Total Safety Culture Presented by Jason Thompson Total

Total Safety Culture Presented by Jason Thompson

Total Safety Culture Objectives • • • • Safety as a way of life Creating ownership Infrastructure Safety as a personal value Safety Leaders Safety Pyramid Hazard recognition and control Near Miss Reporting Layered Safety Interaction Internal Responsibility System (IRS) Culture Communication Positive Safety Culture

Total Safety Culture Safety is a way of life – a process, not a program • This is not something extra to do • Safety should be incorporated into how we do everything: – – – Production Quality Efficiency (controlling costs) • You can be a safety leader in your workplace • Encourage others to live safety as a core value that will not be compromised

Total Safety Culture The importance of “moving safety to the next level” • Continuing to do what you have always done has gotten you to the point you are at today. • If you want to keep getting what your getting, keep doing what your doing. • To move safety to the next level, you must do something different

Total Safety Culture • Safety must be in the heart and mind of everyone, everywhere, everyday • Rules, guards, and procedures only HELP keep us safe – it is up to each of us each of your employees to develop a personal commitment to safe behaviour

Total Safety Culture Safety involves more than infrastructure • People get hurt despite good infrastructure. • Bad things CAN happen to good people. • Rules, processes, and equipment have little impact on behaviors, actions, and choices people make as they perform their jobs and related tasks. As workers begin to accept safety as a personal internal value that will not be compromised regardless of the situation, less injuries will occur, workers will develop pride and ownership in their actions.

Total Safety Culture The importance of a caring, trusting “family” environment With family members we: • Use more rewards than penalties • Do not pick on their mistakes • Do not pit one or rank one against another • Brag on their accomplishments • Respect their property and personal space • Pick up after them • Accept corrective feedback • Correct any at-risk behaviors we observe • Are our brothers’ keepers

Total Safety Culture • It is up to YOU to decide what you can do as a safety leader to implement changes needed that will create a positive safety culture in your work environment • You have influence with your employees with your co-workers – by what you say and what you do

Total Safety Culture Bottom Line • Safety needs to become a personal value that will not be compromised. • As safety leaders in your workplace, you need to create and support a culture that coaches and encourages people to work safely.

Total Safety Culture • Can versus Will • We know we can be hurt but do we believe we will

Total Safety Culture § Nobody comes to work to get injured. § No one expects to get injured. § If we did expect an injury to occur we would do whatever we could to prevent it. § If we don’t believe we will get hurt, what incentive is there for not taking shortcuts? § Workers must believe that unsafe behaviour leads to injury.

Total Safety Culture Safety awareness, Hazard recognition and Risk analysis need to be personal

Total Safety Culture • How often do you take time throughout the day to think about the hazards that could be – or are – associated with the task you are about to do?

Total Safety Culture Personal safety awareness • What is personal safety awareness? – Always being aware of your surroundings • What is hazard recognition? – Being able to identify hazards before they result in injury • What is risk analysis? – Analyzing the probability and severity of risk in order to reduce the possibility that harm will occur

The SAFETY Pyramid FATALITY Lost time injury INJURY ZONE Recordable injury Minor injury / first aid Near misses / Hazard recognition Personal safety awareness Take 2, MISS, Tailgate meetings, Work Instructions, SOPs HEIGHTENED SAFETY AWARENESS

Total Safety Culture • What is a Near Miss? Near Miss - An incident or unsafe condition with potential for injury or property damage • Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury or fatality. • Near Miss incidents typically out number first aid injuries by a ratio of 20 - 1. • They are numerous and we can learn something from each one. They are typically small in scale, relatively simple to analyze and easy to resolve.

Total Safety Culture Why report a Near Miss? • Near miss incidents should be regarded as early warnings that something is wrong somewhere in the system. The next time we might not be so fortunate and someone could be injured. If the Near Miss is reported and investigated we can learn why it happened and prevent it from occurring again. • For every near miss that is reported and investigated, a potential injury to one of our workers has been prevented. • In order to reduce the number of injuries, we need to increase the number of reported near misses • Ask all employees to report any Near Miss incidents to their supervisor.

