|
 CHRIS
JONES RISK
MANAGEMENT
Safety Culture
Safety Culture is commonly used term, but can be
difficult to define. However, we
can recognise an optimal safety culture when we experience it.
Your organisation would certainly consider it had a good safety culture
if all the following conditions were in place:
 |
Employees:
 |
Follow OHS rules and procedures because they believe it is in
their best interests to do so, and it is the only way to do their job;
|
|
Actively participate in the safety programme;
|
|
Fix hazards themselves, and report hazards they can’t fix;
|
|
Assist other employees to work safely, by lending a hand,
looking out for inexperienced employees, and watching out for the safety
of others.
|
|
|
Supervisors:
|
Integrate OHS rules and procedures into training and
supervision;
|
|
Ensure that OHS rules and procedures are implemented and
pursued with the same level of vigour as productivity and quality
objectives.
|
|
|
Managers:
|
Lead OHS activity within their department or branch;
|
|
Prompt staff managers and Head Office personnel to provide
assistance and resources to reach their OHS goals;
|
|
Maintain continuous improvement within their department or
branch without Head Office prompting.
|
|
|
Directors and Senior Management:
|
Provide the necessary resources to enable managers to
maintain continuous improvement in OHS. |
|
Recognise and reward OHS achievement at least as well as
achievement in other areas of the business.
|
|
OH&S
Attitude Surveys - Employees
 |
A safety attitude survey can be used to determine
employee’s attitudes and perceptions regarding Occupational Health and
Safety and management, supervision, training, their fellow employees, and
themselves.
The survey would normally be conducted using a structured
interview with selected groups. The
interview will take approximately one hour.
The answers are recorded as they are given, without comment, and
the results can then be analysed.
Such surveys have provided very useful information in
determining strategies to improve employee participation in the OH&S
programme.
It provides a useful baseline for determining progress if the
surveys are conducted again after twelve months. |
OH&S
Attitude Surveys – Supervisors
A safety
attitude survey can be conducted amongst all supervisors. The purpose of the survey will be to determine respondents’
attitudes and perceptions regarding Occupational Health and Safety.
This would
normally be a “pen & paper” survey and a draft survey form is can be
provided.
Management
are provided with an analysis of the results for the group and a comparison by
location, department or shift.
Improving
Safety Culture
The actions
required to improve the safety culture depend upon the nature of the
organisation, and the findings of the safety attitude surveys.
The following examples are typical of the actions that can be undertaken
to rase employee involvement in the OHS programme:
Employee
Competitions
Safety competitions that could be considered include:
|
Colour Me Safe - Colouring in and safety
hazard competition for employee’s children.
|
|
Manual handling quiz
– Manual handling quiz based upon provided training. |
|
Safety slogan competition
– A competition is conducted among employees for the best safety
slogan.
|
|
Hazard report award – A prize is awarded for
the “best” hazard report or safety suggestion as judged by the OHS
committee. |
|
Supervisor’s scratchy award
– Supervisors are provided with enough scratch lottery tickets to be
able to give a safety award each week to an employee of their choice. |
|
 |
Special
Emphasis Programmes
The concept behind special emphasis programmes draws upon the
marketing concept of media saturation.
Using a range of media for a short period of time makes maximum impact by
reinforcing the message through repetition.
Identifying
Safe Behaviours
Most employees are able to perform their tasks without
injuring themselves. They do so
because they have their own ways of working safely.
These can be identified and distilled into a simple set of rules.
The power of these rules is that they come from the employees themselves
and are recognised as such by the employees.
Safety
Coaching for Supervisors
Supervisors are shown how to make a personal
contact with each of their employees, on a regular basis, to discuss how they do
their job safely.
Contact Details:
|
| Email: |
chris@chrisjones.com.au |
| Telephone: |
0411 228 051 |
| Fax: |
(02) 9484 1651 |
|
When calling from outside Australia
replace the first 0 with 61 |
|
A.C.N. 073 659 962 |
| 
