Total Safety Culture

Presented by Jason Thompson

 Total Safety Culture
Objectives
• Safety as a way of life
• Creating ownership
• Infrastructure
• Safety as a personal value
• Safety Leaders
• Safety Pyramid
• Hazard recognition and control
• Near Miss Reporting
• Layered Safety Interaction
• Internal Responsibility System (IRS)
• Culture
• Communication
• Positive Safety Culture
 Total Safety Culture

Safety is a way of life – a process, not a program

•This is not something extra to do

•Safety should be incorporated into how we do everything:
– Production
– Quality
– Efficiency (controlling costs)
•You can be a safety leader in your workplace
•Encourage others to live safety as a core value that will not be
compromised
 Total Safety Culture

The importance of “moving safety to the next

level”

•Continuing to do what you have always done has gotten

you to the point you are at today.
•If you want to keep getting what your getting, keep doing
what your doing.
•To move safety to the next level, you must do something
different
 Total Safety Culture

• Safety must be in the heart and mind of

everyone, everywhere, everyday
• Rules, guards, and procedures only
HELP keep us safe – it is up to
each of us each of your employees to
develop a personal
commitment to safe behaviour
 Total Safety Culture

Safety involves more than infrastructure

• People get hurt despite good infrastructure.
• Bad things CAN happen to good people.
• Rules, processes, and equipment have little impact on
behaviors, actions, and choices people make as they
perform their jobs and related tasks.

As workers begin to accept safety as a personal

internal value that will not be compromised regardless
of the situation, less injuries will occur, workers will
develop pride and ownership in their actions.
 Total Safety Culture
The importance of a caring, trusting “family” environment
With family members we:
• Use more rewards than penalties
• Do not pick on their mistakes
• Do not pit one or rank one against another
• Brag on their accomplishments
• Respect their property and personal space
• Pick up after them
• Accept corrective feedback
• Correct any at-risk behaviors we observe
• Are our brothers’ keepers
 Total Safety Culture

• It is up to YOU to decide what you can do

as a safety leader to implement changes
needed that will create a positive safety
culture in your work environment
• You have influence with your employees
with your co-workers – by what you say
and what you do
 Total Safety Culture

Bottom Line
• Safety needs to become a personal value that
will not be compromised.
• As safety leaders in your workplace, you need
to create and support a culture that coaches and
encourages people to work safely.
 Total Safety Culture

• Can versus Will

• We know we can be hurt but do we
believe we will
 Total Safety Culture

 Nobody comes to work to get injured.

 No one expects to get injured.
 If we did expect an injury to occur we would do
whatever we could to prevent it.
 If we don’t believe we will get hurt, what incentive
is there for not taking shortcuts?
 Workers must believe that unsafe behaviour leads
to injury.
 Total Safety Culture

Safety awareness, Hazard

recognition and Risk analysis
need to be personal
 Total Safety Culture

• How often do you take time

throughout the day to think
about the hazards that could be
– or are – associated with the
task you are about to do?
 Total Safety Culture

Personal safety awareness

• What is personal safety awareness?
– Always being aware of your surroundings
• What is hazard recognition?
– Being able to identify hazards before they result in
injury
• What is risk analysis?
– Analyzing the probability and severity of risk in
order to reduce the possibility that harm will occur
 The SAFETY Pyramid

FATALITY

Lost time injury INJURY

ZONE
Recordable injury

Minor injury / first aid

Near misses / Hazard recognition HEIGHTENED

SAFETY
Personal safety awareness AWARENESS
Take 2, MISS, Tailgate meetings, Work Instructions, SOPs
 Total Safety Culture
• What is a Near Miss?
Near Miss - An incident or unsafe condition with potential for
injury or property damage
•
Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury
or fatality.

• Near Miss incidents typically out number first aid injuries by a

ratio of 20 - 1.

• They are numerous and we can learn something from each one.
They are typically small in scale, relatively simple to analyze and
easy to resolve.
 Total Safety Culture

Why report a Near Miss?

• Near miss incidents should be regarded as early warnings that
something is wrong somewhere in the system. The next time we
might not be so fortunate and someone could be injured. If the
Near Miss is reported and investigated we can learn why it
happened and prevent it from occurring again.
• For every near miss that is reported and investigated, a potential
injury to one of our workers has been prevented.
• In order to reduce the number of injuries, we need to increase
the number of reported near misses

• Ask all employees to report any Near Miss incidents to their

supervisor.
 Total Safety Culture
• Near Misses must be addressed quickly and consistently
-the entire process must maintain a high profile, be openly communicated and
discussed daily
-the process must be kept simple and include those involved
• -should include a screening process so more attention is given to those with higher
potential:
- what learning value does the near miss have?
-who benefits from the learning? (few or many)
- minor or serious consequence if circumstances were a little different?

