By Dominic Cooper & Lucas Finley, B-Safe Management Solutions, Franklin, IN USA

Eliminate or reduce any safety vs. productivity conflicts.

Adopt and enact the philosophy and vision that ‘safe production is the number one priority’.

Develop a safety partnership between management and employees.

Actively involve employees in the safety improvement effort in meaningful ways. For example, facilitate [a] employee reviews of Risk Assessments/Job Safety Analysis and Rules & Procedures, [b] development of Safety Communications and Training; [c] employee development and implementation of an adaptive Behavior-Based Safety process, etc.

Insist managers visibly demonstrate their safety leadership

Get managers to [a] be role models and inspire people to comply with safety procedures / rules; [b] hold safety conversations with employees, [c] facilitate any corrective actions, etc.

Hold leadership accountable for HSE performance

Ensure the bulk of the criteria for managerial promotions / bonuses are HSE-related.

Resource, complete, and monitor corrective and preventative actions.

Show you are sincere. Address any hazards where there can be any type of unwanted ‘energy’ release, to limit the potential for injury, within the shortest possible timeframe.

Consistently communicate about safety to all, in multiple ways.

Keep people informed and align their safety values to continual safety improvement. Engage in a two-way dialogue with the workforce on safety.

Define safety key performance indicators that are behavioral in nature.

Challenge people to improve. Set ‘stretch’ safety improvement targets and monitor quarterly.

Share lessons learned in a timely manner with the workforce and others.

Encourage the reporting and investigation of all near-hits (close calls). If applicable, also share the key lessons learned with the entire Industry.

Excerpted from the book, “Strategic Safety Culture Roadmap,” by Dominic Cooper, PhD and Lucas Finley MS, B-Safe Management Solutions Inc., 2141 Holiday Lane, Franklin, IN 46131, USA

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