- Promoting Safety in the Workplace!
(Summary of Safety Breakfast Meeting held Wednesday, December 9, 1998)
HOW DO I GET THE WORKERS IN MY COMPANY OR OFFICE TO BUY INTO A
WORKPLACE SAFETY PROGRAM?
By buying into it yourself. That's the primary advice given by
workplace safety consultants Ray Castrillo and Marco Figueroa at the
most recent Agricultural Safety Breakfast meeting hosted by the Center
for Agricultural Business at California State University, Fresno.
Workplace safety has rightly become a priority issue for just about all
agricultural, as well as non-agricultural employers in recent years,
noted Castrillo in outlining strategies for promoting workplace safety.
However, that priority must turn into action and commitment in order to
really affect daily employee performance, he added.
Castrillo and Figueroa are loss control specialists for Western
Growers Insurance Co., based in Southern California. During their
presentation at the December Safety Breakfast meeting they stressed the
importance of total involvement - from firm owner to shift worker - in
order to make a safety program work for everyone.
COMMITMENT STARTS AT THE TOP
Top-level commitment is the foundation stone for a successful safety
program, Castrillo stated. Company owners/administrators should dedicate
themselves to the following five principles:
- Recognition of Needs - Every business has a unique working
environment and safety needs specific to that environment. Owners
must determine those needs and develop a program that will address
them.
- Goals - Goals help to provide measurable criteria by which to
determine effectiveness of a program. Goals can include commitments
for every worker to receive necessary safety training or could be
stated in terms of reductions in the number of injuries or behaviors
that can result in injuries.
- Commitment - Management and regular workers need to know that
company administration is committed to safety. There are many ways
to get the message out, through vocal and written communication,
incentive programs, activities. Activities expressing commitment
must be conducted on a regular basis.
- Long-term investment - A quality safety program requires an
investment of time and money, not just for the kick-off, but for six
months and six years down the road.
- Follow through - Administration must demonstrate its commitment to
safety by following through on program goals and directives. Failure
to do so tells workers that they don't have to follow directives
either.
MID-LEVEL MANAGEMENT IS KEY TO PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
Once the employer has made the commitment to a quality, long-term
safety program, mid-level management becomes the vehicle through which
the plan is actually carried out, Castrillo said. Six principles also
must be adopted at this level for program implementation to be
successful.
- Commitment - Just like the employer, top- and mid-level management
also must be committed to the concept of safety in the workplace.
- Attitude - A person's commitment is reflected in their attitude,
Castrillo said. No matter how many signs are posted on walls or
incentives offered for safe behavior, if a manager's attitude is
lackadaisical or cynical, chances are very good that employees will
not take the program seriously.
- Communication - The message of safety must be communicated
effectively for it to take hold in the workplace. Strategies for
getting the message out should be planned and carried out.
- Recognition - Pats on the back - in one form or another - are an
effective means for building enthusiasm for a safety program.
Employees need to know that their extra efforts are appreciated by
management, as well as by fellow employees.
- Involvement - Management must provide leadership by doing as well
as by talking, the safety experts said. Taking a positive, active
role as a safety team member will provide concrete examples of
actions that employees can emulate.
- Follow Through - Finish what you start, and maintain commitment
and enthusiasm if you want your program to continue more than a few
weeks or months, Castrillo said.
EMPLOYEES ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY MAKE IT HAPPEN
While management makes the commitment and sets the tone for a safety
program, those who actually make it happen are the employees. They are
the font-line individuals who actually have to implement needed behavior
changes. Following are seven principles employees must commit to in
order to make the plan work:
- Trust - Workers must believe in management's emphasis on safety,
and that the safety program is primarily for their own good.
- Knowledge - Employees must be given all appropriate information
about the program. Generally the more they know, the more they will
be supportive and involved.
- Commitment - Like owners and managers, employees must be committed
to the concept of safety if they are to practice it.
- Communication - Lines of communication must be open between
workers and workers, and workers and management. Strategies for
opening and maintaining lines of communication must be employed.
