Procedure

A detailed approach to carrying out an activity.

A procedure will often identify the activity, the sequence of actions, and the person/s, equipment and materials required to complete the activity.

An employer will usually have a Standard Operating Procedure for each item of machinery they use, however, there may also be other procedures included such as Abnormal procedures (such as what to do in the event of the breakdown of a machine), Commissioning procedures, Start-up / Shutdown procedures or Emergency operating procedures, although other terminology may also be used.

A procedure will contribute to a safe system of work within an organisation and include how to control any assessed risk that is involved in the procedure.

Involve people who currently carry out the activity and those who will be carrying out the activity. The former will add experience and insight, the latter the unknowns and lots of ‘what if’ questions to help produce a detailed and comprehensive procedure. Review existing documentation and include a flow chart or diagram to help better visualise the steps involved in the procedure.

Describe the purpose of the procedure at the beginning of the document, include a title and desired sub-headings (which can be completed later). Be precise in identifying the start and endpoint of the procedure so as to avoid overlap with any other procedure and ensure the outcome is clearly stated.

Describe the current procedure in full and in order of completing steps in the procedure, including all resources needed for it to be completed successfully. This provides the basis on which the procedure can be further adapted, improved, or confirmed as appropriate and correct during and consultation or review process. Include a sub-heading for abbreviations or acronyms used within the document.

Keep the length of the procedure document as short as possible, being concise and accurate, excluding wording which is not required for the completion of the activity. Identify what is needed to effectively describe the procedure – no more and no less. The use of a briefly described, numbered, checklist may meet the requirements of many procedures. Including lengthy sentences and paragraphs within a procedure will frequently result in operatives either getting confused, forgetting what is required, or losing concentration part way through whilst reading the procedure, all of which can lead to a reduction in productivity, reduction in quality, and an increased risk of injury or harm occurring to an operative, bystander, or any equipment or machinery being used.

Trial the procedure using different people; experienced and novices and gather feedback from them. Review the feedback with the details given in the procedure and make any further amendments for improvement purposes before going live.

Once this stage is completed, then the procedure can be approved and authorised for use in an operational context. Monitor the procedure on a regular basis following its introduction, encouraging operatives to feedback both confirmation of appropriateness as well as if any issues arise in its use, especially where conditions might be outside the norm of operating situations, for example, in an outdoor working situation where weather or ground conditions have a significant impact on the applied working practice.

To ensure the procedure maintains relevance, currency and ownership it is important that several criteria are included in the document: a completed / approved date is included; a review date or review by date identified; a version / revision number; the role of the person responsible for the procedure document and a document reference / ID number for correct file storage and retrieval.