safety programs

My Top 5 Safety Audit Findings

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We’ve written about the importance of building and maintaining a Safety Culture more times than I can recall and I would bet that anyone seeing this post agrees that a Safety Culture is mission critical for their business.  One of the tools that helps reinforce and encourage the importance of the elements that make up a Safety Culture is the Safety Audit. 

Routine but unannounced Safety Audits can really help your staff think and act when they see an unsafe condition or behavior.

This post should encourage you to consider whether you or your business could benefit from effective use of Safety Audits by sharing my top 5, or could also be my bottom 5, findings during unannounced Safety Audits.   Deciding upon what order I should put them in was harder than I thought.

No. 5:  The dreaded open file drawers. 

In spite of our numerous training sessions on trip hazards in the office environment, I received a citation for open file drawers on many of my safety audits.  It seems benign to leave the drawer open while you take a few minutes to make copies, but the struggle is real with regard to trip hazards within the office.  Don’t make the mistake of ignoring safety hazards in the administrative areas of your work place. 

No. 4:  Unmarked or mismarked liquid containers.

The mechanical shop was the big offender.  Waste oil in unmarked containers, soapy water solutions used for leak detection in mismarked spray bottles and my personal favorite citation – an unidentified liquid believed to be a motor fuel such as diesel in a coke bottle marked as ok for human consumption.  It’s hard enough to keep your MSDS files accurate and current without the added creativity of some staff.

No. 3: A dry eye wash station.

In a relatively remote work area with limited access to utilities, someone forgot to return water service to the eye wash station after scheduled maintenance.  Of course we audited “right before” they were going to open the valve and test it; just bad timing I guess. 

No 2: Improper or inadequate PPE.

While not an excuse, I was always most empathetic to this one where hand protection / gloves was the issue.  A craftsman using their hands for work will at times feel they need the dexterity of bare fingers to properly perform the task.  Proper procedures and training are critical to aligning Personal Protective Equipment requirements with employee compliance. 

No 1:  Inadequate or blocked egress.

The most egregious, outrageous, ridiculous safety violation I ever witnessed wins the number 1 spot.  A damaged door latch prevented an exterior door to an automotive shop from staying closed.  This door was the only egress at the very rear of the shop so it was also the only way out to avoid any fire, fumes or other hazard that may occur in the work area.  Being a cold winter week when the door latch was damaged, some innovative soul threaded heavy gauge wire through a hole in the door and adjacent frame to firmly secure the door.  Egress from a cloud of fumes or fire would have required long handled metal snips and a clear minded, strong worker to escape. 

There have been many unsafe conditions show themselves during the course of routine Safety Audits over the years.  The examples described above should never occur where the safety culture is mature. 

One tool in your Safety Tool Box is the Safety Audit to identify opportunities to improve your safety culture and help your team to keep safety awareness as the priority it deserves. 

The Top Five Safety Audit Findings above are just a few examples of how employees can lose focus on safety.  We would love to hear your stories that may help us all improve. 

How to Motivate Your Employees to Follow Your Safety Programs

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Among the most common concerns of safety professionals today is the best way to keep employees motivated when it comes to safety. Even when you understand the importance of safety, it can be difficult to encourage employees to get on board with your safety efforts. If you are still seeing a lack of buy-in from employees on your safety program, it may be time to re-evaluate your approach. Take a look at the following best practices for ideas on how to motivate your employees to become more committed and enthusiastic about your safety practices.

 

Include Safety as an Important Element in Your Culture

From the moment prospective candidates arrive for an interview, it should be crystal clear that safety is a core value in your organization. You can do this by including safety training and reminders in the onboarding process. It takes more than just teaching employees about safety in their early days in your organization to keep them committed, however. Make a point of reminding your employees about the importance of safety by introducing a safety topic on a daily basis. This will keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

 

Engage Employees with a Leadership-Down Approach

It can often be difficult for employees to remain motivated to follow safety programs when they do not see buy-in from their leadership. To avoid this problem, make sure your leadership team is also committed to setting a positive example for everyone. Not only should leaders be held accountable for following the same practices expected of their employees, but it’s also a good idea for leaders to set aside time to encourage feedback from employees.

 

Use Positive Reinforcement

When it comes to encouraging employees to follow safety programs, positive reinforcement can go a long way. With this strategy, you are encouraging employees to repeat desired behavior by offering positive consequences for said behavior. Studies have shown that employee satisfaction tends to rise when employees feel as though they are appreciated by management and actually making a difference. Consider this for a moment. If employees feel as though following safety protocols makes no difference whatsoever, are they likely to follow those protocols? By comparison, when employees understand that following safety practices makes a significant difference in keeping everyone safe and that their actions are appreciated by management, they will be much more likely to follow safety programs.

 

With that said, it’s also important to ensure that safety mishaps are not ignored. Unfortunately, there is sometimes a tendency to simply sweep minor mishaps under the rug. This can be detrimental when you are trying to encourage employee buy-in to a safety program. It is essential for organizational leadership to be diligent when it comes to addressing safety issues. These issues should be addressed as opportunities for learning on everyone’s part.

 

Encourage Employees to Feel Ownership of Safety Programs

Employees are naturally more likely to be motivated and committed to safety programs when they play a role in those programs. This can be accomplished by reminding staff that their commitment to safety practices makes a difference in terms of not only themselves but also their co-workers and the workplace as a whole. Providing employees with a variety of avenues for offering feedback on their safety program is another great way to encourage buy-in and motivation. Organizations can also give safety incentives by allowing employees to serve on problem-solving committees and even conduct safety evaluations.

 

Actually Put Employee Feedback to Work When Assessing Safety Programs

When requesting employees to give feedback on safety issues, it’s crucial that you use that information to reassess the effectiveness of your program. After all, front-line employees can often give valuable information that can help your organization to improve safety practices. Furthermore, employees need to see that their feedback and opinions matter. Make a point to act on feedback in a timely manner and let employees know that their participation is appreciated.

 

Ultimately, employees must be committed and motivated for your organization’s safety program to work. By ensuring new employees know from the beginning that safety is a priority at your organizational culture, using positive reinforcement to let employees know they are appreciated, and listening to their ideas, you will be able to make your workplace more compliant and safer for everyone.