195: Too Much/Too Little Supervision
Definition/Typical Issues
Did immediate supervision provide inadequate support, coverage, or oversight during performance of the job? Was an inadequate level of supervision provided at the job site? Was contact with workers too infrequent? Did direct supervision's involvement in the task interfere with the supervisory overview role?
Note 1: The investigator must judge what level of supervision was appropriate based on the importance of the job in relation to safety and production. It is not possible or practical to provide continuous supervision on every job.
Examples
Example 1
- A mechanic was told by his immediate supervisor to "fix the leak" in a tank containing a hazardous chemical. The supervisor gave him no instructions on how to perform the task and did not provide any oversight of the work activities. Because of the mechanic's lack of understanding about the hazards associated with this job, he allowed the chemical to come into contact with his skin. This caused severe burns.
Example 2
- During the installation of a new computer system, the immediate supervisor of the responsible crew became so interested in installing the central control unit that he picked up a screwdriver and became involved in the work. As a result, he ignored those members of the crew who were installing the auxiliary unit. Some important checks were missed on the auxiliary unit; therefore, it failed upon startup.
Typical Recommendations
- For nonroutine job tasks or for tasks that require specific safety precautions, encourage supervisors to remain at the job site to provide coverage for the entire job, or at least visit the job site frequently to provide direction as necessary.
- Encourage supervisors to give their supervisory role priority over assisting others in actually performing the job task.
- Ensure that supervisors understand their responsibilities to provide more supervision to less experienced workers.
- Make supervisors available to subordinates so that they can ask questions about job tasks.
Cross-References
| Version 10 Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 189 | Supervision LTA |
| Maritime Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 215 | Insufficient Supervision |