1. Leadership:
It’s almost the oldest adage
but it’s true. Generally speaking, “What
interests my boss fascinates me”. That will be
true whether the manager is the CEO or a line supervisor.
In the absence of leadership, people lose focus, set
their own rules and standards and act according to the
ebbs and flows in priorities.
Call it what you will: Walking the talk, leading by
example, showing passion, striving for excellence, it
works. It’s about values that are important and
supported. It’s being consistent with messages.
Having a safety system without leadership is as effective
as putting up a sign saying “Think quality”,
and hoping like hell someone will care.
Leadership is:
- Never walking past someone who is not wearing PPE when they should.
- Never compromising for the sake of the dollar.
- Being consistent in messages.
- Clearly stating something will not proceed because of safety.
- Supporting and rewarding safe behaviour.
- Listening to employee safety suggestions and acting on them.
- Never dismissing a safety concern.
- Spending money on reasonable safety issues.
- Going to safety meetings when you are busy.
- Setting standards with personal behaviour.
- Being assertive at times when a point needs to be made.
- Facing up to your boss if necessary.
- Setting targets and monitoring them.
- Taking personal responsibility and never making excuses.
2. Employee participation:
Long feared and reviled by conservative managers, who believed people should do as they were told, the mere act of engaging with employees changes the face of safety management in a very positive way.I heard a startling story once, about a certain African country which has now moved on somewhat. In a factory where dangerous presses were used, they ensured their black workers did not get injured, not by expensive guards, but by tethering them in such a way that they could not reach the dangerous parts. Macabre but true.
We cannot normally take such liberties in standardising human behaviour. Nor can we proceduralise everything. We need our employees to be flexible and use their brains and reasoning powers. We want them to behave safely out of choice. We want their active interest and contribution.
Left alone, employees will set their own standards, which are often dictated by expediency and production pressures, particularly if that is the predominant message. Invariably, the standards are set by the lowest common denominator. Responsible employees will become sullen and silent. They may resist by being uncooperative. Assertive employees may become disruptive and dissatisfied. They may protest by raising a series of negative messages and side issues.
Good employee participation:
- Managers attend meetings even when busy.
- Meetings are chaired by anyone who can keep them focused and moving. The best Safety Committee I attend is chaired by an employee.
- Tasks, persons responsible and date for completion are recorded and published.
- Managers set an example by insisting on regular, productive meetings.
- Resources and priorities are allocated when reasonable to do so.
- Employees who moan are told to get with the action and become part of the solution.
- Managers who procrastinate are told likewise.
- There is follow through on actions and regular meetings that start and finish on time.
- If something cannot be done, a straightforward explanation is given without excuses
Benefits:
- Sullen employees become warmer and more supportive (it may take a while).
- Employees stop transferring problems upwards.
- Employees become part of the solution, and support their own ideas.
- Stirrers often become energised and active.
- Peer pressure works to reduce unsafe behaviour.
- Managers engage directly with employees.
- Misunderstandings are sorted early.
- Bad managers are exposed and have to answer.
By far the biggest benefit
is that employees take on more personal responsibility
for safe behaviour.
In summary, leadership and participation go hand in
hand in terms of taking responsibility for safety, and
the two are simply the keys to safety management, without
which, there would be little or no actual change in
behaviour. Solely using the above, accidents and aberrations
will reduce all by themselves.
We are not advocating abandonment of other activities,
but we are saying you are wasting your time without
the above key factors.
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