Building a Safety Culture

Employee Empowerment and Creating a Safety Culture

By: Chris Chaparro

What a safety culture is not!

It’s not one employee doing all the workIt’s not one supervisor doing all the workIt’s not just the safety office and safety officersIt’s not just a program made or committees

A safety culture consist of many eyes that find safety hazards and provide solutions.

A safety culture does not consist of one set of eyes looking for safety hazards.

Building a Safety Culture. Where are we at?

• Obtain Top Management "Buy-in" • Continue Building "Buy-in"• Build Trust • Conduct Self Assessments/Bench Marking• Initial Training • Establish a Steering Committee• Develop Site Safety Vision• Align the Organization • Define Specific Roles• Develop a System of Accountability• Develop Measures • Develop Policies for Recognition, • Awareness Training and Kick-off• Implement Process Changes, Continually Measure performance,

Communicate Results, and Celebrate Successes. • On-going Support

Safety Commitment Letter

Supervisor play their part by training their employees and teaching them all the hazards and safety regulations needed to conduct safe warehouse operations on a daily basis.

The supervisor and employee create their own safety commitment letter that will show their vision and help guide them to finding a safety culture.

Employee empowerment+Ownership________________Creates Self-accountability

Creating additional safety task that are assigned to an employee and conducted daily is foundation of building a safety culture.

Duties that can be assigned:

Work Site Inspection Safety Officer (ISO)• Outside ISO• Ramps, Slopes, and Grade ISO• Debris and Soil Conditions ISO• Overhead Objects ISO

MHE Inspection Safety Officer (ISO)• Preventive Maintenance ISO • Speed and Unsafe Acts ISO• MHE Parking Area ISO

The name “Inspection Safety Officer (ISO)” and the examples provide are suggestion for additional task that can be assigned to an employees that will allow ownership of a safety related task.

This would also allow the employee to attend specific classes to help enhance their knowledge of the additional safety task they own.

Safety is not a program but a culture; those who believe in their culture own it; and those that own their culture live it.

Creating a Safety Culturehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBVuu4Qj-Fs

7 ways to build a safety culture• http://workplacepossibilities.com/blog/7-ways-to-build-a-safety-cultur

e/

7 Keys for Creating a Safety Culture• http://aubreydaniels.com/blog/2013/01/23/7-keys-for-creating-a-safety

-culture/

Creating a Safety culture• https://

www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/safetyhealth/mod4_factsheets_culture.html