Safety Management

Is your workplace safe... or is it in compliance?  Not always the same thing.  It has been said that the safety regulations have been written in blood.  The for every rule or requirement, if you trace it back, there is a fatality, serious injury or close call causing that piece of legislation to be crafted.

I have never met a manager yet that wanted workers under his direction to be injured or killed.  And yet, while walking through even some of the most modern plants and work-sites that is the impression one receives on the floor.

How is it that the senior management desires their plant to be safe and yet on the floor safe practices are pushed aside or ignored to 'get the job done'?

We can easily point out blame, 'it is the supervisors' (it is always the supervisors, but who trained and leads them?), it is the union mentality, it is hard to hire good people.  These are amazing statements as other plants are safe and they hire from the same or similar pools of people, they may be unionized or not, what is the difference.

A difference that we can duplicate?

Management is only one part of running a work-site, the critical element is leadership.  Due to most management courses conducted now we sometimes confuse management with leadership.  We all know that there are natural leaders, but with the proper motivation anyone can lead.  You don't need to be a great orator or charismatic or handsome.  You need to know what you want to get done.

Leadership means giving clear direction as to what you want to happen, encouraging those who are to conduct the job to 'buy in', to take ownership.  Give them as much leeway as possible, allow them to set goals, hold them accountable for results but also reward good work (this does not have to be monetary or promotion orientated). 

I have been on many sites where things are not going right.  It is always a shock to most when I state that "if the manager wanted it to happen it would".  Is that always 100% correct?  Not really, no one can control everything, however by leadership one can guide and direct a workforce in the way one wants it to go.

If we want a safe workplace we need to start with the basics.

The most critical is leadership by example, does the manager follow all of the safety rules, at all times on-site?  If he/she does not need to follow these rules or procedures do we really need them?... that is what your workforce is asking.

Does the manager condone unsafe practices (even just momentary slips "we're just passing through here...")?

Does the manager send mixed messages?: "work safe..... lets just get the done quickly, we don't have time for that today".

Does the manager not follow up on safety issues, trust is essential... but "trust and verification" are also essential.  People forget, get wrapped up in the daily grind.  It is a managers job to verify if "things are so".

I could go on but you get the point I am sure.  Management and leadership are not the same thing but they are two parts of the whole, whether you are a strong leader or not you are providing leadership to the workforce.  Leadership that is being imitated.

Lead by example, and have a safe work-site.  js