Too often frontline supervisors see their job as primarily ensuring compliance with safety rules and regulations. But compliance only goes so far. To create the safest possible work environment, organizations need more than just compliance. They need workers to do the right thing all the time, even when supervisors aren’t watching. They need engaged employees—employees who are willing to get involved, identify and report hazards, provide peer-to-peer feedback on safe or at-risk behavior, and admit when near misses or mistakes have occurred.
All of these things are discretionary—that is, they are not requirements of the job, but they make all the difference in creating the optimal safety environment. Here is the catch—you can’t get engagement with a compliance focus.