Total Safety Culture • • • Near Misses must be addressed quickly and consistently -the entire process must maintain a high profile, be openly communicated and discussed daily -the process must be kept simple and include those involved -should include a screening process so more attention is given to those with higher potential: - what learning value does the near miss have? -who benefits from the learning? (few or many) - minor or serious consequence if circumstances were a little different? Some will require a full blown IIR while the bulk of them should only require a simple analysis, resolution and communication. (one pager) -Most should be resolved by the person who identified it. (hazard recognition and resolution) -Which then promotes ownership and responsibility which promotes speedy resolution and increased reporting -Each one documented with root cause and action taken, then communicated to all

Total Safety Culture • Successful Near Miss Programs: - encourage openness without scrutiny - involvement at all levels -openly supported by senior management -documented, tracking and investigative process with feedback -communication process (open database, postings and status updates) -innovative incentive plan for reporting • Effective Near Miss programs average 3 to 5 reports person, per year. • A workplace of 500 employees should have between 1500 and 2500 near miss reports per year.

Total Safety Culture Actions driven by organization beliefs can have significant influence on workers actions. • Safety systems – Are systems in place to encourage people to do the job with minimal risk? • Leadership behaviors – Are at-risk, time saving actions accepted? – Is there a perception of production vs safety? • Peer behaviors – Do your co-workers encourage at-risk behavior?

Total Safety Culture Layered Safety Interaction • LSI or Layered Safety Interaction is an excellent tool that allows managers, supts/supervisors, crew leaders, working foremen and safety reps to discuss safe work practices and expectations with employees. • It is a means of communicating a positive safety message and re-enforcing your commitment to safety. • They are also a means for employees to talk with their supervisor about safety and a valuable tool for documenting a supervisor's due diligence.

Total Safety Culture Layered Safety Interaction • A process where supervisors, crew leaders & working foremen participate in positive discussions with workers about the safety expectations of their job. • An ongoing process that evaluates worker behaviour specific to their job. • Recognizes “safe behaviour” and compliance. Identifies and corrects “at risk” behaviour and non-compliance in a positive, non threatening way.

Total Safety Culture Advantages and Opportunities • Enhances supervisor visibility and opportunity to health and safety matters with workers. • Demonstrates your commitment to the Health and Safety Program. • Sends a clear message to the workforce that health and safety is important at all levels of the organization. • Provides the opportunity to speak positively about the workers safety performance, as well as discuss any deficiencies (at risk behaviours) that are identified.

Accident/Incident Iceberg 24

• Statistics. • Injury related costs. • MOL/MOE citations and fines. • Identification of unsafe acts and conditions through: • Audits/Inspections. • Incident investigation. • Safety meetings. Means of Measurement • Good quality safety observation and auditing program. • Near-miss reporting and investigating. • Employee attitude and perception audits. 25

Total Safety Culture Benefits of Layered Safety Interactions • Helps to maintain established standards and identifies deficiencies. (Continuous improvement. ) • Measures the effects of safety education by showing how much it has improved work behaviour. • Reveals weaknesses in the safety system. • Motivates supervisors and workers by giving immediate results of their safety efforts in a clear, measurable form. • Increases safety awareness and visibility.

Total Safety Culture Two Certainties About Positive Interaction • Employee behaviour will reflect management’s behaviour. • You get the level of safety that you demonstrate you want.

Total Safety Culture What does a LSI primarily focus on? • Safe performance of the task. • Unsafe acts that could result in injury. • Ergonomic risks. • PPE and housekeeping compliance.

Total Safety Culture Things to Remember! • Observe people in the workplace. • Talk with employees. • Positive comment on safe behaviour. • Point out observations of unsafe acts or conditions. • Discuss ways to do jobs more safely. • Get agreement to work safely. • Thank employee. • Document the interaction findings.

Total Safety Culture Interaction Skills - Do’s and Don’ts Do’s: • Give positive reinforcement and recognition. • Focus on consequences of any identified risk. • Use your listening skills to understand the task. • Question to explore and learn, not teach. • Show concern and keep it positive.

Total Safety Culture Don’ts: • Be negative. • Emphasize mistakes. • Overlook learning opportunities. • Instruct employee how to perform task. • Provoke confrontation.

Total Safety Culture Summary of LSI Process • A primary objective of safety interactions is to improve the safety behaviour of employees. • Telling employees what they must do to behave more safely is usually counterproductive. • Reinforce good safety behaviour. • Use a questioning approach that leads employees to recognize and talk about areas where improvement is appropriate. • Emphasize your safety expectations as their supervisor or co-worker. • Thank employees for their participation. • Document your interaction findings. • Follow up on outstanding issues.

