Creating a Safety Culture begins with Authentic Leadership

Just as compliance isn’t enough to keep workers safe within an industry, it’s also not enough to keep workers engaged. “Only an authentic leader can create committed employees and an organization committed to safety,” says Peter Krammer of Okos Partners, a California-based business consulting group. His article, “Leading from the Inside-Out Improves Safety,”  zeroes in on authentic leadership, a topic Crane Industry Services, LLC (CIS) drives home with customers every day.

“Everyone wants a safe organization, but if you’re legitimately, authentically leading a focused safety initiative, you’ll know what’s going on in your organization,” says Debbie Dickinson, CEO of CIS. “Authentic safety leaders can specifically name the potential hazards in their organization, and recognize when a task is being performed correctly. Otherwise, how can leaders lead the charge for safety?” Dickinson subscribes to the thoughts of Don Maxwell who wrote, “a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” A company that follows this philosophy is set up to be a safe organization, in Dickinson‘s opinion.

“Imagine a powerline worker forgetting his insulated gloves in his truck or locker, or choosing not to wear them despite knowing wearing them is company policy. What behavior causes someone to make that decision?” poses Dickinson. “Is it apathy or a lack of fear of the repercussions? What causes people to believe that this company would not pay for an hour overtime for that worker to go back to his locker and get his insulated gloves?” Wearing safety gear should be a non-negotiable, says Dickinson. Ignoring the policy should have repercussions such as suspension without pay—so that employees know the company is serious about safety—as well as abundant rewards and praise for working safely. Instead of counting days without injuries, maintain high standards for safety and reward those who excel at maintaining them.

In the construction and utility industries, safety compliance is paramount to the success of the operation and the lives of the people working within it. Unfortunately, writes Krammer, there’s a vast difference between basic compliance and a true commitment to safety. While basic compliance often looks like simply meeting safety standards, a true commitment to safety arises when authentic leaders inspire engaged workers.

Here are CIS’ suggestions for engaging your employees in a safety culture.

• Offer rewards – and just-in-time feedback – based on clear, proven safety practices, similar to rewarding employees for good service or sales. Reward not just on lack of incidents reported, but knowing the hazards.
• Have specific and clear consequences for behaviors or actions that are deemed unsafe. When all employees know and understand the company’s safety policy and the consequences for not following it, they engage with it much more than if their accountability is unclear
• Implement a Safety Innovation program and involve people at every level. People want to contribute. Ask the front line, boots-on-the-ground worker, “What can we do better or differently to make our jobs safer?”
• Make worker improvement suggestions an integral part of your company-wide safety program. Create the opportunity for workers to express their concerns and suggestions on a regular basis, through safety meetings, tailgate talks, etc. When people see their input taken seriously, it raises their commitment significantly.
• Leader participation in technical skills training is critical to the organization’s success. Leaders need not be qualified as journeymen, but they should be able to pass a knowledge test about the most dangerous and or critical work performed by employees of your company.
• Understand the worker’s mindset. Talk to workers, observe their daily activities to understand why they react to potential safety situations as they do. When management understands why workers do what they do, safety practices can be adjusted and improved.

“Leading from the inside-out requires connecting with your own values and leading from an authentic place. Remember that you, the leader, set the example to everyone who works for you, and you must teach or inspire other leaders to do the same,” writes Krammer. If you want a safe organization, as a safety leader you must chart the course and lead by example and knowledge. Leaders brave enough to take this charge have much to gain. Those who do not, have everything to lose.