You may have read the book Good to Great,
by Jim Collins. In his book he explains how many companies thought being good is…
well, “good enough.” In these times of constant change and global competition,
it is important to always look for improvement --especially when it comes to safety.
Who wants to settle for “good enough” safety? In
most cases, good means the company is willing to settle for an injury. “Good
enough” safety means setting safety goals based on lagging indicators. (An example is
to reduce lost time injuries by 10%.) Great safety means setting a rigorous goal of zero
injuries. According to Collins, you want to be rigorous and not ruthless when growing your
company. This same concept should also apply to safety in the workplace.
Is Your Safety Process Rigorous or Just Plain Ruthless?
Ruthless safety could be characterized as a company that
tends to punish employees by verbally beating them over the head with the safety manual
for getting hurt on the job. Don’t read this wrong…every company must have a
disciplinary policy to get the attention of employees who don’t understand the
consequences of unsafe behavior. But to truly change behavior frontline leaders must
always clearly identify the behavior required to prevent injuries. After all, the goal is
“Nobody Gets Hurt.”
Rigorous safety could be characterized as clearly defined
behaviors that workers are held accountable for that prevent known hazards from injuring
them. If a worker continually proves that he or she has no intention of behaving safely,
then disciplinary action must be taken. Rigorous safety means that leadership has the best
interest of the employee at heart.
5 Factors for Rigorous Safety Leadership
Leading employees to behave safely on the job is not an
easy task. During our 15 years of experience of consulting with top executives on
workplace safety, we have had many leaders tell us that if they had known leading
employees to behave safely on the job was so hard to do, they might have turned down the
position of supervisor, foreman or lead. Yet, there is hope.
Leaders from the frontline can be effective by learning
about dealing with these five human factors:
1. Expectations:
Unspoken, unrecognized expectations in the workplace can
lead to job frustration, substandard safety performance, decreased job safety commitment
and even high turnover. Understand that most employees expect to have a workplace free of
hazards. Workers have varying expectations when it comes to factors such as autonomy,
work/life balance, career opportunities, stability, structure, and teamwork. The key is to
learn what expectations the individuals in your organization have and then work with them
to meet or, in some cases, adjust those expectations.
2. Communication:
Being a superb safety communicator is difficult to
accomplish. Think about the people to whom you communicate safety requirements on a daily
basis. You will notice some are strong in certain communication skills, but weak in other
skills. Learn everything you can about your communications style and how it affects others
– what impact do you have? If you don’t usually get a positive reaction from
those around you, take a course in interpersonal skills.
3. Innovation:
Change, whether anticipated or unanticipated, can be
difficult. To innovate, grow and improve a safety culture requires individuals who are
able to see the big picture. Accept that change is a part of life and learn let go of the
past and embrace and apply new techniques, technologies, and tools when appropriate.
4. Organization:
Safety innovation cannot be done without teams of people
dedicated to hitting the goal: A Zero-Injury Workplace. Leaders must be able to organize a
team and motivate it towards the goal. Imagine everyone leading each other to the goal of
a zero-injury workplace.
5. Appreciation:
Great leaders accomplish great things. Great leaders
appreciate the people who make things happen. Understanding how one reacts to certain
situations as a leader is vital to being a successful leader.
Get Rigorous for a Bright Future
Becoming rigorous about safety is hard work, but it is
rewarding. When a company and its leaders commit to improving their effectiveness with
rigorous safety programs, employees are more motivated to behave safely so they can home
to their families every day without injury. After all, no matter what level you are in the
company, the goal is “Nobody Gets Hurt.” That’s a goal everyone can live
with. |
