Commitment From Top Management Creates a Positive Safety Culture

Companies have a moral, legal and financial responsibility to provide a safe workplace, safe equipment, easily accessible standard operation procedures, training, and supervision to its employees.

The safety-related efforts of most organizations are largely program-based rather than system-based, and individual knowledge of the company’s safety management system is low. In order for a safety management system to be effective, including programs, policies and standard operating procedures, you need buy-in from the top that trickles down to staff through education and awareness. Enthusiasm acts as a catalyst to create safety awareness and motivation, and should be expressed from top management. Supervisors should set an example to others by self-enforcing safety practices. This will create a chain reaction to increase and maintain a proactive approach to safety.

We are all familiar with organizations that seem to believe safety is a cost rather than an investment. This type of safety culture is detrimental, and ultimately leads to injuries and incidents rather than the control and mitigation of risk. A proper implementation of a safety management system helps companies prevent worker injury and death. A positive safety culture can be accomplished by first changing employee behaviour towards their work; change in behaviour can lead to change in attitude over time. Interest can be developed and maintained by demonstrating a positive attitude towards safety - through competitions, prizes, awards, publicity, and incentives.

Change Starts with Policy

I believe that positive change begins with policy. You can change safety culture through effective policy, education, auditing, and follow-up. There will always be people who are resistant to change; policy addresses this resistance: workers have no choice but to comply with regulations or lose their job. However, it is important to communicate safety policies effectively and in a positive manner through orientation, creative promotional materials, training programs, and conversation.

It is also understood that policy alone is not enough to initiate change. You need buy-in from every level of your organization. Once you have a solid safety system in place and it has been effectively communicated to all staff, auditing must occur in order to address deficiencies.

The ISO standards have a philosophy of continual improvement; with this model, companies can work to increase the effectiveness of their safety practices. Following up through inspections and audits to ensure policies are understood and deficiencies have been addressed further strengthens the program and culture of safety.

An integrated management system, including safety, quality and environmental aspects, will ensure a robust structure to effectively manage workplace risk and provide policy guidance. Let’s work together to find opportunities to improve workplace safety and to eliminate harm to people and the environment.