Weekly safety meetings tend to exude quiet agreements and endurances. The obligatory head nods, agreeing to work harder and spreading the word. Then after the doughnuts are eaten and the coffee has grown cold, tendencies tend to draw towards getting back to your station, and making the projected numbers. Then when an issue does arise, a quick coaching, counselling and back to it. You created a plan, but can it be perfect? The fact of the matter is that the team’s effectiveness will reflect the attitude and the behaviors exemplified by the leadership that creates and helps execute the plan.
We are human beings that are all subject to the same faults that each day brings us. Our performance will have bad days, but what we do need to strive for, where we can be excellent, is in our preparation. To be proactive where we can, and reactive when we have to. We are going to cultivate a ‘Safety First Corporate Culture’.
This culture starts with the decision makers in the company agreeing that a healthy safe environment for everyone is key, and foremost in our efforts. Ensuring that all groups from hiring and monitoring and distribution understand our goals, and are working towards achieving them. We will set goals, and create a timeline by which to follow up. To remind everybody of how important those goals are, they need to be celebrated as they are achieved.
I think we can all agree that the production floor is where the biggest impact can be made. This is where the majority of our associates are, this is where ‘things’ happen. If you get buy-in here, you impact the most people, immediately. A safe environment is most impactful to peak performance and overall growth. Not just a head nod agreement, our people have to be invested in this being a key piece of the work environment.
Often when safety and health is discussed, everyone puts their best foot forward, for a short period of time. This attitude needs to be ongoing. Those that are performing safely, and encouraging others to perform in the same manner need to be recognized and rewarded. This environment can save companies money in the long term, and these savings should be shared with the team during the annual review period, during meetings and in the form of bonuses. The biggest takeaway we want from this is to make safety a habit that is second nature to everyone.
What we also need, is to reinforce our expectations to employees by encompassing what we do in our facilities, by putting a focus on product safety for our customers. Not just a safe environment to work in, but passing along the safety concept in our products. We need to also include this attitude and expectation from our suppliers. We need to expect environmental health and safety trustworthy controls in place with our vendors.
Our associates, from the floor on up need to understand the importance we in management put in health and safety. We must have informal and formal rules conducive to safe and healthy work practices. We must have a strategic plan that shows a strong pro safety value system. Each member from the first day of orientation, to the CEO must understand and articulate those values. The repetitive indoctrination of these values will develop the working culture. It will create the attitude of doing the right thing at all times, even when no one is looking.
As a management team, from leads, floor supervisors, upper management, human resources, and even the board members we must establish a safety first corporate culture. To do that, everyone must;
• Understand this culture. Not just nod our heads in agreement. Ask questions, partner with each other to clarify issues.
• Assess the current system and the culture that exists today. Maintain the positives, and plan accordingly how to create the new safety first corporate culture.
• Expect at all times, from each individual, the behaviors and attitudes that encourage the desired culture.
• Model and adapt positive behaviors to all associates. This establishes the expectations we send forward.
• We have to mentor associates to encourage this new atmosphere. Establish the guidelines, ask open ended questions to encourage dialogue. Partnerships within groups to reinforce our desire for success.
• We must put in writing, a training guide so that the same set of expectations consistently become established.
• Finally we must monitor and reinforce these behaviors. Associates must recognize that every team member will be trained, and followed up with to evaluate and assess a game plan to move behaviors forward in a positive direction on an annual basis.
This isn’t going to change overnight. There will be tough days. Perfection in safety is close to impossible. We have things that we can influence, and things we can control. There will always be items out of our control. Conversely, there is much more we can influence. To be effective we must exercise all efforts to influence and control everything we can positively. We may not always be perfect in performance, but we can be perfect in preparation.
Find out how to manage your business' health and safety better
RIDDOR and COVID-19
Many employers are concerned about their reporting obligations for COVID-19/Coronavirus/SARS-CoV-2 under RIDDOR in the ongoing pandemic. You may be pleased to know that you do not have to report everything to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We'll provide more info about when, what, and how to report.
The most common concern we've seen recently from employers is whether they need to report all COVID-19 and coronavirus testing results to the HSE. The short answer is no. According to the HSE: “There is no requirement under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) to report incidents of disease or deaths of members of the public, patients, care home residents or service users from COVID-19. The reporting requirements relating to cases of, or deaths from, COVID-19 under RIDDOR apply only to occupational exposure, that is, as a result of a person's work.”
Generally speaking, the ordinary RIDDOR rules already cover COVID-19. You should only make a report under RIDDOR when one of the following circumstances applies:
• an accident or incident at work has or could have caused the release of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). (Report as Dangerous occurrence)
• a worker is diagnosed with COVID-19 due to occupational exposure. (Report as Disease)
• a worker dies because of occupational coronavirus exposure. (Report as Work-related death due to exposure to a biological agent)
The bottom line is that existing rules cover most COVID-19 measures, and most of the COVID-19 guidance comes from public health authorities rather than the HSE. The environment remains chaotic, but you can minimize your legal exposure by continuing your existing compliance steps. This will include communicating with your insurer about risks, following public health guidance, and communicating regularly with your workers or unions on any of their concerns.
© Gavin Coyle, 2021