FEATURE
FOSTERING AN INTEGRATED SAFETY CULTURE
Creating a robust safety culture is essential in any industry, particularly in sectors where the risks are high. In all environments, worker and end-user wellbeing is intrinsically linked to safe and successful operations, but for many businesses, this can simply be a tick-box exercise, taken seriously, but with a mindset of moving from ‘A-to-B’ with assurance.
As we approach awareness days such as World Day for Health and Safety at Work, which helps shed a national spotlight on employment safety, it is important to discuss techniques and internal strategies that can help reverse escalating accident trends, as well as boost company processes.
THE LEADERSHIP FUNNEL Safety of course, is not a particularly attractive term. It is crucial that the commitment to safety is championed from the highest levels of an organisation. Leadership must lead by example, demonstrating a genuine and proactive commitment to safety standards and practices.
This top-down approach ensures that a safety-first mindset permeates every level of the company, fostering an environment where every employee feels responsible for not only their safety but also that of their colleagues. Such leadership in safety not only helps in achieving legal compliance, but also builds a culture of trust and accountability, essential for any successful operation.
“A TOP-DOWN APPROACH ENSURES THAT A SAFETY-FIRST MINDSET PERMEATES EVERY LEVEL OF THE COMPANY.”
Broadly speaking, I define safety culture as 'the way we do things around here', however the subject of defining a safety culture is widely debated by my peer group and views vary. There is a tendency to focus primarily on legal frameworks and legislative compliance, which should always be the cornerstone of a good management system, but legal compliance won’t provide a good
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Creating a safe and healthy work environment is a fundamental right for all, but for many employers, the journey ends at compliance. Pick Everard’s Associate for Health, Safety and Risk Management Gillian Wood discusses the importance of a collaborative safety culture, helping transcend business operations and delivering long-term gains to brand reputation.
safety culture if this is the only focus. In my career, I have had the privilege of working with many organisations implementing culture change programmes, both in internal roles and as a consultant. In my experience, many businesses are still operating an immature safety culture in a transactional way, and don’t know how to navigate the journey.
My work is to identify how a business can move from compliance, which is baseline and transactional to an integrated safety culture, where almost every business decision has an impact from a safety perspective. Setting the benchmark early in the process means that incremental changes can be easily measured. You need to know where you are before you can start the journey to where you’re going.
INCREMENTAL STEPS FORWARD I am a strong advocate for simplifying and standardising health and safety practices, a popular approach with clients. Nobody is interested in convoluted or difficult systems to keep them safe or compliant. By streamlining these systems, we not only make it easier for employees to understand and follow safety guidelines but also enhance the overall efficiency of safety operations.
Standardisation ensures that safety procedures are consistent across all levels of an organisation, reducing the risk of errors and increasing the effectiveness. This could be as simple as standardising risk assessment templates or bringing in a software solution which all colleagues can access. This approach not only makes safety more accessible and straightforward but also supports a culture where it becomes a natural and integral part of daily operations.
Typically, a culture change can take three to four years, and there’s no hiding there may be an upfront cost to bringing in the improvements, particularly at a consultancy level, but it doesn’t need to be an expensive process. My role in culture change is to be the navigator steering the process, so a light touch is sometimes all that’s needed. Incremental changes can make long- term impacts on business goals. Communication and engagement are key, and it starts by simply talking
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