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Safety created by leadership values

by Dr. Larry Cole

This is the first article to address the positive leadership attributes that contribute to creating a safe work environment. As a reminder, we’ve listed the leadership model so you can again see how the components work together. Our research found that leadership creates an environment that encourages employees to work safely for the company. Interestingly, loyalty to the company, i.e., working to create a safety climate, preceded the motivation for the employee to work safely for their personal health.

We must begin by addressing two organizational realities. First is the powerful impact that leaders’ behaviors have upon an organization. Leaders need to both recognize and take advantage of this impact through the second reality that top down change produces bottom-up commitment. In reality, everyone is from Missouri, “the show me state,” and employees look to their leaders for direction. In other words, leadership sets the stage for a safe work environment.

We discussed the impact of personalities and safety in the second article of this series, but it’s my belief that you will be able to provide the positive leadership this article describes regardless of your personality. Yes, some leaders will find it easier to do than others. This may be a good time to re-read the article I asked you to copy detailing the 7-Step Personal Change Process©.

I’m asking you to be an inspirational leader by using the following leadership behaviors:

1. Talk about a mission that promotes safety. The starting point is to define a mission or purpose statement to work safely. Don’t worry about writing an academy award winning statement. The important point is to display the company’s mission to work safely. Also, define and post your safety goals along with current progress to achieve these goals.

Then, I’m asking you to talk, talk, and continue talking safety. At every organized meeting, you and/or your management team talk about your mission to work safely.

Discussion points can include:

A. Why is it important for your work site to have a mission to work safely?

B. Why is the company’s safety program important to the employee?

C. Emphasize that you want every employee to leave the job site as healthy as when they started in the morning.

D. Review and recognize progress in achieving safety goals.

2. Instill pride. You want every employee to be proud of working with a company that is conscientious about their personal safety. You may also:

A. Eagerly lead safety activities on the job site and ask other members of the management staff to do the same.

B. Support your safety personnel and their efforts in completing their job responsibilities in support of the company’s mission.

C. When walking the job site, talk to employees about working safely, recognize their safe work, and provide immediate coaching where needed to promote safety.

D. Challenge employees to find you “violating” a safety procedure and correct you on the spot.

E. Celebrate achieving safety milestones.

3. Go beyond self-interest for the safety of the team. Your challenge is to show everyone that you are willing to go the extra mile to do whatever needs to be done to ensure every employee’s personal health. You may find it awkward completing some of the behaviors listed in this article — do them anyway. Many leaders struggle with even providing positive recognition; you’ve got to be the cheerleader and lead that parade. You may need to tell other personnel not to interrupt you while completing safety procedures, e.g., the morning stretch and flex exercise. Remember, you’re showing employees your willingness to go that extra mile so they can maintain their personal health.

4. Display a sense of confidence that safety goals can be achieved. All of us would like success to be a straight-line function. But it’s not. The road to success is filled with frustrations and disappointments. Regardless of the challenges, you show a composed, positive commitment that “we can” work safely. You want members of the management staff to echo the same attitude.

Speaking of confidence, developing self-confidence is a journey called change. The more frequently you use the behaviors outlined in this article, the faster you will become comfortable at using them, and consequently the more quickly you will learn the self-confidence to create a safer work environment. Now that’s a win for everyone.