The Starting Point – An OPALs Case

The first step in the OPALs process is to hold a structured discussion with workers on site. Ideally a group of 6-12 workers that know ech other. The OPALs field trial on Merseyside held discussions with groups of groundworkers, all of whom were employed by, or contracted to Quinn Developments NW Ltd.

The aim of these discussions was to focus on a risk area familiar to the group, and use an OPALs case, which provides a brief summary of another persons accident. The key feature of an OPALs case is that it has been selected and analysed beforehand to ensure that the attention of the group is drawn to the energy flows which lead to harm, and away from attaching blame to an individual. In this way objective precautions can be more readily identified which may have prevented that accident,

The OPALs cases used in the field study were drawn from publicly available Press Releases from the Health and Safety Executive, which provide just enough detail to begin an OPALs discussion. Alternatively OPALs cases can be created from any accident record relevant to the group of workers involved.

The Example below shows a slide used in the Field Trial to kick off the discussion.