How to Join the Safety Culture Movement: Part 2
Endorsing Positive Attitudes
Once we’ve successfully founded the belief that everyone wants to go to work, do their job well and get home safe – we can continue improving our Safety Culture by supporting that belief and instilling positive attitudes. In a strong Safety Culture, the positive attitudes are as follows:
- Being proactive.
- Choosing to be personally accountable.
- Willing to act in such a way that protects others.
Let’s break these down.
One of the most crucial themes among organizations with a strong Safety Culture is their aptitude for proactively. They are constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of potential incidents – they never rest and never allow themselves to become complacent. Hubris is not a trait you will find among those with a superior level of safety performance.
Every member of an organization is forced to make a conscious choice – will we choose to prevent incidents or react to them? Without question, it will be one or the other – there is no alternative.
Creating proactive attitudes among the workforce is quite straightforward. You simply need to be genuine when communicating the Basic Safety Rights (the Right to Know, the Right to Participate, and the Right to Refuse unsafe work). Employees who feel sincerely supported by all levels of the organization to act safely, will do so. People want to do the right thing, but will be able to identify when something is being paid lip service. Mean it when you say, we want you to conduct your work in a safe environment, and repeat that message at every opportunity.
Accountability is another key aspect in molding positive attitudes. Someone who knows how to be a leader knows that being accountable is the way to garner trust and respect from those they lead. When the workforce see leadership taking responsibility, employees will feel beholden to uphold that same standard. Remember, the lowest level of safety you allow for yourself, as a leader, is the highest level you should expect from your workforce.
Lead by example – got it! But what else can be done to ensure each employee is holding themselves accountable? Quite simply, they must feel like they’re a part of something and that their actions have a measurable effect on the outcome.
Involving the workforce in safety (weekly safety meetings, JOHSC meetings, Toolbox Talks, hazard assessments, job observations, management system reviews) and giving credence to their input will prove that a strong Safety Culture is unattainable without their inclusion. As part of this process, any input provided by an employee should be met with meaningful feedback and an extension of appreciation toward their willingness to bring light to the topic at hand. We all want to feel like we’re a valuable part in a common goal – never miss an opportunity to make someone feel that way.
Finally, our attitude toward safety can’t just be about ourselves. As John Donne wrote, “No man is an island…” Our own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others is tied together. When an incident that causes injury or death occurs, it damages the integrity of the organization and every individual employee within its bounds. When harm is caused to a fellow worker, it severely diminishes morale and negatively affects mental health. These offshoots of an incident create a compromised state in the workforce and can easily contribute to the occurrence of further cascading incidents.
We must protect others, for their sake, our own, and the organization’s. Our commitment to safety cannot be two-dimensional.
Fortifying the caring attitude required to ensure people are protecting each other is accomplished by creating a strong team environment. A solid team is built through the provision of two-way respect – but it must start at the top. Workers will listen to leaders who walk the walk, and leaders will depend on workers who ardently defend the belief that everyone wants to go to work, do their job well and get home safe.
To learn more about the positive attitudes found in a strong Safety Culture, enroll in our Safety Culture 100 Course.
And, to check out the other articles in this series, look below:
