Page 97 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2018

Communication practices also need to account for multilingual challenges, noted Hoyt Emmons, senior consultant for Med-Tex Services,Inc.“Asimpleexampleistraininganon-Englishspeaker infirstaid,CPR,orchoking,”heexplained.“Theymaynotgetallthe words, they can get the concepts. They practice, and then they can— and do—save lives.”
When personal agendas or selfish con- siderations are introduced, the team may stumble to reach the desired outcome due to those distractions.”
Positioning Teams for Success
Safety shouldn’t stop at the top of the or- ganization’s ladder. A safety leader sets the tone for a culture of safety within the entire company, leading by example and inspiring others to follow suit and take action, whether they’re in the office or on the job site.
Further, leadership should never be limited by title. All hands need to be on deck. A good leader will instill the qualities and skills they have learned into others, so that all employees are empowered to be- come stewards of safety in their own right.
“Developing and maintaining a safety culture is the foundation of who we are,” said Bill Reis, safety director at Belcher Roofing Corporation in Montgomeryville, Pa. “Once that culture is created and val- ued by all members of our team, every- thing else gets simple. We discuss, plan, and execute on safety every day. You will never hear the question why we need a safety plan, but how we can create a safety plan for each task.”
Added Reggie Asare, EHS manager at Skanska USA Building Inc., “Your loved ones expect you to come home safely—so dowe.”
Lauren Tosti is the director of market- ing and communications for The Gen- eral Building Contractors Association (GBCA), which is the Greater Philadel- phia chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). This ar- ticle was created with the valuable input of the GBCA Safety Committee, whose mission is to provide educational resources and support to GBCA members in order to create, promote, and lead a safety culture that defines how we build in the Philadel- phia area. By promoting individual expe- riences, technology, and best work prac- tices, the GBCA Safety Committee helps support the membership to build safe and productive projects. The committee, com- prised of safey leaders in construction from contractors throughout the Philadel- phia region, works together to ensure that everyone can return home the same way they came to work.
the presence of positive actions? Focus on what you want more of, rather than what you want less of.”
Empowering Leaders:
A Three-Pronged Approach
Safety leadership should be approached like any other business training—leaders become equipped with the best skills and tools for success. The approach can be boiled down to three key areas:
■ Leadership methodologies: What are your leadership qualities? How can these be translated and leveraged in order to promote a culture of safety?
■ Effective communication skills: What are the ways and means of commu- nicating with positive results? Which com- munication method or style is appropriate for the situation?
■ Team building and the value of a strong team leader: How do teams inter- act? What role can a leader play in building and empowering teams to take an organi- zation to new heights?
Cultivating Your Safety Program
A leader’s personality and management ap- proach impacts the entire day-to-day oper- ations of a construction business, including the methods in which safety protocols are introduced, communicated, and enforced. Everyone has a different leadership style.
What’s most important for all leaders to recognize is that their influence is not their position. A leader’s actions while on the job are far more significant than his or her as- signed rank or title within an organization. Lead by example, always.
For Jim Ryan, corporate safety director at INTECH Construction, LLC, of Phila- delphia, safety is “the constant.” He added, “We stress safety first at every meeting, from the very first scope to the preinstall meetings with the subcontractors, to the post-mortem meeting in house when the job is complete.”
Effective leadership requires respect
from your peers, your direct reports, and upper management. When it comes to earning respect, there a few key values: in- tegrity, courage, passion, vision, and sac- rifice. Once a leader cultivates these key ingredients, the recipe for respect is made.
Communicating Effectively
Values are also intrinsic to the commu- nication of safety principles. Consistency of these values is one factor that will de- termine the success of your safety pro- gram, said Dennis Dougherty, president of Med-Tex Services, Inc., in Philadelphia. Clear goals and expectations, education, enforcement, and follow-through are all hallmarks of effective safety communica- tion. That means that your workers are taught what to look for and understand the consequences if safety protocols are not followed; they are also encouraged to share safety concerns, feedback, and the reporting of incidents.
Communication isn’t all talk, either. Leaders need to make sure safety skills are honed on the job, not just in the class- room. Today’s construction safety training programs have moved well beyond Pow- erPoint methodology, said Dougherty. For example, leaders should demonstrate how to hold harnesses and related equipment, not just show photos of the right and wrong way to perform an action.
Communication practices also need to account for multilingual challenges, noted Hoyt Emmons, senior consultant for Med- Tex Services, Inc. “A simple example is training a non-English speaker in first aid, CPR, or choking,” he explained. “They may not get all the words, they can get the con- cepts. They practice, and then they can— and do—save lives.”
“Teams that are focused on the suc- cess of the group, company, or project as a whole will communicate well,” said Dough- erty. “Sharing information, ideas, and up- dates and requesting support in areas that are challenging keep a well-oiled machine.
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