Total Safety Culture • A solid Internal Responsibility System is essential to worker buy in. • IRS means everyone in the workplace has a role to play and a duty to actively ensure workers are safe. • Every worker who sees a health and safety problem such as a hazard in the workplace has a duty to report the situation to management. • Once a hazard has been identified, the employer and supervisor have a duty to look at the problem and eliminate any hazard that could injure workers.

Reminders: Observations: Near Miss reporting: Review: Remind each other several times a day to stop and think about performing the task safely every time. Layered Safety Interactions are an excellent way for supervisors & workers to keep safety in the forefront. An excellent tool for hazard recognition and control. Review procedures and work instructions periodically to refresh your mind on the proper way to do a task so unsafe behaviours do not become habit. Tailgate meetings can be used to discuss safe work practices.

Total Safety Culture Definition of culture • Culture is a set of values, behaviors, and norms that guide interactions between people • It is the “personality” of a workplace • It is “how things are done around here” • It is sometimes difficult to see because they are deeply held assumptions developed over time.

Total Safety Culture and individual perception • Perceptions are “reality” for the person experiencing them • Although perceptions may sometimes be incorrect, they drive behaviors and establish culture in the work environment

Total Safety Culture Change and resistance • Change is uncomfortable, presents risk, and is seldom easy • We cannot keep doing the same things and expect a different outcome • An organization changes when people change • People do not resist change; they resist being changed

Total Safety Culture Reasons for resistance • • Do not believe it will work Leaders do not walk the talk No infrastructure to support change Appropriate behaviors not rewarded Past practices Lack of confidence No experience in the new way

Total Safety Culture Positive reinforcement is key • Categories of reinforcement: – Economic • Monetary value – Social • Positive interaction between people – Moral • The right thing to do; inner satisfaction – Peer pressure

Total Safety Culture • Recognize and reinforce what is done well and done safely • Recognize small but positive safety changes • Communicate positive messages – visual, written, verbal • Celebrate achievements

Total Safety Culture Actively caring • Every decision, action, or behavior has a consequence • If we say we are committed to Safety, we must care enough to consistently address what we observe – Reinforcing positive and safe decisions, actions, behaviors • Acknowledging actions or behaviors with a safe outcome – Coaching when observing risky or unsafe actions or behaviors • When actions or behaviors have the potential to cause harm

Total Safety Culture Communication From John Maxwell’s book: Leadership Gold The author read about a study that stated: – we hear half of what is being said; – listen to half of what we hear; – understand half of it; – believe half of that; and – remember only half of that.

Total Safety Culture Here’s how that breaks down: – You spend half of your day – about four hours – in listening activities – You hear two hours’ worth of what is said – You actually listen to an hour of it – You understand only thirty minutes of that hour – You believe only fifteen minute’s worth – And you remember less than eight minutes of all that is said!

Total Safety Culture Communication challenge The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

Total Safety Culture Communication Key Points • We communicate through: – – – What we say – 7% How we say it – 38% Body language – 55% • Importance of “active listening” • Why we listen – – To obtain information To learn To understand For enjoyment

Total Safety Culture Listening with an Open Mind • We all communicate and learn differently • The cultures in your individual workplaces, and maybe even in your work crews, may also be different • It’s important to understand those differences in order to effectively communicate.

Total Safety Culture Characteristics of a Positive Safety Culture • Safety is a value, not a goal or program • Safety is held as a value by all employees • Each individual feels responsible for the safety of their coworkers as well as themselves – safety is personal • Each individual is willing and able to “take action” to ensure the safety of others even when uncomfortable or unpopular • Each individual routinely performs actively caring and/or safe behaviors for the benefit of others

Total Safety Culture Characteristics of a person 100% committed to safety • • • Unwilling to compromise on safety Consciously competent Internally motivated and accountable Rewards safe behavior Looks to eliminate causes, not place blame • Actively caring behaviors towards coworkers

Total Safety Culture Positive Safety Culture • The safety environment is positive • Safety talk is positive • Safe behavior is rewarded • Potential hazards are identified, analyzed and controlled • Strong safety infrastructure in place

In Closing: It is very difficult to change the culture of an organization. Change is required to create a Positive Safety Culture Need to start with the behaviours and values of each individual. Need to better understand why we do things the way we do them. Need to understand the risk/reward concept and how it can ease us into unsafe behaviour. Need to recognize the potential for injury and lack of control we sometimes have. Remember that bad things happen to good people everyday, don't put yourself in that position. Make your personal safety your personal value - never to be compromised. One by one we will "change the way we think about safety" and Develop a new Positive Safety Culture in your workplace.