ZERO INCIDENTS ACHIEVING A NEW SAFETY CULTURE

SAFETY TOPIC

ZERO INCIDENT AND CULTURE CHANGE

ZERO INCIDENTS What is all the talk about ZERO Incidents? Is there any truth to the concept? Can it be achieved? What is a safety culture? Why is it important?

ZERO INCIDENTS DEFINED Loss producing events that results: In an injury. Property damage/loss. Lost workday. Restricted workday. If safety goals are not set at zero, an employer sends a message to employees that severe and disabling incidents are acceptable.

OBJECTIVE FOR ZERO Provide management with resources, funding, and training. Identify and implement policies and procedures. Eliminate incidents by providing guidelines and techniques for observing and correcting unsafe acts and conditions.

OVERVIEW A mind set An attitude. Safety controls must be designed into every aspect of an organization. Must be a company vision - a value. Safety must be an integral component of an overall business plan Must be a company vision, not a target or performance goal. Goals must define a milestone

OVERVIEW (continued) Safety goals must be. Communicated. Realistic. Reflect the “safety culture” of the organization. If safety goals are not set at zero, an employer sends a message to employees that severe and disabling incidents are acceptable. One must understand that the safety culture must be viewed similar to a quality program. The zero incidents concept must be agreed upon and understood by management first. Management leaders that demonstrate a personal commitment and genuine interest to safety can have a substantial impact on any organization. This coupled with employee participation and management support is one of the key success factors in any safety program.

OVERVIEW (continued) Safety must be a # 1 priority. Integral part of business. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. If safety goals are not set at zero, an employer sends a message to employees that severe and disabling incidents are acceptable. One must understand that the safety culture must be viewed similar to a quality program. The zero incidents concept must be agreed upon and understood by management first. Management leaders that demonstrate a personal commitment and genuine interest to safety can have a substantial impact on any organization. This coupled with employee participation and management support is one of the key success factors in any safety program.

SAFETY CULTURE If you take a look at the Dupont safety management principles, they state that 96% of all incidents are caused by unsafe acts of people or unsafe conditions. If you relate these two theories together and think about what has been stated, management has control of employee actions and thus control of the entire safety system. Clearly, management controls the “purse strings.” If you have ever studied the successes of Dr. Deming, you will find that some of his philosophies can be adapted to safety quite well. According to Dr. Edward Deming, 94% of the problems in business is due to lack of management commitment. In his book, “Out of the Crisis,” Deming addresses 14 key points that all companies must work toward. These points can be aligned to safety culture change for any organization. If you study his teachings in detail and apply some of the 14 points to safety one will start to understand some basic concepts that can be utilized on a daily basis. It is important to note that all 14 points may not fit the safety culture or philosophy of your firm or employer. One must adopt a safety culture that fits the needs of the organization.

SAFETY REQUIRES STRONG COMMITMENT FROM THE TOP

YOU WILL ACHIEVE THE LEVEL OF SAFETY THAT YOU DEMONSTRATE YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

CULTURE-BASED APPROACH A world class safety program. A management system. A set of assumptions, benefits, and beliefs about reality. The way we make decisions, feel, think, and act. An attitude developed over time Based upon learning Personal experiences Beliefs Upbringing

WHAT IS CULTURE CHANGE? Culture change is evolution and revolution. Changing a basic perception of reality.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SAFETY? Paradigm Shift. Old Way. Improving Safety Performance by Focusing on operator error.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SAFETY? (continued) New Way. Improving Safety Performance by Focusing on the cultural and management system that influence safety behavior. Using the position of leadership to empower employees at all levels to take responsibility for safety.

BASIC SAFETY PHILOSOPHY Every incident can be avoided. No job is worth getting hurt for. Every job will be done safely. Incidents can be managed. Most importantly safety is everyone’s responsibility. Safe work cultures starts from simple common beliefs that are supported by all employees in an organization

PHILOSOPHY (continued) Safety/Best Management Practices. Line management function. Safety standards. Define various safe procedures and management practices. Training. Everyone understands and meets requirements.

PHILOSOPHY (continued) Audits - Conformance Appraisals. Evaluates implementation of the programs. Investigations. Used detect to problems in the implementation of responsibilities, standards, training, and auditing. Involvement. Builds ownership.

BENEFITS Safety standards are communicated to all employees. Responsibilities for implementing standards are understood and accepted. Records document how standards/BMP are met. Internal management control.

