BLOG: On The Level

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What is a safety culture? In a nutshell, it’s the values, beliefs, perceptions and normal behaviors that are shared by your employees. Whether it’s intentional or not, for better or worse, every company has a safety culture. The question is whether yours is what you want it to be and, if not, what can you do to change it?

Putting safety first

Having a strong safety culture is not a top-down or bottom-up strategy, it involves everyone at all levels of your organization:

• It means being committed to safety regardless of any other concerns in your business.

• Every employee should feel free to provide their input and be heard.

• Individuals need to focus on what they can do to prevent injuries or illnesses.

• Everyone must follow all safety processes and hold themselves and each other accountable for safety.

Big benefits to your business

In addition to increasing productivity and reducing costs, a strong safety culture can be a significant competitive advantage, because it:

• Protects your business from high MOD rates, insurance premiums and regulatory issues.

• Helps you win bids for more jobs.

• Reduces downtime from injury.

• Allows you to complete more jobs on time.

• Builds a strong reputation for your company.

Managing your safety culture

Successfully building and managing a strong safety culture requires ongoing commitment, emphasis and reinforcement:

• Review your safety program often to ensure it is up-to-date and job procedures haven’t changed.

• Don’t let anyone get away with not following safety process; hold everyone equally accountable for safe behaviors.

• Train, train, train, and re-train your employees often.

Does your company have a strong safety culture? What would happen to your business if one of your employees had a serious, or even fatal, injury? Driving a strong safety culture throughout your organization is crucial to the happiness of your employees and the success of your business!

After all, the ultimate goal is Safely Home. Everyone. Every Day.™

What are you doing to improve the safety culture at your company? Please post your comments below.