Thinking about your approach to safety By Carmen Daecher

The traditional approach to safety has had success in reducing accidents on the roadways and in the workplace. The most common approach to safety I see is to "follow the rules" and to pay attention to details as a result of those rules.

The safety director is the heart and soul of the safety program in the traditional safety culture. He or she, through experience and good judgment, knows what to do, who to hire, and how to maintain a traditional safety program.

While the traditional approach has served us well, accidents on the roadways and in the work places continue to occur. If our genuine objective is to eliminate injuries and accidents, then there still is much work to be done.

Simply following the rules has never been enough, and the hard work of the safety director cannot overcome complacency, lack of common sense and other behavioral characteristics that continue to allow accidents to occur.

What should be clear is that no one person can achieve an accident-free environment for the entire organization. The key to safety is in the behavior of all members of the organization. We can't always be looking over the shoulders of the drivers when they are on the road, the mechanic when he is in the pit, or the office worker when she is at her desk.

So, how do we reassess or change our approach to safety within our organization? Some of the possible changes can be summarized by a comparison of the "old way" and a "new way" of thinking:

Old Way: Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions are the two primary categories of incident caution.
New Way: Root causes are determined and analyzed for opportunities to improve the system.

Old Way: Individuals are afraid to report incidents for fear of blame and hassle.
New Way: Incident investigations focus on root causes. Hassle is minimized. The value of investigation is recognized and rewarded by management.

Old Way: Reminding someone else to work safely is usually considered "getting into their business."
New Way: Reminding someone else to work safely is appreciated and considered normal.

Old Way: Safety is the No. 1 priority.
New Way: Safety is an integral part of business success.

Old Way: Incident rates are the primary measurement of success.
New Way: Safe behavior, safety skills and contributing to the safety process area also used to measure safety success.

Old Way: People who have incidents are punished, but unsafe behavior is sometimes either tolerated or ignored.
New Way: Unsafe behavior is considered unacceptable.

Old Way: Safe behavior is encouraged through slogans and posters.
New Way: Safe behavior is rewarded as a part of the performance process.

Old Way: Perception of risk is diminished by repetition.
New Way: Risky tasks are identified and periodically reviewed.

From where I'm sitting, what is needed is a safety culture within the organization to influence and improve on safety efforts. An effective safety culture is achieved when:

People feel responsible for safety and do something about it daily.
People go beyond the call of duty to identify unsafe conditions and behavior and to intervene to correct them.
People care continuously for their safety and that of others.
Safe work practices are supported with rewarding feedback from management and peers.
Safety is not the No. 1 priority; it is an integral part of what we do. Everyone in the organization must be part of the safety effort. This has always been true, but its importance continues to grow with changes in society attitudes and workplace pressures and conditions. Just as your way of doing business continues to change, so too must your approach to safety.

Remember, establishing a safety culture is establishing safety as a way of life within the organization. It becomes far more than a set of rules or a department.

The safety director should move beyond record and rule keeping and become a champion of the safety culture within the organization. His/her role can be far more effective as an integral part of everyday business activities, since organizational behavior is fundamentally effected by everyday operations.

Making the "safety program" everyone's responsibility is the ultimate goal. Your success in establishing or improving a safety culture may lie in the journey itself and that journey will most likely require persistence in beliefs, listening, constant communication, repetition and commitment. It is not coincidence that these same characteristics are the hallmark to a successful business. Good safety and good business

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