Employee Safety The Importance of a Safety Culture By Geoff McPherson, Employee Safety Anchorage points associated with fall protection equipment were placed on the sides of a United States Naval dry dock. This was so employees of a concrete company could attach fall protection equipment and perform spall repairs at heights while being protected from falls. An experienced employee was saw-cutting the concrete and safely tied off. He had an assistant that had six months on the job. The saw needed fuel; he climbed down, unhooked the fall protection equipment and then went to refuel the saw. When he returned he did not re-tie to the fall protection equipment, instead he climbed up and began saw-cutting. When he finished saw-cutting he lowered the saw below to his assistant. During his descent he slipped and fell. The total distance of the fall was 15-feet. He broke his shoulder, collar bone, tailbone and every rib in his body. He also bruised his right kidney. The assistant did not feel comfortable informing the senior co-worker that he needed to be tied off. If the company had a good safety culture the assistant would have spoken up. What does a good safety culture mean? Does it mean a positive safety record or does it mean plans have been made for safety? The simplest answer is a safety culture is attained when employees have inclusion in the successful completion of all tasks. In other words, employees feel they have a say in discussing the hazards associated with their job assignment tasks and the methods to remove the hazards. Some common barriers to achieving a good safety culture in an organization are: 1. Productivity before safety Productivity always comes before safety, as safety is viewed as a cost, not an investment. 2. Fear Problems remain hidden as they are driven underground by those trying to avoid sanctions or reprimands. 3. Ineffective leadership Blinkered leadership and the prevailing corporate culture prevent the recognition of risks and opportunities leading to wrong safety decisions being made at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. 4. Non-compliance Managers and the workforce not following the standards, rules and procedures. 5. Miscommunication Critical safety information is not relayed to decision-makers and the message has been diluted. 6. Competency failures There are false beliefs that direct hires and contractors are highly trained and competent.
The Employee Safety Team continues to coordinate efforts with all levels of leadership to develop procedures and methods to encourage a good safety culture. A case in point is the new Job Safety Analysis (JSA) policy and how supervisors are advised to work closely with their subordinates in the creation of localized JSAs. In addition to JSAs, Toolbox Safety Briefs are also an ideal way to get the feedback from the employees and to build trust. Over the past year, the Employee Safety Team has also worked with managers and employees to improve the delivery of the clothing allowance and prescription eye wear program. These efforts led to employees receiving stipends to purchase work clothing that increases their comfort and safety while at work. Also, employees requiring prescription safety eye wear can now receive prescription quality safety eye wear at no personal cost. These changes were prompted by feedback from employees statewide and we will continue to evaluate other safety initiatives to improve our culture. We often hear that some people think that a good safety culture cannot exist due to our high-operation tempos. This line of thinking is wrong. Much larger companies than ours have been tremendously successful in creating a positive and preventative safety culture within its organization. One example is Northrop Grumman, a company that employs more than 90,000 personnel, where a strong safety culture exists and has been a central focus for generations. Their safety program states, “We work to protect the health and well-being of our employees and to provide our customers with high-quality, reliable and safe products. We are committed to safe operations and are diligent in our safety practices and processes. Every employee has a voice in ensuring that they and their coworkers are not exposed to hazards in the workplace. This benchmark safety culture has significantly improved morale, leading to greater production with far less accidents, and resulting in better economic results.” We should aspire to achieve a safety culture like Northrop Grumman and other highly successful companies. Over the past six months, WYDOT has had two employees who have suffered major injuries from falls similar to the one discussed at the beginning of this article. These valuable members of our team are now experiencing personal suffering and dealing with the discomfort of their injuries. Let us make a commitment to each other to not fall into any of the traps of putting productivity before safety, to use miscommunication, or a lack of training as an excuse to focus only on getting the job done. An organization with a good safety culture is characterized by communications founded on mutual trust, by a shared perception of the importance of safety, and by confidence in the efficiency of preventive measures. Changing our safety culture for the better starts with all employees working together to make a safer tomorrow. We’re committed to this challenge, are you? “We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy n
7. Ignoring lessons learned Critical safety information is not extracted, shared or enforced.
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