Page 32 - Occupational Health & Safety, March 2018

PRACTICAL EXCELLENCE
BY SHAWN M. GALLOWAY
Defining Safety Excellence: What Does Great Look Like?
If it isn’t clear to executive leadership what it would look like when successful, expect misalignment throughout the rest
Iof the organization.
f safety excellence isn’t clearly defined and aligned throughout an organization, it won’t be achieved. Ask 10 people to define safety excellence and, on average, you’ll get eight distinctly dif- ferent answers. Ask these same individuals, “What would you
see that is common when visiting a work area that would explain why and how safety excellence was achieved?” You’ll get 10 differ- ent answers.
When working with executive leaders in the creation of their three- to five-year safety excellence strategy, we often begin by de- termining the existing alignment between different leadership lev- els. A survey is a frequently used tool to gain this insight, beginning with the two aforementioned questions. Answers range from “no injuries” to very descriptive, well-thought-out descriptions of what practices, beliefs, and knowledge would be common that would in- dicate success. If it isn’t clear to executive leadership what it would look like when successful, expect misalignment throughout the rest of the organization. Herein lies the importance of Operational- izing Safety ExcellenceSM.
Safety excellence must be described in operational terms and make sense to the audience whose behaviors you are trying to in- fluence. Safety excellence is more than just repeating great results. It is also profound insight into how the results were obtained, with a shared mindset throughout the culture that continuous improve- ment will always be possible. Once great results are achieved, what beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors would be common that explain why and create confidence that the results are more than luck, nor- mal variation, or Hawthorne effect? Below are some examples from recent client engagements that ranged in maturity in their safety performance, culture, and systems.
Beliefs
I believe [company] cares about me and I matter.
I have the right competencies to do the job safely and effectively. I am trusted, can make informed decisions, and will be sup-
ported by management.
Through planning and proper execution, operations are effi-
cient and incident-free.
There is clear and concise commu- nication between all groups.
Knowledge
Details are shared about recent events and what could have prevented them.
I know how to become involved in current safety activities, teams, and committees.
The big and common/routine risks that will be faced at work that day are known.
I know what precautions are re- quired and which ones are discretion- ary and most desired.
Individuals understand expecta- tions and their job- and safety-specific roles and responsibilities.
I know who to go to and what pro- grams/processes to leverage with con- cerns and suggestions.
Behaviors and Common Practice
We regularly take the required and most important discretion- ary precautions.
Job planning and preparation with day-to-day specific tasks is evident.
Better housekeeping: Hazards are identified and corrected im- mediately.
Proper tools, equipment, and PPE are used correctly and con- sistently.
Witnessing mentoring and coaching where good safety atti- tudes and behaviors are nurtured, and there is positive reinforce- ment of desired safety behavior and safety leadership.
Visual management: Performance boards/5S/visibility of safety team and maintenance efforts and successes; clear goals and targets are able to be identified.
To operationalize safety excellence in your environment, be- gin dialogue with these important questions. How should safety excellence be defined in our work? What would explain why our performance has either improved or slipped? Once great results are achieved, what beliefs would be common? What would everyone know? What common practices would we observe?
Answers will differ for each company and location. Involve your leaders in answering these questions. It will be time well spent and will serve as the catalyst needed to achieve breakthrough results in both safety performance and culture.
Shawn M. Galloway is the president of ProAct Safety and co-author of several bestselling books. As a consultant, advisor, and keynote speaker, he has helped hundreds of organizations within every major industry to improve safety strategy, culture, leadership, and engage- ment. He is also the host of the acclaimed weekly podcast series Safety Culture Excellence®. He can be reached at 936-273-8700 or info@ ProActSafety.com.
26 Occupational Health & Safety | MARCH 2018
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Safety excellence is more than
just repeating great results. It
is also profound insight into how the results were obtained, with a shared mindset throughout the culture that con- tinuous improve- ment will always be possible.