When I speak with safety officers, risk managers, safety professionals, and other professionals charged with training and maintaining safety at their given facility or organization they express a common concern, maintaining and in some cases building a safety culture can be difficult and problematic. “Safety is priority number one.” It is often used as a catch phrase. There is a common misconception that new employees are the “safest employees.”

According to a Gallup report, a new employee takes around twelve months to become fully productive in their new role. Twelve months to three years is in my opinion and, experience is the “sweet spot” for safety. These employees focus on working safely and productively. Once we get beyond the sweet spot due to complacency and separation from safety training the number of workplace accidents begins to increase. If safety training is your area of responsibility, you want to stave off the possible increase in workplace accidents.

Steps to get you started

A consistent safety training program can fill the new employees’ knowledge gaps and refresh older employees focus on safety. Daily safety talks work well on construction sites and manufacturing facilities, but they may not be as effective in warehouses or business settings. The proximity to injury is immediate on construction sites, manufacturing, and public safety organizations. In a business environment the chance of being injured while working is significantly reduced.

Construction workers use tools with pointed edges, tools that can cause blunt force injuries, power tools, and may be on ladders or scaffolding greater than six feet above the ground. Even though a business environment has a reduced chance of injury compared to the other professions I mentioned. Safety should still be a priority. Regular training and safety education are essential.

The first step in building a safety culture at your facility is to develop and establish a comprehensive safety training program. Developing a comprehensive program requires an Initial Needs Assessment (INA). Review previous workplace incidents and accidents. Do research to analyze past safety incidents, identify hazards that have taken place more than one or two times and identify training gaps that were present at the time the incidents and or accidents occurred.

Conduct regular inspections of the facility and identify potential hazards such as: slips-trips-and falls, dangers related to machinery being used and in operation at your facility, electrical problems that can harm employees and patrons, chemical/haz-mat exposure. Conduct a detailed review of Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Review the safety information related to chemicals used in the workplace. If needed seek out expert advice to identify and help prioritize hazards.

After collecting data applicable to your facility, it is time to set training objectives for staff and employees. Establish what employees should know after the training is completed. Make sure that the safety training program training directly address what was found in the INA. Once training objectives are set consider their applicability for different employee levels. Employee levels are as follows: new hires, experienced employees, supervisors, and managers, if applicable. Develop training modules or units based on employee levels.

Now that there is a comprehensive safety training program a method for delivery of the training is selected. Classroom, conference room, auditorium, e-learning, on-the-job training, or a combination of delivery methods are used to ensure effectiveness of the safety training program. Select trainers who are qualified with sufficient expertise and knowledge to deliver on the learning objectives set for the safety program. Schedule regular training sessions and keep accurate detailed records of completed and required training for employees.

The next step is evaluating the effectiveness of the safety training program. Establish benchmarks based on employee levels establish a means to verify understanding, application, and execution of safety training objectives. Conduct hands on written tests to evaluate the depth of knowledge retention.

Step 1 is in place, a comprehensive safety training program for employees and staff. Now the process for maintaining a safety culture begins. Monitor employee safety practices on the job; this will allow you to assess the effectiveness of training. Get and compile feedback from participants to identify areas for improvement.

Everyone needs to play a part

In a strong safety culture, workplace injuries and illnesses can be prevented. Everyone plays a part in building a safe and healthy workplace. Safety must be a value for an organization that has a strong safety culture (Block-2). Priorities can change but values should not. Safety should be a condition of employment. Astronaut Scott Kelly said, "Safety has to be everyone’s responsibility… Everyone needs to know that they are empowered to speak up if there is an issue.” The type of thinking intimated by Captain Kelley is the underlying principle of maintaining an effective safety culture in the workplace.

To create a safety culture there are three things that are required.

• Step 1: Raise safety awareness with training, education, and support staff that helps deliver the Safety message, Safety Lieutenants if you will.
• Step 2: Implement safety policies and procedures that support your safety message. And finally produce ways to reward safe behavior. The OSHA culture of safety is an environment where the attitudes, behaviors and perceptions of all workers should be apparent in the health and safety of the workplace. This leads to…
• Step 3: Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a coach, supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance (Passmore Ed., Johnathan 2016).

Safety coaching

To develop and maintain a safety culture the Safety Team Leader must be a safety coach. As Dr. Passmore’s definition intimates, a coach supports an employee in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. As a Safety Coach you must reinforce, and support training objectives set forth in the safety training program based on the employee’s level.

Safety coaching is a continuous process that is integral in maintaining a safety culture in the workplace. Coaching empowers individuals and encourages them to take responsibility, increases employee and staff engagement, improves individual performance, helps identify, and develop high potential employees (National Coaching Institute).

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a safety culture is an approach that is initiative-taking, in nature. Leadership must actively prioritize safety, nurturing a collaborative mindset across the organization. Employees must feel empowered to identify and report hazards, and openly communicate concerns without fear of repercussions. Employees and leadership must actively participate in safety training. Management must consistently recognize and reward safe behaviors to infuse a culture of safety within the workplace.

The three steps in developing or maintaining a safety culture in the workplace are as follows:

Step 1 establishes a comprehensive safety training program; Step 2 Safety must be a value of the organization; and Step 3 Continuous Safety Coaching. Consider this article as a roadmap. Walter Dill Scott said, “The future of the safety movement is not so much dependent upon the invention of safety devices as on the improvement of methods of educating people to the ideal of caution and safety.”

It all goes back to education and knowledge. Gather pertinent data on safety concerns and workplace hazards, develop and implement a comprehensive safety training program, and coach employees according to their employee level. Employee levels are new hires, experienced employees, supervisors, and managers, if applicable. Following, considering, and implementing the elements indicated here-in will help you build and maintain a safety culture in your workplace.