Accidents, possibly all of them, are preventable if we all know what to do – and what NOT to do. Therefore, it’s essential to be aware of safety practices and create a “safety first” mindset that promotes safety for every person in the organization despite their job role. Here are the key takeaways essential to building a safety culture and developing a safety mindset:
Employee participation and involvement
Worker Participation and involvement have to be every day in every aspect of the safety program and recognition for their participation and performance positively reinforces the safety mindset and facilitate the right, desired behaviours that help in fostering a safety culture in the workplace. A strong safety culture requires true engagement, involvement and commitment at each level within the organization.
Well Defined Roles and Responsibilities
Everyone’s responsibilities and accountabilities regarding safety must be clearly defined and understood. An employee must understand
• What the job is and how it can be done?
• What impact does the work have on the organization?
• What are the organizational values the employee must demonstrate?
• What are the processes, methods, or means the employee is expected to use?
Well-defined roles and responsibilities allow the employees to take pride in their personal and shared responsibility besides being fully functional and productive at the workplace.
Safety Walkarounds
Safety walk-around at the workplace helps study and identify all existing and potential hazards and not just about what’s wrong or what’s missing, but also gives an opportunity to learn how it can be done correctly by developing safe behaviours.
Walk-around helps the managers to interact more with workers and get to know their employees, learn about the risks and problems and this mentoring can foster a safe culture and promote awareness.
Encourage workers to speak up
One of the most effective ways to empower someone is to give them a voice and encourage them to speak up if they see risks or hazards. The workers should be encouraged to speak up and provided a reliable way to report any unsafe conditions and behavioural observations they see. All around, give them a voice and foster a culture of “if you see something, say something”.
This empowerment should give them an opportunity to share information about hazards and risks, and the other part is being sure to listen and act on what’s shared with you.
Training
Training is a key factor in developing a safety mindset and safe behaviours of workers at the workplace. Training is also an ongoing educational activity to keep workers involved and engaged which ultimately increases efficiency and the productivity of an organization. In recent times, Behaviour-based safety training has gained significance in identifying and focusing on a particular set of unsafe behaviours and developing the tendency to be more safety-minded and aware at all times. Such training programs help reduce absent-mindedness and facilitate behavioural change in a very organized format.
Reward, Recognize and Reinforce safe behaviours
A workplace safety program should be designed with a safety rewards and recognition approach – using motivational methods of rewarding employees that encourage safe behaviour and discourage unsafe behaviour and safety violations. The goal of this kind of program is to minimize preventable accidents and strengthen safety mindset creating a safer and more positive work environment.
A few behaviours of employees which can be rewarded and recognized:
• Following safety protocols
• Safe forklift operation and maintenance
• Correct material handling
• Keeping workstation clean and putting things in designated places
• Organizing and maintaining cleanliness
• Proper wearing and maintaining of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Participation in training\
• Focusing on Preventative ideas and solutions
Having role model behaviours from the top.
Worker mindsets often reflect those of their managers and influencers because role modelling, whether good or bad is inherited from the top and ultimately shapes a culture. Managers with a commitment to safety can influence the behaviours of front-line management by having role model behaviours at all times.
Improving Safety Perception
Workplace safety surveys identify workers' perceptions which are the realities of the workplace’s safety culture.
Employee perceptions either correct or incorrect are an employee’s reality and they do influence employee behaviour. Workers' perceptions are important and should never be disregarded and dismissed. Once these perceptions are revealed, organizations have an opportunity to improve these perceptions and influence their behaviours.
Dissemination of safety information
A worker's personal experience with safety can be disseminated and spread throughout the workforce in order to solidify a positive or negative experience among those who may know nothing about safety. Safety information and lessons shall be passed to all concerned staff through various dissemination methods such as presentations, videos, handbooks and publications. Dissemination of safety information not just spreads awareness but also develops a safety mindset through various approaches
• Cognitive approach – the concept that a worker is associated with safety
• Emotional – the feelings that a worker has been related to safety
• Language – how a worker describes and expresses safety
• Action – the experiences a worker has come across with safety
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