the Safety Pulse Survey consists of a number of core questions and may be customised to address particular research questions.

Onsite Safety Evaluation

The Onsite Safety Evaluation is a multi-faceted process designed to thoroughly assess a site across a number of elements, including Practices, Environment, Leadership and Person factors. The Onsite Safety Evaluation is conducted by one or more of Sentis' trained Project Managers and involves comprehensive time on site to allow the Project Manager to observe and collect data against a range of activities including site meetings, risk assessment processes, induction and training activities, and more. The Sentis Project Manager will interact with and collect data from a number of key site personnel in order to gather a clear understanding of the site.

The resulting Assessment Report incorporates information and ratings from the Onsite Safety Evaluation with the data obtained from the Safety Culture Survey. This report will comprise a detailed explanation of the current safety climate, strengths and development opportunities for the site, as well as recommendations for both short and long-term improvements.

The ZEROScale - Safety

The ZEROScale-Safety (ZS-S) is an assessment tool utilised as part of the ZIP Safety process for the purposes of individual personal development. The ZS-S measures individual's personal beliefs regarding safety; specifically, five core safety attitudes – the BIG5® – which consist of the following:

  • Safety Control: The extent to which a person takes personal responsibility, ownership, and accountability for his/her safety.
  • Risk Awareness: A person's ability to perceive and manage risk.
  • Operating Attitude: A person's commitment to the safe operation of machinery and vehicles.
  • Stress Management: A person's awareness of and ability to manage his/her internal stress energy. This consists of two subscales:
    • Attentional Regulation – The degree to which a person can focus his/her conscious attention on a particular task, even in distracting situations.
    • Emotional Regulation - A person's capability to regulate his/her emotions when faced with difficult challenges.
  • Professional Orientation: This consists of three subscales:
    • CANI (Continuous and Never Ending Improvement) - A person's commitment to working effectively, efficiently and safely.
    • Active Care – A person's level of active concern for the safety of others.
    • Self-Efficacy – A person's perceived ability to perform a task successfully.

The results of the ZS-S provide insights into individuals' thinking patterns regarding safety and whether these attitudes, which drive particular behaviours, either help or hinder their ability to stay safe. The ZS-S takes between 30-45 minutes to complete and can be completed either online or as a paper/pencil assessment.

The ZS-S Assessment Report is a summary report that is given to the respondent during ZIP Safety training. The report outlines:

  • The respondent's colour zone result for each of the BIG5 Safety Frames – Green Zone, Orange Zone or Red Zone.
  • A description of what each of the BIG5 results mean in the context of safety.
  • A summary of helpful and hindering attitude markers that contribute to safety choices and results.
The ZEROScale - Well-being

The ZEROScale-Well-being (ZS-W) is an assessment tool utilised as part of the ZIP Well-being process for the purposes of individual personal development. The ZS-W assesses a core set of well-being attitudes - called the BIG5® - that have been linked in the literature to important health, safety and well-being outcomes for individuals and organisations. These BIG5®well-being attitudes consist of the following:

  • Brain Tools:
    • Well-being Locus of Control: This measures a person's willingness to take personal control of, and responsibility for, his/her personal well-being.
    • Directed Attention: This measures a person's ability to be engaged in the present moment – his/her ability to be mindfully present to achieve goals.
  • Risk Awareness: This is a person's ability to perceive and manage risk and to consider how his/her health choices may affect his/her general health and well-being.
  • Operating Attitude: A person's commitment to the safe operation of machinery and vehicles.
  • Stress Management: A person's awareness of and ability to manage his/her internal stress energy. This is comprised of two subscales:
    • Attentional Regulation assesses the degree to which a person can focus his/her conscious attention on a particular task, even in distracting situations.
    • Emotional Regulation assesses a person's capability to regulate his/her emotions when faced with difficult challenges.
  • Professional Orientation: This consists of two subscales:
    • CANI (Continuous and Never Ending Improvement) - This subscale measures a person's commitment to working effectively, efficiently and safely.
    • Self-Efficacy – This subscale assesses a person's perceived ability to perform a task successfully.

The ZS-W takes between 30-45 minutes to complete and can be completed either online or as a paper/pencil assessment. The ZS-W Assessment Report is a summary report that is given to the respondent during ZIP Well-being training. The report outlines:

  • The respondent's colour zone for each of the BIG5 Well-being Frames – Green Zone, Orange Zone or Red Zone.
  • A description of what each of the BIG5 results mean in the context of well-being.
  • A summary of helpful and hindering attitude markers that contribute to well-being choices and results.
360º Feedback and Assessment

360º assessments are feedback tools designed to obtain the perspectives of key stakeholders around an individual, typically including ratings from an individual's manager, peers and subordinates as well as a self-rating. 360º assessments are designed to increase levels of self-awareness and reflection and can prompt positive behaviour change, particularly when the process is facilitated effectively with professional and challenging feedback sessions.

Sentis can either utilise established 360º degree assessment tools, or in a consultative process, we can work with you to design a tailored 360º feedback tool and associated reports, guidelines and procedures

Customised Surveys

Sentis can create tailored surveys designed to gather information specific to client and/or site requirements. The Sentis Research Team is composed of registered psychologists and data analysts who are skilled in scale development and statistical analysis. Sentis partners with clients in a consultative manner to discuss survey and reporting requirements and will create a customised survey, support the data collection process and create a targeted and comprehensive Assessment Report.