5 Practical Ways to Strengthen Safety Culture in Your Business
And why it matters ...
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Safety Pro Weekly.
‘Safety culture’ is one of those corporate terms that means different things to different people. I came across several definitions while researching this article. The one I like best is,
“Safety culture is what people do about safety when no one is watching.”
This is important because as safety professionals, managers and business leaders, we simply can’t be everywhere at once. Even the most closely managed teams are going to have significant periods of time when they have to make their own decisions about working safely. Whether those choices are positive or risky depends largely on the strength of your safety culture.
Many small businesses and frontline managers want a strong safety culture but they have a hard time defining what it means or how to get there.
In addition, while most companies would support the idea that safety comes first in theory, in practical terms, safety is just one of many competing priorities for businesses. Production targets, tight staffing, and a “get it done” mindset often push safety to the background.
How do you know if you have a strong safety culture?
Key Points at a Glance
· Safety culture helps define what people do about safety when they’re not being watched.
· A strong safety culture requires management buy-in, employee engagement and clear communication.
· A weak safety culture is characterized by lack of priority given to safety, worker indifference and poor or misleading communication.
· Regardless of your current safety culture, there are steps you can take to make it stronger.
Signs of a Strong Safety Culture
Management buy in. Leadership consistently follows procedures, behaves safely while on the shop floor and prioritizes safety even when under production pressure.
Employee engagement. Workers feel comfortable reporting hazards and near misses without fear of blame or retaliation. They are willing to stop unsafe work and look for solutions rather than continue in a risky situation.
Communication. Safety successes are celebrated publicly, and positive safety behaviour is reinforced. Accident and near miss reports are tracked and presented as learning opportunities, not punishment.
Signs of a Poor Safety Culture
Mixed messaging. Leadership talks a good game, but rules and procedures are ignored when production or quality falls behind. Safety messages are a reaction to incidents rather than a regular part of the company’s communication.
Employee indifference. Workers routinely take shortcuts because, “we’ve always done it this way”.
Low psychological safety. Staff are reluctant to report minor incidents or near misses for fear of being blamed or labeled as troublemakers.
Lack of communication. Safe procedures are not well known, responsibilities are unclear, and safety data is suppressed or under reported to make the numbers look better.
So with that in mind, how can you build a stronger safety culture in your workplace?
Here are 5 ideas to consider:
1. Model it from the top.
When leaders show that safety is a key priority, workers will follow suit.
Show your commitment by addressing hazards quickly and never walking past unsafe behavior. One action that draws immediate respect from workers is when a leader listens carefully to a specific safety concern and immediately takes steps to address it. This demonstrates care and concern and a willingness to act to address safety concerns.
When you show workers that you’re committed to safety, it’s easy for them to fall in line.
2. Make safety part of everyday language.
Short toolbox talks, “safety moments” before meetings, and quick check-ins help normalize safety as a constant.
Competition for attention is fierce these days. Your employees are dealing with an overload of information and distraction, if not at work, then certainly in regular life. Regular safety check-ins and reminders help keep safety top of mind for employees.
Making sure safety is part of your worker’s thought process can be the thing that gets them to take that extra look before proceeding, or to make sure a machine guard is put back in place before proceeding.
3. Encourage near-miss and hazard reporting.
Reward people for speaking up.
Unfortunately, many companies do just the opposite. Those who speak up are labeled as troublemakers or face ridicule or even disciplinary action for raising safety issues or reporting minor incidents. As soon as this happens once, you can expect your workers to be wary of ever speaking up again, causing you to miss out on potentially vital information about your safety program.
If people report hazards and concerns to you on a regular basis, congratulations – your safety program is working as it should.
4. Follow up on every concern.
Culture breaks down when people see nothing happens after they raise an issue.
Even a “we’re still looking into it” is better than silence. With silence, workers feel their concern (and by extension, the worker herself) is not important. Following up on concerns shows not just the worker who raised the concern, but everyone on the shop floor, that you take safety seriously.
While the follow up result may not always be what the worker had hoped for, the fact that you listened and took the time to review sends a positive message to everyone.
5. Celebrate safe behaviors, not just outcomes.
Don’t wait for zero-injury milestones. Highlight the habits and decisions that prevent injuries in the first place.
Safety is a process and while you can’t always control and prevent every incident, you can control the steps you take to prevent injuries. Look to leading indicators like inspections conducted, safety talks held, and training percentage completed. Make sure employees know those numbers as well as they know the incident totals.
Look for opportunities to catch someone doing something right.
I encourage you to choose one of the five ideas and focus on it for the next two weeks. See if you notice a change among your staff. Small, visible actions go a long way in showing your team that safety isn’t an added extra, it’s how you do business.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!
Safety Pro Weekly is published every Tuesday on LinkedIn and Substack. Feel free to DM me if you’re struggling with safety in your business and let me know how I can help. What problems do you encounter in getting your safety program to where you want it to be?
Have a great week,
Cheers,
Dan.