• Some will require a full blown IIR while the bulk of them should only require a simple
analysis, resolution and communication. (one pager)
-Most should be resolved by the person who identified it. (hazard recognition and
resolution)
-Which then promotes ownership and responsibility which promotes speedy
resolution and increased reporting
-Each one documented with root cause and action taken, then communicated to all
 Total Safety Culture
• Successful Near Miss Programs:
- encourage openness without scrutiny
- involvement at all levels
-openly supported by senior management
-documented, tracking and investigative process with feedback
-communication process (open database, postings and status updates)
-innovative incentive plan for reporting

• Effective Near Miss programs average 3 to 5 reports per person, per year.

• A workplace of 500 employees should have between 1500 and 2500 near miss
reports per year.
 Total Safety Culture

Actions driven by organization beliefs can have significant

influence on workers actions.
• Safety systems
– Are systems in place to encourage people to do the job with
minimal risk?
• Leadership behaviors
– Are at-risk, time saving actions accepted?
– Is there a perception of production vs safety?
• Peer behaviors
– Do your co-workers encourage at-risk behavior?
 Total Safety Culture
Layered Safety Interaction
• LSI or Layered Safety Interaction is an excellent tool
that allows managers, supts/supervisors, crew leaders,
working foremen and safety reps to discuss safe work
practices and expectations with employees.
• It is a means of communicating a positive safety
message and re-enforcing your commitment to
safety.
• They are also a means for employees to talk with their
supervisor about safety and a valuable tool for
documenting a supervisor's due diligence.
 Total Safety Culture

Layered Safety Interaction

• A process where supervisors, crew leaders & working
foremen participate in positive discussions with
workers about the safety expectations of their job.
• An ongoing process that evaluates worker behaviour
specific to their job.
• Recognizes “safe behaviour” and compliance.
Identifies and corrects “at risk” behaviour and non-
compliance in a positive, non threatening way.
 Total Safety Culture
Advantages and Opportunities
• Enhances supervisor visibility and opportunity to health
and safety matters with workers.
• Demonstrates your commitment to the Health and
Safety Program.
• Sends a clear message to the workforce that health and
safety is important at all levels of the organization.
• Provides the opportunity to speak positively about the
workers safety performance, as well as discuss any
deficiencies (at risk behaviours) that are identified.
Accident/Incident
Iceberg

24
 • Statistics.
• Injury related
costs.
• MOL/MOE citations
and fines.
• Identification of unsafe Means of
acts and conditions through:
Measurement
• Audits/Inspections.
• Incident investigation.
• Safety meetings.

• Good quality safety observation

and auditing program.
• Near-miss reporting and investigating.
•Employee attitude and perception audits.

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 Total Safety Culture
Benefits of Layered Safety Interactions
• Helps to maintain established standards and identifies
deficiencies. (Continuous improvement.)
• Measures the effects of safety education by showing how much
it has improved work behaviour.
• Reveals weaknesses in the safety system.
• Motivates supervisors and workers by giving immediate results
of their safety efforts in a clear, measurable form.
• Increases safety awareness and visibility.
 Total Safety Culture

Two Certainties About Positive Interaction

• Employee behaviour will reflect management’s

behaviour.
• You get the level of safety that you demonstrate
you want.
 Total Safety Culture

What does a LSI primarily focus on?

• Safe performance of the task.
• Unsafe acts that could result in injury.
• Ergonomic risks.
• PPE and housekeeping compliance.
 Total Safety Culture

Things to Remember!
• Observe people in the workplace.
• Talk with employees.
• Positive comment on safe behaviour.
• Point out observations of unsafe acts or conditions.
• Discuss ways to do jobs more safely.
• Get agreement to work safely.
• Thank employee.
• Document the interaction findings.
 Total Safety Culture

Interaction Skills - Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s:
• Give positive reinforcement and recognition.
• Focus on consequences of any identified risk.
• Use your listening skills to understand the task.
• Question to explore and learn, not teach.
• Show concern and keep it positive.
 Total Safety Culture

Don’ts:
• Be negative.
• Emphasize mistakes.
• Overlook learning opportunities.
• Instruct employee how to perform task.
• Provoke confrontation.
 Total Safety Culture
Summary of LSI Process
• A primary objective of safety interactions is to improve the safety behaviour of
employees.
• Telling employees what they must do to behave more safely is usually
counterproductive.
• Reinforce good safety behaviour.
• Use a questioning approach that leads employees to recognize and talk about areas
where improvement is appropriate.
• Emphasize your safety expectations as their supervisor or co-worker.
• Thank employees for their participation.
• Document your interaction findings.
• Follow up on outstanding issues.
 Total Safety Culture

• A solid Internal Responsibility System is essential to

worker buy in.
• IRS means everyone in the workplace has a role to play
and a duty to actively ensure workers are safe.
• Every worker who sees a health and safety problem such
as a hazard in the workplace has a duty to report the
situation to management.
• Once a hazard has been identified, the employer and
supervisor have a duty to look at the problem and
eliminate any hazard that could injure workers.
 Remind each other several times a day to stop and
think about performing the task safely every time.
Reminders:
Layered Safety Interactions are an excellent
way for supervisors & workers to keep safety
in the forefront.
Observations:

An excellent tool for hazard recognition and control.

