Workplace Safety Culture

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VonRoll USA, Inc. -- which manufactures insulating materials, resins, varnishes and mica -- has decreased its injury and illnesses rates to “considerably below industry averages,” according to OSHA, which worked with the company under its On-site Consultation Program.

Are all accidents preventable? The idealist says that, under the right circumstances and with early detection of risks and trends, they are. The realist says that given probability, massive exposure to risks, human nature and imperfect performance a certain number of accidents are inevitable.

A company should have a Code of Conduct that is understood through training and sign offs. After that it's a matter of implementation and enforcement. Usually these behaviors are a sign of larger issues that must be investigated and dealt with.

Our personal risk tolerance is directly influenced by the severity of the outcome. If there is a high cost associated with a risk, we are more prone to comply with the rules set in place. While writing this post, I am reminded of today’s airline industry.

A number of companies have made significant improvements to their safety cultures. Their progress is so dramatic, they often come to the realization that it is highly probable that their next fatality will come from a contractor they hire. To safety leaders, this is not an acceptable risk.

Transactional leadership is ok; transformational leadership is even better. That conclusion comes from a study by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), which surveyed more than 1,000 plumbers and pipefitters to find out what style of safety leadership yields the best results.

This week on a call with one of my clients, I took the responsibility for the pre-call safety moment. As I have mentioned previously, this was an idea I learned from this client last year. They, as many other companies, display safety as a value by beginning every meeting with a safety moment when someone shares a safety story or idea.

An anesthetized patient fell to the floor headfirst from an operating room table during a laparoscopic appendectomy in Scotland. The table had been tilted into an extreme head down position to facilitate the operation. Fortunately, no injury occurred.