BENEFITS (continued) Cost avoidance. Improved quality. Better productivity. Team building.

BENEFITS (continued) Unsafe behavior stands out. Unsafe behavior is unacceptable. Safe work is influenced through peer pressure. Consistent planning and task execution.

HOW CAN WE CHANGE CULTURE? Grassroots up - Empower the Team. Top-Down Leadership Actions with Support Systems.

KEY SAFETY PRINCIPLES Working safety is a condition of employment. Each employee is expected to give consideration to the prevention of injury to self and to coworkers. Involvement and thinking of all people in the safety process is valued and expected. Continual improvement is the goal. Individual and teams must be recognized for their adherence to and advancement of safety.

CONCERNS A “quick fix” to stop incidents? Implementing new goals not projecting zero incidents. Driving injury reporting underground.

NORMS Part of the safety program. The things that we do every day without thinking - become the accepted way we do our business.

CHANGING NORMS (continued) Understand why unsafe norms exist. Plan system changes to reinforce new norms, communicate the way you want the program to work. Define the unstated norms (unwritten rules) behind those actions. Once these key steps are understood, the safety culture change will start to transform. One must keep in mind that this change will not happen overnight but will come gradually

ACCOUNTABILITY An action taken to develop self-control, character, orderliness, and efficiency. Exercise strict control to enforce a system of rules/procedures. Goal is to invoke desired change. Intervention. Positive Reinforcement. Action.

ACCOUNTABILITY INTERVENTION Accomplishes several objectives: Stops unsafe acts before they lead to an incident. Replaces unsafe behavior with safe habits. Helps employees make better choices about working safely.

ACCOUNTABILITY INTERVENTION (continued) Employees: Acknowledge unsafe behaviors. Point out unsafe behaviors. Understands the risks. Understands benefits of working safely.

ACCOUNTABILITY INTERVENTION (continued) Agrees that unsafe behaviors are not worth the consequences. Suggest proper safe behaviors. Agree to a formal contract for improvement.

ACCOUNTABILITY POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Reinforcing safe work habits. Employees repeat behaviors that result in positive consequences. Reinforcing safe work habits is just as important as eliminating unsafe behavior. Most people tend to repeat behaviors that result in positive consequences and discontinue those that result in negative consequences. Positive reinforcement is the only means available to maintain existing good behavior

ACCOUNTABILITY POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT (continued) Reward of safe behavior. Verbal Acknowledgment. Public Praise. Material Awards.

ACCOUNTABILITY ACTION Keys to success. Consistentancy. Approach with best interests of employees. Remind employees of external effects of incidents.

HOW CAN WE GET THERE? Long term achievement/commitment is a product of day to day efforts.

PREREQUISITES Strong commitment from top management. Good safety program. Established safety culture. Safety accountability in place.

INCIDENT FREE CULTURE A shared vision. Cultural alignment. Common goals. Focus on incidents control. Upstream systems in place. Feedback. Shared Vision - Reaching an incident free culture starts with a vision. A vision is something that everyone can see. Cultural Alignment - Everyone must pull in the same direction. There is consistency between what we do about safety and what we all say about safety. Practices and behaviors are in line with the vision of continuous safety performance. Focus on Incident Control - We must operate at a level of continuous improvement in relationship, safety, quality, etc. Upstream Systems - Make employees at all levels how they are doing. Feedback - This is common. It must be valued, whether it is negative or positive. Feedback must flow back and forward.

ACHIEVING A CULTURE

DEFINING AND COMMUNICATING THE NEED FOR CHANGE What are the internal and external drivers for the change? Why must this change take place? How will the organization benefit from this change?

WHAT ARE THE KEY DRIVERS?

CULTURE CHANGE Defining and communicating the need for change. Employee Participation. Envisioning a Desired Result. Assessment and Feedback. Strategic Planning.

CULTURE CHANGE (continued) Implementation. Evaluation, Control, and Measurement. Worksite Analysis. Training.

EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION Provides input to management. Shared vision.

ENVISIONING A DESIRED RESULT Top Management provides direction, purpose, and goals. Demonstrated commitment from all levels of management. Must be capable of inspiring commitment.

