Building a safety culture

Much like construction, building a safety culture must be done one step at a time with a plan.

by John W. Wells Jr.

Does your company truly have a proactive safety culture?

On and off the job, safety is a way of life. Human beings learn from experiences and exposures, so to accomplish a true cultural shift to a safer workplace, employees must learn how to think, observe and react with safety in mind.

Four parts to a safety program
Training, participation, accident prevention and accountability are the four components that, when implemented correctly, can help create and maintain a safety culture. People involvement is the key to making this switch.

First step: orientation and training
The first experience any new employee should have at a company is a thorough orientation. Too often, orientation consists of a quick benefits review, filling out insurance forms, reviewing the attendance policy, issuing an employee handbook and a basic safety overview. Employees are then rushed to the jobsite for on-the-job training.

This sends a confusing message to the employee. They hear the talk about working safely, but are quickly put to work with little or no review of the work processes. The new hire gets overwhelmed.

Orientation should last two to four days. It should cover policies, company philosophy, safety and environmental training, any training required by regulatory agencies and an introduction to quality systems if you use them.

Break up training with a variety of speakers or presenters; have an informal lunch with the managers to help new employees match faces and names.

Ongoing training, on the other hand, is more difficult. Management must realize training is an investment and how it affects employees’ ability to work efficiently and safely.

A shift in regulatory requirements over the past decade has directed companies to verify competency. Computer-based or online training is gaining popularity because the trainee must interact with it, which helps retention. It also allows users to go at their own pace and it holds their attention by asking questions and requires physical interaction with a keyboard or touch screen.

At the end of each section, trainees are tested to assure they have retained the information before they advance to the next module. A final exam establishes a competency level for the employee.

Second step: participation
Employees who proactively report unsafe conditions or near-misses are key to an effective safety culture. Participation has to be a “buy in.” Mandating a program positions it as an inconvenience in the minds of employees; a program driven by employees will gain acceptance.

To achieve this level of acceptance, create department or jobsite safety committees chaired by the jobsite managers. The committee should be made up of workers from different parts of the job or company who are liaisons between management and employees. This keeps safety activities at the department level. The more employees are involved, the more they can respond to problems or safety concerns.

Third step: prevention
One the oldest, least-used tools of the safety trade is the near-miss report. Implemented correctly, it serves as a cornerstone to action.

If the safety committee positions the reporting of near-misses as an important flag, they can focus on being proactive rather than reactive. The trick is getting worker participation so enough data can be gathered to create the report. Incentives based on participation rather than incidents can motivate workers to supply this information.

Monthly incentive drawings, such as retailer gift cards, can be awarded from the pool of employees submitting near-miss reports.

Incentives should be awarded at the jobsite or work group level because workers can see their chance of winning is much greater than when it involves everyone.

Once the safety team has compiled the near-miss report, it can determine what needs to be done to head off dangers. Team leaders, while endorsing an employee’s eligibility for monthly drawings, can make sure safety measures are completed.

By fixing items as they are discovered or positively counseling unsafe acts, you will see fewer potential exposures and at-risk behaviors.

Fourth step: accountability
This is one of the hardest mindsets to break or build. When it comes to enforcement of the law, society takes the attitude of “I saw nothing!” or “Leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone!” attitude. This can be extremely dangerous in any workplace.

Employees must understand that a mistake by one can affect everyone. A program that rewards employees for finding hazards or identifying problems helps build a positive safety mindset.

Unfortunately, management styles often discipline heavily, thinking it instills accountability. Accountability and discipline are not the same and should be addressed separately. A positive employee culture should allow workers to recognize their mistakes without reprisal. Through positive counseling, supervisors and managers can help employees determine which actions are needed to eliminate future incidents.

Clearly defined rules are important. If certain actions warrant immediate discipline, they must be spelled out.

So what happens when a worker breaks one of the written rules? Let that be an opportunity for a co-worker to intervene and get credit for a near-miss. This resolves the issue through peer pressure. A couple of jokes or an “I got you!” from a fellow employee makes a bigger impression than a disciplinary slip in the personnel file.

The opposite is true, however, for serious offenses that could result in serious injury or death. Discipline for these offenses must follow a strict policy that is applied equally.

Do not make the safety manager the disciplinarian. It’s better to allow one or more employees to intervene in less-serious infractions which reinforces positive habits.

Editor’s note: John (Jay) W. Wells Jr., MS, CSP, of Dyersburg, Tenn., has more than 15 years of safety and health experience with safety programs. He may be reached at reelfootcamo@cableone.net. 

Published in the November/December 2003 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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