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Is ‘safety first’ just a motto at your organization, or is it a belief lived out on a daily basis?
When your crews are out completing jobs, it can be easy to forget about safe practices and the possible consequences, but accidents can happen in a split second and result in long-term implications.
Benefits of Prioritizing Safety
Choosing to put safety first has a multitude of benefits. Namely, fewer incidents will take place and you won’t have to deal with as much downtime. You’ll also have reduced costs when it comes to workplace injuries.
Committing to safety can also boost employee morale as it builds trust among team members as they know you value their well-being. Your strong safety record can also improve your reputation in customers’ eyes as well as potential new hires. No one wants to work somewhere where they’re constantly at risk of being hurt.
Key Aspects of the Right Safety Attitude
So, what is the ‘right’ safety attitude? It’s multifaceted and all ties into different ways your team members can make sure they’re putting safety first as they work.
Employees should be proactively looking to see if there are any hazards on site and eliminate these issues or inform their supervisor of the problem. Being proactive also means having all the necessary PPE on hand at all times.
Stress to team members that they need to take responsibility for their own safety. For instance, it shouldn’t be someone else’s job to tell them when they need eye protection or a respirator. Employees should also be willing to let others know if they are working in an unsafe manner.
Another aspect of the right safety attitude is vigilance. Workers should be consistently aware of their surroundings and focused on the task at hand. They should not be distracted by cell phones or merely be going through the motions of their work without giving much thought to what they’re actually doing.
Employees with the right safety attitude should openly discuss potential hazards and let leadership know if there is a better way to execute a job.
Creating Buy-In
If you want to improve your team’s view and practice of safety, this starts with your leadership team leading by example and modeling safe practices. Encourage accountability on all levels and demonstrate your commitment to safety from the top down.
This means taking the time to regularly train your team on different safety threats and proper practices. Involve your crew in refining your safety protocols. Establish clear channels for employees to report hazards or unsafe practices.
Regularly highlight close calls, what caused them and how to prevent them from happening in the future. Reward employees for consistently adhering to safety practices to reinforce this positive behavior.
You should also address unsafe behaviors such as rushing through work, taking shortcuts, removing safety devices from equipment or operating equipment while sick, overly tired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
If you notice signs of unsafe work practices with certain employees, document these deviations and initiate private, constructive conversations with them. Provide additional training to reinforce safe behaviors. Outline the consequences of their continued refusal to adhere to safe practices, including termination.
Create an environment where employees feel secure to raise safety concerns and report close calls without fear of punishment. This will allow you to continuously improve safety at your company and mitigate future accidents.
Why reinvent the wheel? Our Safe Company Program will help build a stronger safety culture, which will help reduce injuries and hazards, demonstrate your commitment to a safe workplace and lower your costs. This program is free to NALP members, so join today!
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