The number one indicator of successful injury prevention and wellness initiatives is the safety culture of the organization.
Leadership Sets the Standard for Safety Culture
Safety needs to become a core value in your organization, not just a long list of compliance items waiting to be checked off. The decision to make safety a core value begins the process of creating a workplace that is not only free of injury and illness, but also more productive and enjoyable.
Once the decision is made to make safety a core value, leadership needs to sell this vision to the entire organization. Policies and procedures must reflect safety as a core value, and be communicated to all employees. Once these are in place, you must walk the talk! Policies and procedures posted on a bulletin board aren’t enough – you must follow through and lead by example.
Building a Complete Safety Culture Requires 100% Engagement
Every employee throughout the organization needs to be involved in this process, and be held responsible for the outcomes. After all, safety is now a core value of the entire company.
OSHA states that “the best Safety and Health Programs involve every level of the organization, instilling a safety culture that reduces accidents for workers and improves the bottom line for managers,” concluding that “when safety and health are part of the organization and a way of life, everyone wins.”
Tips to engage employees in the safety process:
• Provide the right tools – allocate the necessary resources and tools for all employees to successfully accomplish their responsibilities.
• Get Feedback – engage employees in the continuous improvement process. Find out what employees think is going well and what is not going well in the safety program.
• Celebrate success – when your facility reaches an important safety milestone, celebrate and reward it!
Safety Culture Audit
Improving your safety culture begins with an honest self-inspection. Want an easy way to do a quick audit of your facility’s safety culture?
Grab the written policy off the bulletin board and head out to where the people are. Ask at least ten employees to read the policy and respond.
If they respond by acknowledging that the company is living the policy out in deeds, keep up the great work! If they can’t help but to laugh out loud, you’ll know you have some work to do.
Feedback – What are you doing to improve your safety culture?
Making safety a core value in your organization is more than just a change in equipment and procedure, it’s an attitude.
How would you rate the safety culture of your organization? What are you doing to improve it? Please let us know in the comments below.
Check out the rest of the Safety Culture 101 series.
