There is an old axiom which says,
“As goes the head so goes the body.” Therefore I posit that a safety program without
the commitment of management will not be successful. I say this because my
experiences in safety have taught me that when leadership has not bought into a
safety program, that program will fail.
This failure comes from several
factors; most significantly, a lack of resources. Because leadership is not
onboard they fail to provide the personnel, the time, or the financial
resources needed to ensure success. Other factors are related to management’s
decisions, priorities or behaviors. This is demonstrated by their misbehaving or working under priorities that are in conflict
with the organization’s safety paradigm. Those priorities will cause line
supervisors to push the safety envelope and cut corners, take shortcuts, or
hurry the worker.
Misbehavior is demonstrated by
leadership’s inappropriate reaction to incidents. Getting angry at results or
rushing investigation teams will short-circuit investigations and cause
analysis processes. Lastly, there is often a failure to establish clear expectations
and accountabilities. In fact, such leadership practices may even reward
shortcuts by advancing those persons who just “Git-er-done” without examining
how they actually “Got-er-did.”
Because of this it is imperative
that executive buy-in be established first. With that said, too many times have
I seen safety pro’s making the mistake of pushing the “Safety first” message when it should unquestionably be “Safe-operations
first.”
Safety and operations are
interdependent; one is useless without the other. To get your buy-in, build a
business case focused on enterprise risk. Taking a risk perspective
communicates the safety benefit message in the language frequently used by the top
brass, so they will certainly relate to it better. You must reinforce the cost
benefits and the gains they will see in employee retention, production, and
mechanical integrity programs.
After they give you their blessing,
through coaching and influence you will need to ensure that all leaders and
supervisors exhibit—through word and deed—a consistent safety message. Then
through collaboration with all stakeholders (including line supervisors and end
users), ensure that processes and policies which establish clear expectations
and accountabilities are developed. Remember, all output must reinforce a
consistent safety message from the top down.
Lastly, and here’s the hard part—make
sure you are not viewed as an obstructionist. Look to solve problems. Never
just say “no we can’t do that,” but find a way to help operations meet
their objectives safely. This is the essence of safe-operations. Without complete surrender, help them see that you
are on their team.
Just remind yourself: if it can be made safe to jump from an airplane with the right
procedures, training, and equipment, then there is a way to make this job safe.
I trust you found this article to be helpful. To learn more, contact me. below