SYSTEMS NEEDED TO SUPPORT NEW CULTURE Technology. Is safety engineered to the full potential? Structure. Is the structure of the H&S department designed to support desired behaviors? Are the policies and procedures packaged in a manner that supports the new safety culture?

SYSTEMS NEEDED TO SUPPORT NEW CULTURE (continued) Social Processes. Develop trust, open communication, and employee participation. Rewards. Are desired behaviors rewarded? Do employees understand how to earn the rewards?

SYSTEMS NEEDED TO SUPPORT NEW CULTURE (continued) Measurement System. Are you measuring the safety process or just the end results? Are your measurements tied to the reward system?

MANAGER IN THE NEW SAFETY CULTURE Task Planning. Education of direct reports. Enforcement. Leadership by example. A clear communicator.

EMPLOYEES IN THE NEW CULTURE Participate in program. Report unsafe conditions/acts. Shared vision.

CONTRACTOR IN A SAFETY CULTURE Screened and selected. Viewed as partners. Performance is measured. Established accountabilities. Must fit/accept the culture requirements.

A SAFETY CULTURE WHAT IT ISN’T Exclusive. Created by mandate. A regulatory requirement. Created in a short time. Created with little effort. Maintenance free.

FOUR A’s FOR SAFETY Attitude. Awareness. Action. Accountability.

SIGNS OF CULTURE CHANGE True management commitment. Reduced injury rates. Changes in employees attitudes to safety. Heightened participation by employees. Near miss reporting increase. More conversations regarding safety.

COMMON BELIEFS Every incident can be avoided. Every job will be done safely. Incidents can be managed.

CULTURE CHANGE Management must define and communicate the need for change. Why the change must occur. Benefits from the change in safety culture. Comes from top management. Management must communicate with employees and explain why the change must occur. Most important, management must promote how the employee will benefit from the change in safety culture.

COMMITMENT “To be successful, safety must be more than a program or a book/procedures. It must be a company philosophy - an attitude that is unquestioned.” Less McGraw, Fluor Daniel. ABC Magazine.

COMMITMENT (continued) “The first duty of business is to survive and the guiding principle of business economics is not the maximization of profit but the avoidance of loss.” Peter Drucker. Management Consultant.

SUMMARY Any management system will work if top management and employees work together toward a common vision of zero incidents. In a zero incident safety culture, one focuses on real time issues. In a zero incident safety culture, one focuses on real time issues. Nobody should ever think that it is okay to suffer a disabling injury while at work or home. It is up to management to convince the skeptics that zero is a reachable vision, a reality. Adopt the cultural belief that all incidents and incidents are preventable. Nobody should ever experience a disabling injury. It is always a challenge to accomplish enormous tasks that are worthwhile whether it is work related or a personal issue. Ultimate satisfaction can be reach when the desired goal is the vision of zero incidents that one should strive for. We learn in early life that you have to work for what you believe in. It is the writers’ opinion that the zero incidents concept is achievable and that a zero incident safety culture can work when it is properly communicated. Any management system will work if top management and the employees pull together toward the common vision of zero incidents. It goes to show that everyone has their way to solving problems. We all learn by trial and error. Sometimes we get things to work right the first time and other times we don’t. We must always strive for the best and always look for proven methods and avoid “reinventing the wheel.” The management system must always be adaptable to enable continuous improvement. Any company that institutes a cultural change toward the zero incidents concept is bound to see safety improvements that the entire workforce can be proud of.

SUMMARY (continued) Ultimate satisfaction can be reached when the desired goal is the vision of zero incidents that one should strive for. Zero incidents concept is achievable and can work when properly communicated. Everyone has their own way of solving problems.

SUMMARY (continued) Create a safety culture that drives each employees’ thoughts and actions in their personal and professional lives. More than a regulation.

SUMMARY (continued) Creates an environment where employees are responsible for their safety and the safety of their fellow employees. A safety culture is built through the establishment of a fundamentally sound safety program.

SUMMARY (continued) Employee Owned. Management Driven. Operationally Consistent. Maximize Creativity and Innovation. Learn by trial and error.

SUMMARY (continued) Essential Components. Management Commitment. Policy Statement - Vision. Program Goals. Employee Recognition. Employee Training. Hazard Analysis/Correction.

Key to success of any SAFETY ENDEAVOR. SUMMARY (continued) Key to success of any SAFETY ENDEAVOR. P.E.P.

PRIORITY - ENTHUSIASM - PRIDE