It Takes Courage To Stop Unsafe Work

A safe workplace doesn't happen overnight or by accident. 

Still, if an organization wants employees to stop unsafe work, it takes a sincere commitment from the leadership.

The company must develop, establish, and align its safety vision. It must identify the desired behaviors of their leaders and employees, starting with those of the line supervisors.

Suppose a line supervisor's behaviors are not in line with the company's safety vision. In that case, the worker's perceptions of what's expected of them will undoubtedly be at odds with that vision.

Furthermore, all leadership behaviors must be consistent and never waver, even when production is behind, or systems are down. Inconsistency will only reinforce the workers' misconceptions.

From the top-down, expectations must be matched with accountability. Any reward, whether it's a promotion, recognition, or monetary, it must always reinforce the desired behaviors aligned with the company's safety vision.

The company must take the steps necessary to ensure that workers understand the dangers and are trained to recognize unsafe work when they see it.

The company must require behaviors from workers that demonstrate a personal commitment to not being injured, or playing a role in someone else's injury, by failing to stop unsafe work.

Everyone must demonstrate their mutual concern for the well-being of others and recognize that each person has value and that, if injured, they will suffer personally, and so will all those who care about them.

Lastly, everyone must have the courage to hold fast to true safety principles and precepts the organization values. To do this right takes much more than merely saying "Safety First" at your safety meeting.