1. Risk Management & Safety Culture
Stewart Ellenberg, ARM-P
City of Boulder Risk Manager

2. Risk Management’s Mission
Protection of Entity Assets
Employees
Buildings & Contents
Cash
Reputation
Assist departments in getting their job done.
Not here to tell you how to do your job.
Won’t say “No” if it isn’t illegal, immoral, or really stupid.

3. “Culture” definition…
“The behavior and beliefs that are characteristic of a group.”

4. What did these companies have in common in 2010?
Massey Energy
British Petroleum

6. May 20, 2010 – Deepwater Horizon

7. But that is not all…
Massey Energy – Awarded three “Sentinels of Safety” awards in the previous year.
BP – “SAFE” awards handed out the day before the accident to the rig workers.

8. A key point …
The lack of accidents is not a good indicator of an entity’s safety culture.

9. City of Philadelphia 4/9/12

10. A recent peer review of the fire …
“Basic mistake in fire scene management.”
“Disgraceful.”
“Prehistoric approach.”

11. Are you rehearsing for the big one?
If you look at a fatal accident or serious injury, the possibility that the circumstances leading up to the event had never happened before, but just happened today, is possible but usually very unlikely.

12. Safety Culture Failures
Chernobyl
Continental Flight 2574
Spaceship Challenger
Spaceship Columbia
Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown – “pervading culture of complacency over safety.”

13. What are you worried about right now with your operation?
Staff Member
Dangerous condition
Questionable practice or procedure

15. What is Safety Culture?
“Safety Culture” is an inherent value system, owned by both organizations and individuals, that places a high priority on being safe in all we do.

16. What does “safety culture” mean?
“Making sure people are not injured is
how we do things around here.”

17. What can you do to improve the safety culture at your entity?

18. Leadership is Essential
Senior managers should instill “safety is a value” to all employees and design a safety vision.

19. Safety Culture - THE ESSENTIALS
Safety meetings
Safety committees

20. THE ESSENTIALS continued…
Giving feedback on safety performance, either good or bad, is the best action you can undertake.
Discipline supervisors who fail to discipline employees for violations of safety rules.
Timely safety training to new and recently transferred employees.
Promote wellness programs

21. THE ESSENTIALS continued…
Annual safety performance evaluations.
A pro-active culture that searches for ways to prevent an incident from occurring.
Investigate accidents involving minor injuries and “near-hits”.

22. Why improve your safety culture?
Deliver the best services you can to your customers.
Reputation management.
Saves time and money.
It is the right thing to do for your staff, their families and the public.

23. Safety Culture – To Sum it Up

24. Are you willing to make the changes that need to be made?