1. www.jst.umn.edu Discussing Safety with Coworkers

2. www.jst.umn.edu Unsafe Coworker Safety is a priority for everyone, but lapses occur – Confronting coworkers can feel uncomfortable – Remind yourself: addressing the issue as soon as possible will improve safety for you, your coworker, and the whole group – Stop Work Authority gives personnel right to stop unsafe work 2

3. www.jst.umn.edu Before Speaking Up… 1.Define the problem – Be able to articulate the unsafe action to your coworker – Speak respectfully (without anger or annoyance) 2.Evaluate Cause – Is there a reason they chose the less-safe option? – If you don’t know, ask 3.Offer safer alternative – Calling out unsafe action = good; providing an alternative = better – Offer a reference to the correct procedure 4.If unsafe behavior persists – Recruit fellow co-workers, then senior/respected co-workers, PI, DEHS (anonymous LER forms: ) 3 Loosely adapted from http://work.chron.com/confront- coworkers-17815.html

4. www.jst.umn.edu Initiating Conversation Address coworker as soon as lab work allows – Be considerate when interrupting lab work – Be in control of your emotions (avoid anger or annoyance) Use a calm, quiet, and confident voice Try asking a question about what they’re doing, rather than making a statement that what they’re doing is wrong – Ex. “What are you working on?” “Can I help you?” When in doubt, use ‘I’ statements Recruit others only if you cannot address issue on your own 4

5. www.jst.umn.edu If Conflict Occurs * Once reported to PI, matter may be out of your hands –Owe it to your reputation to handle the matter respectfully from beginning Resources for conflict resolution: 1.‘Non-confrontational Communication with Co-workers’ 2.Conflict Resolution at Work for Dummies 3.UMN Student Conflict Resolution Center 5 http://www.sos.umn.edu/ http://work.chron.com/nonconfrontational-communication-coworkers-8667.html http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/conflict-resolution-at-work-for-dummies-cheat-shee.html