Building a safety culture is not something that you wait to do until your management team is on board. And, it is definitely in your hands to change the way your team thinks about safety.
If you’re saying to yourself, “I don’t even have the management support yet” or “I don’t have time for this right now” – stop right there.
Getting management support is the same as building a safety culture. So, work on what you can control until your higher-ups see the benefits and come around. It takes time, so start right now.
HOW TO CREATE SAFETY CULTURE
There is no one action you can take that will turn your culture around. Safety culture is created through many small actions.
In this week’s episode, I take you through 10 of them. This is by no means a complete list but it will give you a good start.
#1 & #3 kind of go hand in hand – but you can start with one of them and then add the second one down the road.
You will also notice that #5, #6, and #7 are all related – basically hazard reporting. These are all about showing the employees you are listening to them.
My favorite tip for building a safety culture has to be #10. It is a sure-fire way to get employees engaged in safety.
TAKE ACTION
Choose one from the list and make a commitment to put it in place within the next 10. You’ve got this! You can easily do this.
Pay attention to any changes you see for the 2 weeks after you start. Consistency and perseverance are key. It may take a bit longer to see changes, so stick with it.
After two weeks, add another one from the list. And so on.
Highlights From This Episode:
- How Safety Culture and Management Support are the same thing.
- Setting the expectation to work safely
- Safety is not a separate entity
- Safety is everyone’s responsibility
- Discussing safety before tasks
- Multiple ways to report safety concerns
- Every report is a priority
- Giving feedback on concerns
- Stop work authority
- Housekeeping matters so much
- Including employees in policy decisions
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
I have 2 asks in this “your turn.” First, report back, tell me how it went and what you tried. Second, share any other ways you have been successful in building safety cultures. Comment below.
AND don’t forget to share this post. All of your safety friends need to know about this.
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Hi, I'm Brye (rhymes with sky)! I am a self-proclaimed safety geek with two decades of general industry safety experience. Specializing in bringing safety programs to a world-class level and building a safety culture, I have trained and coached many safety managers, just like you, on how to effectively manage workplace safety in the real world. I would love to help you too.
