WORKING AT HEIGHT CULTURE CLUB


Jessica Wade, from working at height specialists Height, Lift and Shift, examines how businesses can foster a positive health and safety culture while maintaining hygiene standards.


Maintaining a clean and safe working environment can be challenging for many businesses. It is vital that workplaces meet hygiene standards to ensure the health and safety of employees, clients and customers, all the while maintaining a consistent and positive Health & Safety culture.


One of the big contributors to reducing risk or injury is creating a culture whereby the whole workplace shares the same values. Many accidents can be traced back to unsafe behaviours displayed by either workers or management. We carried out some research a little while ago that showed persistent inconsistencies between how management and employees perceived the Health & Safety culture of their organisations. Such inconsistencies can leave organisations exposed by the assumptions of a good Health & Safety culture; where in reality such a culture is at best theoretical, and at worst non-existent.


But how can businesses create a positive culture whilst maintaining hygiene standards? It is very difficult to improve the culture directly; there are very few shortcuts out there. There are a number of areas that influence the culture though, and these can be improved to help create a better Health & Safety culture. There are a number of ways this can be done, including the following:


1


The culture of an organisation makes the greatest contribution


to its Health & Safety performance. A careless culture can lead to a reduced level of productivity, increased costs and time off work through injuries.


According to ISOH, creating a safety culture involves achieving ‘shared values and beliefs that interact with an organisation’s structure and control systems to produce behavioural standards’. Culture is intrinsic, and determines a way of doing things that is taught or copied from others,


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if culture is not correctly aligned to company policy then these taught behaviours can be at odds with the policies designed to protect employees.


Culture needs to be set at all levels of an organisation, right up to the top levels of management. Shared values are a key characteristic of culture, especially in high risk industries, these values and standards therefore, should be communicated throughout the organisation.


One of the big


contributors to reducing risk or injury is creating a


culture whereby the whole workplace shares the same values.


2


There needs to be a visible commitment to safety by


management. This can be achieved by making Health & Safety an integral part of the management process. All levels of management should be involved in encouraging a positive health and safety culture.


Employees expect management to set an example by actively conforming to all safety procedures. It is key that managers at all levels accept that Health & Safety is central to the success of an organisation, and is therefore a line management responsibility.


3


Workers should be encouraged to report and investigate accidents.


Being aware of and investigating accidents and near-misses helps to develop process improvement, creating and promoting safe working practices. Encouraging and rewarding reporting of accidents and near misses promotes a positive safety culture.


4


Communication is the foundation of developing a positive culture;


this can be done through providing clear and concise written materials in line with current Health & Safety and Hygiene regulations. Involving the workforce in hazard identification, risk assessment and training should also be encouraged; making them part of the solution. Management should listen to any feedback employees may have, by encouraging discussion and participation, enabling them to raise any concerns and offer potential solutions. The Health & Safety Executive state that ‘People who feel respected and involved in decision- making play a big part in a high- performing workplace’.


By looking at these factors organisations can build a picture of where opportunities for improvement lie, and what practices they can put in place to achieve this, helping foster a positive culture while increasing hygiene standards. Height Lift & Shift believe that safety and productivity go hand in hand; businesses do not need to compromise one for the other. Although these changes will take time and developments will be incremental rather than immediate, they can massively benefit businesses and can positively impact quality, productivity and profitability. It is worth investing in improving your workplace culture now and for the future.


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Tomorrow’s Cleaning September 2015 | 63


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