Creating a Lasting Safety Culture

Staying safe at work sounds like a simple enough goal.  No worker wants to work in an unsafe environment and no administrator or elected official wants to spend time and resources investigating preventable incidents.  The potential for workers’ compensation or third-party liability claims arising from unsafe activities are considerable, when, unsafe incidents occur.  People get hurt property is damaged and productivity is impaired, adding to the negative impact from t events.
 
Often, incidents occur in spite our best efforts to adopt safety policies and satisfy training requirements.  Safety culture is beyond policy and procedure, since it develops a   lasting change in the organization. A culture of safety t reinforces a shared organizational commitment at all levels of the organization. 
 
A good example is provided by Paul O’Neill, formerly of Alcoa.  Mr. O’Neill took over as the CEO at Alcoa during an incredibly challenging time, when he stated: “I knew I had to transform Alcoa. But you can’t order people to change. So, I decided I was going to start by focusing on one thing. If I could start disrupting the habits around one thing, it would spread throughout the entire company.” 
 
He reinforced his commitment to developing a culture of safety in a now famous speech to Alcoa shareholders, he said: “If you want to understand how Alcoa is doing, you need to look at our workplace safety figures. If we bring our injury rates down, it won’t be because of cheerleading or the nonsense you sometimes hear from other CEOs. It will be because the individuals at this company have agreed to become part of something important: They’ve devoted themselves to creating a habit of excellence. Safety will be an indicator that we’re making progress in changing our habits across the entire institution. That’s how we should be judged.”
 
Despite initial resistance from the shareholders, O’Neill’s decision to prioritize safety over profits paid off.  Sales increased, employee injuries declined, and net profits grew five-fold over his twelve-year tenure as CEO.
 
There are several steps we can take to better reinforce a safety culture within our own organizations.  While not an exhaustive list, these seven areas are a great place to start:
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• Robust training program – Too many incidents resulting in employee injuries, organization property damage and third-party liability result from the lack of proper training.  Training should be more than checking a box once a year to meet a minimum standard.  Training should include specific examples of the type of work to be performed, the actual hazards evident and the safety practices to be followed to safety perform the work.  New employees should receive specific onboarding and follow-up training to ensure they are familiar with the safety policies and safe work practices of the organization.
  
  
• Keep safety top of mind – Do not leave safety training to a monthly formal training but incorporate safety into daily work activities.  Taking five minutes to review the work that will be performed, the hazards present and the safety precautions that need to be taken can be incredibly beneficial.
  
  
• Effective safety/risk committees – These committees should not just be a forum to review incidents but should provide members with the opportunity to review near-misses (near-hits) as well as to express safety and risk concerns from within their own departments or divisions.  Committees should have the full support of senior leadership, and when possible should have representation on the committee from the most senior levels of an organization.
  
  
• Safety incentive programs – An effective safety incentive program should not simply reward employees for a lack of incidents but should encourage proactivity from employees.  Recommendations from employees of known hazards or alternative approaches to perform a task in a safer way can be tremendously valuable.
  
  
• Empower employees – Employees at every level of the organization should be empowered and encouraged to address unsafe activities directly, including stopping work in process if necessary.   
  
  
• Plan for safety – When employees understand that safety is the first and highest priority of an organization, they will work differently.  Supervisors and managers should reinforce this while planning projects, that injuries are likely to occur when shortcuts are taken, or safety protocols are not followed.    Incidents occur where employees are hurried to finish to their work within a specific timeframe, such as the end of a shift or workday.    
  
  
• Safety accountability – Incorporating safety into the performance evaluations of employees, supervisors and senior leaders tangibly reinforces the organizations commitment to safety.

As we work to improve the safety culture within our organizations, safety will become a habit.   Productivity improves with a decrease in incidents, employee moral rises, and our public image is enhanced.
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