- Attitude - Employees themselves may well be the best examples for
each other in maintaining standards of a safety program. Attitude is
catching, and often the attitude of commitment must be caught from
management and ownership.
- Involvement - The bottom line of a safety program is in practicing
the safe behavior that is called for. Sometimes this may mean
maintaining what already has been established; sometimes it involves
major changes. In any case, the employee must be willing to make the
effort to actually "live out" safety practices.
- Recognition - Not only management, but front-line workers must be
involved in recognizing safe behavior. Peer support is crucial for
maintaining program enthusiasm and involvement.
COMMUNICATION METHODS MAY VARY BY COMPANY
Depending on the nature of the business, different forms of
communicating safety issues may be used. Castrillo offered the following
methods that can be used:
- Safety training workshops
- Tailgate safety meetings
- Posting information
- Suggestions from employees
- Forming a safety committee
- Offering safety reminders
- Producing a company newsletter
SUPPORT FOR SAFETY MUST INCLUDE POSITIVE STROKES
In general, positive reinforcement (rather than penalty and
punishment) is the best method for obtaining support and involvement in
a safety program. Castrillo offered the following suggestions as methods
of giving positive feedback for those involved.
- Individual and Group rewards - Depending on the situation and
employee relationships, group rewards may be more effective than
individual prizes. Competition among individuals and groups can
generate enthusiasm and involvement. But because of the potential to
generate bad feelings, competition and rewards also must be directed
with care and discernment.
- Cash awards - Everybody likes to receive cash, and it need not be
large amounts, Castrillo noted. Just the potential for receiving the
prize can be a strong incentive.
- Merchandise - Materials such as hats, mugs, jackets (with company
logo) or an assortment of other goods can be a prized reward for
employees.
- Employee recognition - Simple recognition in front of other
workers can be an effective prize for safe behavior. Peer support
and acknowledgement is generally a highly-prized reward.
DISCIPLINE WILL BE NEEDED AS PART OF THE GAME PLAN
Along with positive and enthusiastic leadership for a company safety
program, disciplinary action must be outlined for those who refuse to
participate. A disciplinary action plan should include the following:
- Procedures - Certain action must be taken with those who
jeopardize their own safety and the success of the company. This
must be outlined carefully in advance.
- Unsafe Acts - Safe and unsafe behaviors must be outlined and
explained so employees know what is expected of them.
- Compliance with rules and regulations - Requirements for
compliance must be clearly outlined.
- Re-training - Training and re-training are methods that should be
considered to equip those who would benefit from it.
- Consistency - Disciplinary measures must be enacted with
consistency or the company may end up with more serious problems in
the long run.
- Documentation - Thorough record-keeping is a must in any
disciplinary program.
FOR PROFESSIONAL SAFETY SERVICES
For more information or consulting services on safety in the
workplace, Castrillo and Figueroa may be contacted through Western
Growers Insurance Company. Figueroa, a loss control consultant, may be
reached at his Fresno office at 559/454-0507. Castrillo is director of
loss control based in Santa Maria, California. His phone number is
805/922-4336.
UPCOMING SAFETY BREAKFAST MEETINGS
"1999 Update for Agriculture: What is on the Horizon" is
the topic of discussion for the next safety breakfast meeting, scheduled
for Wednesday, Jan 13, 1999. Speaker will be Gilbert S. Molina, a farm
labor specialist for the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage Hour Division.
The meeting will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the CATI
Conference Room at the California Agricultural Technology Institute,
2910 E. Barstow Ave., Fresno, California.
Safety Breakfast meetings are hosted monthly (normally each second
Wednesday) by the Center for Agricultural Business. The purpose is to
provide a forum for safety professionals to meet and exchange ideas,
information and concerns. Topics vary according to interests and needs of
the agricultural and agribusiness industries.
More than 20 sponsoring businesses and organizations currently
provide financial support for the safety breakfast meetings. Sponsors
names are listed on publicity fliers and signs at the meetings. For more
information or to discuss becoming a sponsor, call (559) 278-4405.
