Safety at work: Strictly - Not Ruthless

You may have read the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. In his book he explains how many companies thought being good is ... well, "good enough". In these times of constant change and global competition, it is important to always try to improve - especially when it comes to safety.

Who wants to settle for "good enough" security? In most cases, good means that the company is willing to settle for an injury. "Good enough" safety means setting safety goals based on lagging indicators. (An example is to reduce injury time lost by 10%.) High safety means to set a rigorous objective of zero accidents. According to Collins, is to be rigorous and not ruthless when growing your business. This same concept should also apply to safety in the workplace.

It is the rigorous process of security or Just Plain Ruthless?

Ruthless safety could be characterized as a society that tends to punish employees by verbally beating over the head with the safety manual for getting hurt at work. Do not read this wrong ... every company must have a disciplinary policy to gain the attention of employees who do not understand the consequences of unsafe behavior. But to really change behavior must always be at the forefront leaders clearly the behavior required to prevent accidents. After all, the goal is "no one gets hurt."

Rigorous safety could be characterized as clearly defined behaviors that workers are held accountable for that prevent known hazards from injuring them. If a worker continually shows that he or she has no intention of behaving safely, then disciplinary action must be taken. Strict security means that the leadership has the best interest of the employee at heart.

5 Factors of Leadership rigorous safety

Employees who bring to behave safely in the workplace is not an easy task. During our 15 years of experience consulting with managers on safety in the workplace, we had a lot of executives tell us that if they knew that takes employees to behave safely on the job was so hard to do, would refuse the position of supervisor, foreman or lead. Yet, there is hope.

The leading first-line learning can be effective for the management of these five human factors:

1. Expectations:

Unspoken, unrecognized expectations in the workplace can lead to frustration of work, safety performance standards, decreased commitment and safety at work even with a high turnover. Understand that most employees expect to have a workplace free of hazards. Employees have different expectations when it comes to factors such as autonomy, work / life balance, career opportunities, stability, structure and teamwork. The key is to learn what the expectations of individuals in your organization, then work with them to meet or, in some cases, adjust those expectations.

2. Communication:

Being a superb safety communicator is difficult to achieve. Think about the people you communicate safety requirements on a daily basis. You'll notice some are strong communication skills in some, but weak in other skills. Learn everything you can about your communication style and how others - the impact you? If you do not get a generally positive reaction from those around you, take a course in interpersonal skills.

3. Innovation:

Change, whether planned or unplanned, can be difficult. To innovate, grow and improve a culture of safety requires individuals who are able to see the big picture. Accept that change is part of life and learn to let go of the past and embrace and apply new techniques, technologies and tools at the appropriate time.

4. Organization:

Innovation security can not be done without a dedicated team to hit the target: A-Zero Accidents on the job. Leaders must be able to organize and motivate a team towards the goal. Imagine all of leading each other to the goal of a zero-injury workplace.

5. Praise:

Great leaders accomplish great things. Great leaders appreciate the people who make things happen. Understanding how you react to certain situations as a leader is vital to be a successful leader.

Receive rigorous for a bright future

Become a rigorous safety is a tough job, but it is rewarding. When a society and its leaders are committed to improving their effectiveness with rigorous safety programs, employees are more motivated to behave safely so they can home to their families every day without injury. After all, no matter what level you are in the company, the goal is "no one gets hurt." This is a goal everyone can live with....