Rebuilding the Shift Handover as a Leadership Behaviour

Problem: Leadership disengagement at shift change was causing risk information to be lost between crews. Standard handover protocols existed but were treated as administrative paperwork.
Behavioural Mechanism: Antecedent: production pressure at shift end. Behaviour: bypass of the handover process. Consequence: no observable penalty for a fast handover and no observable reward for a thorough one. The system was making the wrong behaviour easier and cheaper than the right one.
Intervention: The handover was redesigned as a leadership behaviour, not a paperwork exercise. Supervisors were required to physically walk the workface with the incoming crew leader and verbally confirm three pre-set risk points. Observable, time-bound, and reinforced by management presence.
Result: Critical information transfer at handover became consistent across shifts. Leaders reported the new format took less time than the old paperwork ritual. Crews reported feeling better prepared at shift start.