Load-Out
By Jim Digby
A Practical Approach to
Situational Awareness
How many of us have taken a leisurely stroll down an open sidewalk, only to
stumble over a slightly raised slab of concrete? Or have returned home after a long day, only to realize you
remember nothing of the drive? Or maybe you’ve gone an entire show never noticing cases stacked in
front of the stairs, the chain on the back door, and the gaping hole in the floor? In each of these cases, we
are physically present, but not situationally aware.
Situational awareness (SA), is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information about your environment. More simply, it’s knowing what is going on around you, and being able
to recognize when things aren’t “right”. SA is one of the most important tools in your safety toolkit. Many
incidents can be easily avoided if one is aware of hazards and their potential consequences.
Situational awareness is not automatic. To be situationally aware one must actively and continuously assess
their physical and emotional environment. Key to this assessment is asking questions relevant to your role
and its place within the overall operation. One practical method of improving awareness is the use of
checklists designed to guide workers in asking the right questions both of themselves and their peers and
identify the appropriate response.
Recognizing that SA can be defined in many ways, here we have attempted to identify ways in which it
applies to our environment. One example of a situational awareness checklist is below. This particular example is designed to address four areas of an operation - the worker (personal), the team (departmental),
the company (organizational), and the audience. Depending upon the circumstances of your event, your
checklist may include additional questions and/or sections.
Situational Awareness Checklist
Personal SA
- Am I feeling 100%?
- Is there anything personal preventing me from being fully focused on my task today that may distract me
from being safe?
- Do I understand my task for the day and any special considerations unique to the day?
- Do I have all proper information/equipment/tools/PPE to do the job?
- Am I aware of where I am, emergency exists, safe shelter & first aid?
- Am I constantly on the lookout for unsafe behavior, equipment and unrecognized items?
- Do I know what to do if I see something concerning?
- Am I keeping emergency exits, power panels and fire extinguishers accessible?
- Am I taking any action which may impede or endanger anyone?
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