Creating a Culture of Safety
Achieving a culture of safety involves every department within an organization.
In the energy industry, getting every worker home safely at the end of a shift is of critical importance. Safety should be more than the focus of designated roles within an organization. A culture of safety should permeate all departments and all levels of a company.
Embracing worker safety strengthens employee loyalty and builds relationships between workers and management, increases productivity and attracts top talent, while reducing turnover. Safety professionals and operations personnel must work together to continuously improve their safety programs, leveraging policies and technologies to optimize safety and drive excellence.
“When workers get hurt, it is a sign that things aren’t going right,” says Dr. David Michaels, OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor, who focuses on helping companies be “safe, productive, and profitable at the same time.” Safety is not a discrete issue for energy companies; it Is a key performance indicator of operational effectiveness.
What is a Strong Safety Culture?
How can you tell if your company operates with a strong safety culture? Ask the following questions:
- Does leadership provide strong influence and direction for your safety culture
- Are employees involved in the process? Are they engaged, supportive and invested in the safety program?
- Does your company embrace a culture of continuous improvement that regularly takes a critical look and evaluates how safety can be improved?
- Do you have a culture of accountability where staff look out for each other and hold each other accountable to keep everyone safe?
- Do you share best practices? Does your organization recognize that safety is not a competitive advantage but something we must work towards together?
- Is safety a focus ingrained in all departments in the company?
When an organization can say yes to these questions, a robust safety program is in place.
Safety Requires the Right People and the Right Tech
Achieving a culture of safety involves every department within an organization. Maintaining the highest levels of safety and efficiency is only possible by leveraging the right technology and data to inform smart decisions.
Partnering with a safety solution vendor that can supply the technology required to improve safety and serve as an advisor through implementation is key. From cloud-connected devices monitoring for safety incidents in real-time, to quantitative data and insights dashboards, a comprehensive safety solution reveals opportunities to take your organization to the next level.
This article originally appeared in the February 1, 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.