TAKING SAFETY PROGRAMS SERIOUSLY

Beginning a serious safety program presents many more challenges than just changing the behavior of your work group.

The problem is this: Where do you start when you want to “be safe”? What does it mean to be safe?

If you begin with the way we did things yesterday, then you have a goal––improve on yesterday’s methods. Every safety program should have at its heart the goal to improve the safety program itself.

The establishment of a safety program implies that it will improve safety, or else why would you begin? And further, it is assumed that with time, there will be many things learned that will enlighten the workforce on steps toward a safer work environment. So why don’t we hear more about the “progress” or “improvement” of the safety program, besides just talking about the numbers of accidents?

I’m not arguing that measuring the numbers of accidents is a wrong way to judge progress. Rather, I say we need to remember to look deeper into the safety program itself and ask some of the following questions of the process:
 

Have we made the safety suggestion process easier, or has it been the same for years?

 

Have we addressed the methods we use to judge the merits of a safety suggestion?

 

Have we made progress in giving “ownership” of the safety program to the men and women who are in the field?

 

Have we measured our response times to safety suggestions to see if we are getting better?

 

Does middle management take a “double standard” attitude when it comes to mundane rules about vehicles backing and coning?

 

Does management let workers give feedback on the quality of the safety program through a survey?

 

Are issues addressed immediately in the form of a written response to unsafe situations brought forth in safety meeting discussions?

 

Has management provided the budget for FR clothing and other tools and equipment requested by the work group?
 

The way we implement the safety rules in our everyday work environment directly reflects how much credence we give to the rules. Human psychology is such that if we feel we are initiating an action on our own efforts, we will support it much more vigorously than if we are commanded, even if it has validity. That’s why a good safety program must look constantly at how much the work group feels it is theirs. A good program also requires management to act in a positive way to instill good safety morale.

The more effort you put into something the better the results. It’s sad when people don’t think it will do any good to make a suggestion or mention a hazard, because they have developed a belief that nothing will be done. Cynicism will continue to exist, but we can overcome it through diligence, action, and consistency.

Each of us can improve our safety programs by changing how we feel about the purpose of safety rules. We can voice our opinions and make an on-going effort to improve the work environment. We can also put pressure on management to make safety improvements a top priority.

Be safe.

Bob Burkle