Near Miss
reporting:

Review procedures and work instructions periodically to refresh your

mind on the proper way to do a task so unsafe behaviours do not
become habit.
Review: Tailgate meetings can be used to discuss safe work practices.
 Total Safety Culture

Definition of culture
• Culture is a set of values, behaviors, and norms
that guide interactions between people
• It is the “personality” of a workplace
• It is “how things are done around here”
• It is sometimes difficult to see because they are
deeply held assumptions developed over time.
 Total Safety Culture

Culture and individual perception

• Perceptions are “reality” for the person
experiencing them
• Although perceptions may sometimes be
incorrect, they drive behaviors and establish
culture in the work environment
 Total Safety Culture

Change and resistance

• Change is uncomfortable, presents risk, and is
seldom easy
• We cannot keep doing the same things and
expect a different outcome
• An organization changes when people change
• People do not resist change; they resist being
changed
 Total Safety Culture

Reasons for resistance

• Do not believe it will work
• Leaders do not walk the talk
• No infrastructure to support change
• Appropriate behaviors not rewarded
• Past practices
• Lack of confidence
• No experience in the new way
 Total Safety Culture

Positive reinforcement is key

• Categories of reinforcement:
– Economic
• Monetary value
– Social
• Positive interaction between people
– Moral
• The right thing to do; inner satisfaction
– Peer pressure
 Total Safety Culture

• Recognize and reinforce what is done well and

done safely
• Recognize small but positive safety changes
• Communicate positive messages – visual,
written, verbal
• Celebrate achievements
 Total Safety Culture

Actively caring
• Every decision, action, or behavior has a consequence
• If we say we are committed to Safety, we must care
enough to consistently address what we observe
– Reinforcing positive and safe decisions, actions, behaviors
• Acknowledging actions or behaviors with a safe outcome
– Coaching when observing risky or unsafe actions or behaviors
• When actions or behaviors have the potential to cause harm to the
individual or to others
 Total Safety Culture

Communication
From John Maxwell’s book:Leadership Gold
The author read about a study that stated:
– we hear half of what is being said;
– listen to half of what we hear;
– understand half of it;
– believe half of that; and
– remember only half of that.
 Total Safety Culture

Here’s how that breaks down:

– You spend half of your day – about four hours – in
listening activities
– You hear two hours’ worth of what is said
– You actually listen to an hour of it
– You understand only thirty minutes of that hour
– You believe only fifteen minute’s worth
– And you remember less than eight minutes of all
that is said!
 Total Safety Culture

Communication challenge
The single biggest problem
with communication is
the illusion that it
has taken place.
 Total Safety Culture

Communication Key Points

• We communicate through:
– What we say – 7%
– How we say it – 38%
– Body language – 55%
• Importance of “active listening”
• Why we listen
– To obtain information
– To learn
– To understand
– For enjoyment
 Total Safety Culture

Listening with an Open Mind

• We all communicate and learn differently
• The cultures in your individual workplaces, and
maybe even in your work crews, may also be
different
• It’s important to understand those differences in
order to effectively communicate.
 Total Safety Culture

Characteristics of a Positive Safety Culture

• Safety is a value, not a goal or program
• Safety is held as a value by all employees
• Each individual feels responsible for the safety of their
coworkers as well as themselves – safety is personal
• Each individual is willing and able to “take action” to
ensure the safety of others even when uncomfortable
or unpopular
• Each individual routinely performs actively caring
and/or safe behaviors for the benefit of others
 Total Safety Culture

Characteristics of a person 100% committed to safety

• Unwilling to compromise on safety
• Consciously competent
• Internally motivated and accountable
• Rewards safe behavior
• Looks to eliminate causes, not place blame
• Actively caring behaviors towards coworkers
 Total Safety Culture

Positive Safety Culture

• The safety environment is positive
• Safety talk is positive
• Safe behavior is rewarded
• Potential hazards are identified, analyzed and
controlled
• Strong safety infrastructure in place
 In Closing:

It is very difficult to change the culture of an organization.

Change is required to create a Positive Safety Culture
Need to start with the behaviours and values of each individual.
Need to better understand why we do things the way we do them.
Need to understand the risk/reward concept and how it can ease us into unsafe
behaviour.
Need to recognize the potential for injury and lack of control we sometimes have.
Remember that bad things happen to good people everyday, don't put yourself in that
position.
Make your personal safety your personal value - never to be compromised.
One by one we will "change the way we think about safety"
and
Develop a new Positive Safety Culture in your workplace.